DHAHRAN: Oil and gas research activities are flourishing at Dhahran Techno Valley (DTV), a technology and research institution located in Dhahran, Eastern Province, which supports local and international companies to develop their products and services. There are now 10 technology companies, 10 research centers, and 10 incubated businesses operating at the DTV, according to Dr. Amjad A. Shaikh, a Technology Transfer Executive at DTV and Assistant Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals' (KFUPM) Department of Chemical Engineering. The companies are mostly engaged in the oil and gas sectors. He said the companies operating at DTV have already been issued 20 product patents; while 121 patents filed await approval. Shaikh said DTV is part of KFUPM, which is now at the forefront of establishing a knowledge-based economy in the Kingdom, away from a dependence on resources. He said that KFUPM, like universities around the world, such as MIT, Cambridge and Oxford, by establishing DTV, is now at the forefront of working closely with industries in pursuit of innovation.? Shaikh said DTV constitutes several entities, such as the King Abdullah Science Park (KASP), Innovation Center (IC), Consultancy and Liaison Office and Business Incubation. “These entities work to protect knowledge creation, facilitate industry collaboration, encourage entrepreneurship, support innovation, and to enhance the knowledge transfer from and to KFUPM.” KASP at DTV hosts multinational oilfield companies, among them Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Weatherford. These companies have shown great interest and commitment by signing agreements with DTV to establish world class research centers, according to Shaikh. “The KASP science park has one of the world's largest concentrations of top oil field service companies,” Shaikh said. He said this advantage is further strengthened by the fact that DTV and its affiliated entities like KASP, are located close to Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil producer, and KFUPM, the Middle East's best university in engineering education.
