About Us

• Beliefs of the CONRAD founders

  • An R&D network promoting “shared research” will improve technology development. This considered a key to the future growth in oil sands
  • Collaborative R&D have higher impact on technology development than isolated R&D and it must be encouraged
  • Diverse views and champions are essential for innovations in technology
  • Step change improvements in technology are required for further development of oil sands, for its competitiveness and environmental performance
  • Improving economic competitiveness offers many technical and technological challenges
  • Research presents opportunities for meeting requirements of the ever tightening environmental regulations
  • R&D sponsors wish the control of their R&D investments in their hands Research will create wealth when a new technology is applied in the field

  Goals

  CONRAD has the following three goals:

  • Improve the performance of the Oil Sands Industry through superior new technologies
  • Improve the effectiveness and quality of Oil Sands Research
  • Develop technologies that that will further improve Industry’s environmental performance

  Objectives

  Encourage, initiate, and support collaborative research in oil sands by bringing together

  • Industry’s research needs and research ideas
  • Research sponsors and research providers

  Principles

  The CONRAD Model is based on the following principles:

  • The Network will be by the industry members
  • All organizations funding research and providers of R&D can participate
  • Those who provide resources will provide the strategic direction and project/program selection
  • Projects will be selected on scientific merit and the commercial applicability to oil sands
  • Coordination will increase the level of cooperation and improve effectiveness of existing R&D efforts
  • Network’s intellectual property policy will enable collaborative research
  • The Network will link together the necessary researchers in key areas of expertise and will improve efficiency by directing funds to actual research projects