Investors & Entrepreneurs
INDUSTRIAL AFFILIATES PROGRAMS
Industrial Affiliates Programs provide a unique opportunity for the private sector to partner with UT researchers to explore research topics of mutual interest. Companies who join these programs gain access to state-of-the-art research facilities, world-class university talent, and any data and publications shared among members in exchange for an annual membership fee. Because Industrial Affiliates Programs are dedicated to fundamental, early-stage research, members can engage with the university’s research programs, students, and faculty without paying institutional indirect costs or overhead.
For more information on joining or establishing an Industrial Affiliates Program, contact our Licensing and Collaborative Research team.
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Applied Geodynamics Laboratory
Energy – Reservoir Siesmology
Applied Geodynamics Laboratory (AGL) is an industry-funded consortium dedicated to producing innovative concepts in salt tectonics and mobile-shale tectonics. Research comprises a mix of physical and mathematical modeling; seismic- and field-based mapping; and structural-stratigraphic analysis of some of the world’s most spectacular basins involving mobile substrates— including those of the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, Brazil, the Mediterranean, and the Canadian High Arctic.
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Carbon Utilization & Storage
Energy – Global Warming & Environmental
The goal of Carbon Utilization, Storage, and Transportation (CARBON UT) is to develop novel solutions to the energy transition that satisfy energy demands, carbon balance, economic feasibility, and public acceptance. We focus on developing basic technologies needed in the energy transition, such as CO2 capture and direct conversion, geological carbon sequestration, bridging technologies for energy with less or no carbon emission, hydrogen production and supply chain, and renewable energy at low cost.
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Center for Identity
Privacy & Security
UT Austin established the Center for Identity to serve as a center of excellence for identity management, privacy, and security. The Center research and education programs are delivering new and innovative advances to anticipate and mitigate current and future identity threats, while offering leadership, vision, and solutions for now and well into the future.
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Center for Subsurface Modeling
Energy – Reservoir Simulation
The Center for Subsurface Modeling (CSM) is dedicated to developing solutions to tomorrow’s modeling challenges – today. At CSM, we actively work with industry and academia to deliver cutting edge scientific advancements in the form of toolsets for subsurface applications. Our research continually seeks to improve our physical understanding of subsurface phenomena using consistent mathematical modeling and advanced numerical solution techniques. We use high performance computing to reduce computational costs associated with complex models. CSM collaborations span across various disciplines to model flow and transport of fluids in reservoirs of varying complexities accounting for fluid phase behavior, geochemical reactions and geomechanical deformations. These modeling advancements are implemented in our in-house reservoir simulator (IPARS) or available as stand-alone toolsets for specific applications. Our model developments assist industrial affiliates in their field deployment efforts.
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Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery
Energy – Enhanced Oil Recovery
Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR) conducts research to improve displacement efficiency, sweep efficiency, and scale-up in petroleum reservoirs by cost effective chemical enhanced oil recovery processes.
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Comparing Electricity Options
Energy – Global Warming & Environmental
Comparing Electricity Options (CEO) is designed as a data-driven analysis of local and global environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas and local emissions, land and water pollution and use, associated with supply chains and lifecycle of main electricity generation options. There are evident trade-offs among society’s goals of mitigating climate change, improving local environments, and providing reliable and affordable energy that can sustain a healthy economy with gainful employment for the population. Balancing these often-conflicting objectives, while considering costs at the system and end-user levels, will benefit from our study. Our goals are to create tools that support energy sector decision and policy makers with their overall economic and environmental assessments to manage supply chain and environmental, social, and governance risks, based on current and projected commodity demands, highlight where innovation can add value to their available options, and inform policies that drive measurable improvement and encourage optimal innovation
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Construction Industry Institute
Construction
Construction Industry Institute (CII), based at The University of Texas at Austin, is a consortium of more than 130 leading owner, engineering-contractor, and supplier firms from both the public and private arenas. These organizations have joined together to enhance the business effectiveness and sustainability of the capital facility life cycle through CII research, related initiatives, and industry alliances.
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Development of Resources of Hydrocarbons in Mexico
Energy – Reservoir Simulation
The Development of Resources of Hydrocarbons in Mexico (DRHM) is a collaboration between energy companies working in Mexico, universities, and local research labs to develop transformational programs designed to advance exploration and production in Mexico. The formation and technical content of DRHM is driven by interest from the members of the Mexican Association of Hydrocarbon Companies (AMEXHI). The consortium will work closely with AMEXHI and its members to ensure that research directly benefits the membership. DRHM will be tailored to specifically address the exploration and production research needs of AMEXHI’s member companies. The research will be focused on improving the exploration and appraisal capabilities of the AMEXHI operating companies in an effort to quickly lead to efficient, profitable and sizable production from on-shore and off-shore fields in Mexico. The specific research programs that will be funded will be determined through extensive analysis
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Digital Rock Petrophysics
Energy – Petrophysics
The Digital Rock Petrophysics Industrial Affiliate Program develops new methods of petrophysical characterization, data preservation, simulation automation based on multiscale imaging of porous materials and relating them to laboratory and field measurements. Our research objectives include (1) improving relative permeability, wettability description and electrical properties in heterogeneous formations such as carbonates and unconventionals and (2) establishing multiscale imaging and characterization workflows that unravel fundamentals of the relevant transport processes. In the process, we will create a rock catalog based on Digital Rocks Portal (https://www.digitalrocksportal.org/) that hosts benchmarks for machine/deep learning rock characterization algorithms and relates digital rocks petrophysics results with measurements, well log interpretation and field observation.
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Formation Evaluation
Energy – Petrophysics
The joint industry research consortium on formation evaluation aims at developing and testing novel methodologies for the integrated interpretation of well logs, rock-core measurements, and seismic amplitude data. Emphasis is placed on the petrophysical interpretation of measurements to detect, diagnose, and quantify rock properties and geometrical variables that control the storage and production of hydrocarbon reserves. Interpretation of borehole geophysical measurements also includes pore-scale petrophysical models to assess the influence of partial hydrocarbon saturation on gradient diffusion measurements of magnetic resonance, wideband dielectrics, and multi-phase immiscible flow. To accomplish these goals, the research consortium develops efficient and accurate algorithms for the numerical simulation of multi-phase and compositional flow in the near-wellbore region.
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Fracture Research and Application Consortium
Energy – Reservoir Geology & Simulation
The Fracture Research and Application Consortium (FRAC) pursues fundamental and applied research toward the successful characterization, prediction, and simulation of naturally and artificially fractured reservoirs. We take a combined approach that integrates structural geology and diagenesis with reservoir engineering and geomechanical modeling. This combination leads to fundamental understanding of fractures and fracture processes in fractured reservoirs of all types at a range of scales. Our goal is improved prediction of the geometry, spatial distribution, and hydraulic properties of faults and fractures at all scales and their influence on drilling and completions, fluid migration, production, and injection. Results are relevant to geothermal facility design, oil and gas exploration and development, including unconventional reservoirs, and deep fractured rock hydrogeology.
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Gas Enhanced Oil Recovery
Energy – Enhanced Oil Recovery
Gas Enhanced Oil Recovery (GEOR) conducts mechanistic research to improve oil recovery in conventional and unconventional reservoirs by gas injection.
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