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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Machine Learning Lab
Computing & Automation
The Machine Learning Lab (MLL) will be the catalyst that expands industry academic partnerships and builds the research base for partner companies, yielding talent development, research expertise, and new opportunities for all involved.
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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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Tight Oil Resource Assessment
Energy – Reservoir Production
Tight Oil Resource Assessment (TORA) evaluates the resource potential and remaining development opportunities for US tight oil and shale gas basins, focusing on the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico. TORA projects future production levels of oil and gas at various price points, with their environmental implications.
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Multi-Scale Rock Physics of Unconventional and Carbonate Reservoirs
Energy – Petrophysics
The UT Austin Multi-scale Rock Physics Research Program focuses on developing advanced methods and workflows for integrating multi-scale formation data (i.e., measured physical properties of rock-fluid systems from pore to reservoir scale) to enhance reservoir characterization of challenging formations. Examples of such formations include spatially heterogeneous, tight, unconventional (e.g., organic-rich mudrocks), and carbonate formations. The term unconventional refers to formations with complex pore/matrix structure and composition, where conventional rock physics methods fail to perform reliably. We jointly analyze the outcomes from experimental data, analytical rock physics model development, and numerical modeling to evaluate static and dynamic formation properties for reliable characterization of challenging reservoirs, with the intent to enhance production and recovery factors.
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Science & Technology Affiliates for Research
Computing & Automation
The Science & Technology Affiliates for Research (STAR) program offers opportunities for companies to leverage Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) capabilities and resources to gain a competitive advantage in the 21st century economy. The STAR program promotes mutually beneficial exchange between industry and academia in advanced computing technologies, while fostering innovation and supporting economic development in the state of Texas and across the nation. To achieve these goals, the STAR program supports high-risk/high-gain research, helping companies of all sizes to develop new approaches to solving problems. Affiliates have access to the latest technologies and best-practices in high-end computing, visualization, data analysis, machine learning and artificial intelligence, storage, networking, and applications. They receive expert support and training in using these technologies; and are offered opportunities for joint academic/industrial research.
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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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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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Quantitative Clastics Laboratory
Energy – Reservoir Geology & Simulation
The Quantitative Clastics Laboratory (QCL) is a UT Austin industry research collaboration focused on the sedimentology and stratigraphy of clastic depositional systems, with applications in reservoir modeling, uncertainty in subsurface stratigraphic correlation, and source-to-sink predictions for frontier exploration. Researchers use outcrop, subsurface, and Earth-surface data to investigate the processes and products of fluvial, shallow-marine, and deep-water depositional systems, and they aim to determine the impact of realistic modeling of reservoir architecture and facies distribution on reservoir performance of these systems. Researchers also use multi-proxy provenance analysis to understand external drivers and paleogeography of sediment source areas, drainage networks, and depositional systems in order to predict reservoir presence and quality.
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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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Reservoir Simulation
Energy – Reservoir Simulation
The objectives of the Reservoir Simulation Joint Industry Research Project include the development, testing, verification, and application of reservoir simulators for oil and gas recovery processes. The reservoir simulators developed by this research group are used as test beds for new process physics, computational algorithms, physical property models, and other scientific purposes. Recent projects include CO2 and H2 storage and simulation and production forcast from geothermal reservoirs.
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Texas Robotics
Computing & Automation
Texas Robotics’ Industrial Affiliate Program forges close relationships between robotics students and researchers at UT Austin and our natural partners in industry. It fuels growth by creating an exchange in which affiliate partners benefit from access to cutting edge research and top talent while University researchers gain a clear understanding of the real-world challenges confronting our partners. Membership in this program is about creating the future of robotics at UT Austin and beyond. Opportunities include directed research, a unique program of embedded researchers in groups within the consortium, premier access for recruitment, and more.
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iMAGiNE
Computing & Automation
The iMAGiNE (Intelligent MAchine enGINEering) consortium provides tools, methodologies, and knowledge for engineering the machines that support intelligent applications, from the smallest circuits to the largest systems. iMAGiNE brings together faculty experts and researchers working on cutting-edge technology from devices and circuits, to hardware accelerators and the software systems running on them, while advancing the development of intelligent systems for rich data collection, machine learning, and smart sensing/actuation. To support the cloud-edge continuum and the applications running on them, iMAGiNE is organized in three thrusts: Cloud, Edge, and Applications.
Discovery to Impact partners with researchers, inventors, investors, and entrepreneurs at every step of their journey in relentless pursuit of changing the world.