The Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, Gilberto Kassab, creates working group to strengthen bilateral relations in a meeting with the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Tord Lien. « This is a new phase in relations between countries», Mr. Kassab says.
On Tuesday November 22, the Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications, Gilberto Kassab, received Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Tord Lien, to discuss cooperation between the two countries, especially within the oil and gas sector.
In the meeting, Kassab announced the creation of a working group within the Secretariat for Technological Development and Innovation, together with the ministries of Mines and Energy (MME) and Foreign Affairs (MRE), to intensify bilateral cooperation.
«This moment is a new phase in the relationship between countries with a strong link in the area of science and technology»,he says, according to a release on the website of the Ministry.
In 2013, MCTIC and the Norwegian Ministry of Oil and Gas set up a task force to chart the Brazil-Norway Strategy for the 21st century. The Norwegian state-owned company Statoil recently acquired a 60 percent stake in oil exploration in the oil field. Carcará.
In 2015, Finep launched a joint callto support partnerships between companies and research institutions in Brazil and Norway for the development of technologies in the oil and gas sector.
R $ 5 million was made available in the form of economic grants from Finep and approximately R $ 4.4 million in non-refundable resources from the Norwegian Research Council for projects in subsea technologies, advanced oil recovery and environmental technologies.
«I am very pleased with the way and agility with which Finep and the Norwegian Research Council have followed up on our agreement», said Minister Tord Lien, adding that R&D has played an important part in the development of the Norwegian oil and gas sector. Cooperation between companies, government and research institutions on a common strategy is part of the success.
The Brazilian interim Minister of Mines and Energy, Paulo Pedrosa, believes that the Brazilian oil and gas sector needs to seek competitiveness.
«We want Brazil to develop its oil and gas industry, to export services and components, and this is making the government rethink its policies, so that the energy sector can better contribute to the development and job creation in the country.»
In addition to the ministers, the meeting was attended by the director of MRE´s Department of Science and Technology, Ambassador Benedicto Fonseca, MME´s Secretary of Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels, Márcio Félix Bezerra, and Norwegian Ambassador Aud Marit Wiig.
Source: MCTIC
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