Omani oil company OQ looking to establish cooperation with KFU
Representatives of OQ (headquartered in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman) arrived for a working visit on 4th February. During the meeting, attended by Vice-Rector for International Affairs Timirkhan Alishev, KFU scientists presented their promising technological developments.
The discussion was also joined by Svetlana Selivanovskaya, Director of the Institute of Enviornmental Sciences and Biotechnology; Mikhail Varfolomeev, Director of the KFU Low-Tonnage Chemical Technologies Park; Vladislav Sudakov, Deputy Director for Marketing of the Gazprom Neft – KFU Research and Education Center; Ildus Chukmarov, Deputy Director for Continuing Education and Industrial Partnerships at the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies (IGPT); Jorge Ancheyta Juárez, Lead Researcher at the In-Situ Combustion Laboratory; and Rustem Zairov, Associate Professor at the Department of Physical Chemistry.
OQ was established in 2019 and is engaged in oil and gas production. It is worth noting that in May 2025, agreements were reached between the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies and representatives of Oman’s largest oil and gas companies, PDO (Petroleum Development Oman) and OQ, regarding the development of cooperation in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods and oilfield chemistry.
During the meeting, Timirkhan Alishev introduced the guests to the history and structure of Kazan University. Additionally, the Vice-Rector outlined the strategic projects being developed at the university, as well as the key industrial partners supporting their implementation. Subsequently, the scientists presented their developments and discussed future plans for cooperation.
“Currently, the university cooperates with a number of oil companies in Oman. The Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies is actively conducting joint research with them, aimed, among other things, at increasing oil recovery, as Omani oil is heavy and hard-to-recover. The technologies developed by colleagues are suitable for Omani enterprises as well,” commented the Vice-Rector regarding the visit.
Said Al-Hamimi, Head of Research and Development at OQ, told journalists that the company is open to collaborations with foreign universities and enterprises. He expressed confidence that such cooperation could significantly expand the horizons for further work in this field.
Notably, there are six students from Oman studying at KFU this academic year. In turn, students from Kazan Federal University are currently undergoing a winter internship in Arabic language and Omani culture at Sultan Qaboos University.
Following the meeting, the guests proceeded to tour IGPT and the Institute of Chemistry.
The guests were accompanied by Dr Chukmarov, Dr Varfolomeev, and Deputy Director for Research Pavel Krylov.
“Everything we saw today at the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies interested us greatly. OQ is preparing to open a new research division and requires qualified specialists. We are considering Kazan University as one of our potential partners with whom we could collaborate in scientific research. After visiting the university, we saw that your scientists have already found solutions to a number of problems that we are only trying to solve. This significantly facilitates our task. Now it consists of translating the experience that KFU has, taking into account our realities,” commented OQ Head of R&D Saeed Al-Hamimi.
An agreement on cooperation with OQ, as well as with other companies and universities in Oman, was reached in May of last year during a trip by Dr Varfolomeev and other representatives of IGPT to that country to participate in the Oman Petroleum & Energy Show (OPES).
“OQ is one of the largest companies in the Sultanate of Oman, with which we have experience collaborating. The company is engaged in both oil extraction and processing, and obtaining chemical products from it, such as polymers – polyethylene, polypropylene. The company also produces fertilizers based on nitrogen compounds,” explained Varfolomeev after the guests’ departure. “We hope that OQ will become our partner. During the visit to KFU, areas of cooperation were discussed. Company representatives noted that they are primarily interested in the enhanced oil recovery technologies being created at KFU, new technologies in the field of oil refining, petrochemistry, and reducing well water cut. A large amount of water in the extracted product is one of the most serious problems the company faces when extracting ‘black gold.'”
Ildus Chukmarov reported that preparation of a memorandum of understanding between KFU and OQ will begin soon, after which a roadmap will be formed. The document will provide for cooperation in various areas, including continuing education.
“During the visit to CdoGEO, the guests became acquainted with the center’s activities. Options for continuing education programs in English in areas of interest to them were presented – from oil extraction to oil refining. I noted that classes can be organized both on our territory, at KFU, and on theirs – in Oman. We have developed a mechanism that will allow foreigners studying directly at our center to combine it with internships and research work in the world-class laboratories of IGPT. For example, OQ representatives will be able to study core samples and reservoir fluid samples they bring from Oman’s oil fields,” concluded Ildus Chukmarov.
