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.