UPPA frame contract: co-developing sustainable solutions with regional talents

In a world undergoing a profound energy change, TotalEnergies has positioned itself as a committed player in scientific research, by forging robust partnerships with national and international universities. These partnerships aim to accelerate innovation in crucial areas such as decarbonization, sustainable development and the preservation of strategic technological competencies.
 

A year ago, on July 3, 2024, the OneTech Branch of TotalEnergies and the University of Pau and the Pays de l’Adour (UPPA) signed a frame contract for a five-year scientific partnership. "The frame agreements signed with universities aim to structure regular discussions between academic researchers and industrial experts. This synergy contributes to merging expertise, identifying shared technological issues and co-developing tangible solutions for the energy transition. It is founded on a shared outlook of open, collaborative research, focused on the major social challenges" explains Catherine Javaux, Vice President Upstream Research & Development at TotalEnergies. Their geographical location makes it easier for the researchers at TotalEnergies, particularly those based in Pau/CSTJF and Lacq/PERL to meet with UPPA academics. The partnership aims to create a dynamic, agile scientific ecosystem, able to produce innovative solutions and train high-potential students who will buoy up tomorrow’s energy transition.
 

"With Laurent Bordes, President of the UPPA and Marie-Noëlle Semeria, Senior Vice President, Research & Development at TotalEnergies, we celebrated the first anniversary of our frame contract between long-standing partners on several projects - a meaningful occasion that enabled us to look back on a positive past through the presentations given by researchers, students and professors from both sides of the partnership. Our collaborative actions with the UPPA aim to help research move forward in crucial sectors, including decarbonization and sustainable development, and also to maintain a robust baseline of crucial competencies and technologies."

Over the year, efforts focused on the two major avenues of research. The first explores carbon dioxide and hydrogen storage, transport and monitoring possibilities and technologies as well as the geochemical and geophysical fluid tracking and maintains an open book on emerging topics. The second, focused on sustainable development, homes in on the environmental impacts of technological and industrial innovations.

The technical deployment of the agreement was based on tried and tested systems, such as shared laboratories and partnership research chairs. These tools are already used at the UPPA and TotalEnergies, where they have demonstrated their effectiveness and flexibility, giving the teams of scientists a setting conducive to innovation. In particular, the UPPA mobilized its instrumental service center UPPA Tech that federates twenty specialist platforms equipped with cutting-edge instrumentation. TotalEnergies has also made available its facilities, such as the "pilot rivers", thereby pooling resources to boost research.
 

Training tomorrow’s talents by branching out internationally

Training is at the core of this partnership. The agreement includes receiving Masters, PhD and post-doctoral students, particularly as part of CIFRE theses. It also encourages the development of teaching and research chairs, led by senior lecturers or high-potential young researchers. "This initiative also aims to reinforce the region’s scientific appeal and train the future experts of the energy transition. In the Company, we give great importance to training young people, for example by supervising PhD theses, where we participate in developing scientific competencies while supporting applied research in strategic sectors. This approach is part of a determination to strengthen bonds between the academic and industrial worlds and to prepare high-potential young scientists who will shape tomorrow’s energy solutions."

Branching out in Europe and internationally is another of the partnership’s mainstays. Targeted, shared actions, such as exploration missions, the co-supervision of students, co-tutorship of PhD theses or inviting foreign researchers help initiate international partnerships on specific projects. European and global partnerships strengthen the global impact of the work undertaken.

Finally, the UPPA and the multi-energy Company have pledged to coordinate their actions in open science. In doing so, they spearhead shared initiatives to structure and share research data and source codes in compliance with the legal framework. "The aim is to strengthen transparency and reproducibility and share the knowledge we acquire. We are proud and happy with this partnership, which illustrates TotalEnergies’ determination to draw on leading academic partnerships to develop scientific and technological solutions in keeping with the aims of our transition strategy."