UH will charter a new subsea engineering national research center to help improve the sustainability and development of energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico. The center will focus on reducing the amount of offshore accidents and deep water disasters.
“We are grateful for this grant, which is the culmination of years of work to establish the University of Houston as the Energy University and a vibrant and comprehensive partner with the energy industry,” President Renu Khator said in a release.
“We envision our Subsea Systems Institute as serving to ensure that technologies, policies, regulations and standards needed for safe and environmentally responsible operations in the energy industry are developed and shared.”
UH will lead the institute, collaborating with the Johnson Space Center, Texas Southern University, Houston Community College, Lone Star College and Rice University.
“A center focused on prevention is the right thing to do,” UH Chief Energy Officer Ramanan Krishnamoorti said in a press release. “A center in Houston is the right place to do it, and (this) is the right team.”