oa Towards a sustainable collaboration between the oil and gas industry and university

There are few universities globally focused on oil and gas technical education. In some cases, these universities are set up by the oil and gas majors, which are typically state-owned. The need for the university to be linked to the industry, especially in the oil and gas sector, is an important facet of the daily operation of the university. This ensures that the university remains relevant in time and is contributing to the oil and gas industries. The fast and ever-changing business climate and the speed of conduct of the oil and gas business predicates that the university must be geared to remain relevant and also sustainable in serving the oil and gas fraternities by producing graduates who will typically find their way into the oil and gas industries. In addition, the research components of the university must also address the current issues affecting the oil and gas industries. This paper seeks to address the modes of delivery by the university and the industries in achieving sustainable growth academically and in research through collaboration with the oil and gas industries. This involves the working mechanism of the university in relation to the integration of the often-complicated state-owned oil and gas major, the oil and gas service providers, and also the oil and gas vendors. In some instances governmental bodies overseeing the growth and support of the state owned oil and gas company are part of the working parameters in the collaboration. It was found that the fit for purpose collaborative efforts between the university and the oil and gas industries are key to sustainable academic, research and business development. It involves one key business model with several sub-key business models in making a sustainable collaboration model. A case example is presented.