The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and Tenaris S.A., which has its North American headquarters in Houston signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Jan. 7 to establish a framework for increasing collaboration among the researchers and engineers associated with the two entities.
"The signing of this agreement ushers in a new era of university and industry collaboration," said John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. "There will be tremendous opportunities for collaboration and significant opportunities for our students and faculty to have valuable experience working with a partner such as Tenaris."
TEES and Tenaris have many areas of common interest in oil and gas, energy and mechanical industries, and in some of the areas a considerable advantage may be gained from innovation partnerships.
"We look forward to combining Tenaris’s practical knowledge and expertise with the resources and fresh perspective of the faculty and students of Texas A&M University," said Germán Curá, President, Tenaris North America. "Tenaris has always believed that no matter how much we invest in technology, what’s important is how much we invest in the human element and in the communities where we operate. This agreement is a logical step forward in our commitment to education and innovation, and we look forward to continued partnership with Texas A&M."
The general area of this collaboration will include research, development, innovation, education and employment opportunities and will involve two primary groups -a Senior Steering Committee and sub-committees established by the Senior Steering Committee.
"We are extremely grateful and fortunate to have a partner like Tenaris involved in this effort," said Phil Adams, Chairman of the Board of Regents. "We appreciate the tremendous leadership of Germán Curá, and have the highest regard for his depth and understanding of the importance of industry and university collaboration in creating value for the citizens of Texas. Our land grant roots run deep and this should be a shining example of Texas A&M making a positive difference."
In addition to research projects, Tenaris will sponsor student educational activities and will accept Texas A&M University students into the Tenaris Global Internship program.
"Transforming engineering education will require partnerships with industry," said Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering. "The connection between industry and academia will insure our students are prepared to address the technical challenges that will be faced in the future."
Tenaris practitioners may also teach adjunct classes at Texas A&M and/or host educational events at Tenaris facilities in order to convey practical business knowledge and field expertise to Texas A&M students. Tenaris has initiated a comprehensive university outreach program, and is pleased with the development of this cooperative program with Texas A&M and TEES.
Dr. Dimitris Lagoudas, deputy director of TEES, and Dr. Costas Georghiades, associate dean for research, will oversee research and development projects with their Tenaris counterparts, while Dr. Terri Reed, assistant vice chancellor of academic affairs, will oversee education and workforce training with Tenaris employees.
About Tenaris: Tenaris is a leading supplier of tubes and related services for the world’s energy industry and certain other industrial applications. Its mission is to deliver value to its customers through product development, manufacturing excellence and supply chain management. Tenaris seeks to minimize risk for its customers and help them reduce costs, increase flexibility and improve time to market. Tenaris has approximately 4,000 employees at its 10 U.S. facilities as well as a new seamless pipe production plant under construction in Bay City, Texas. Tenaris’s approximately 27,000 employees around the world are committed to continuous improvement by sharing knowledge across a single global organization.