MoU between the University of Texas at Austin and NGI

NGI Houston President Victor Taboada (left) and Professor Robert Gilbert, the University of Texas at Austin (right) shake hands after the MoU signing.

The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and the University of Texas (UT) at Austin signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday November 10th, 2015, related to scientific cooperation and exchange.

The signing of the MoU took place at Norway house, headquarters of the Norwegian Consulate in Houston with the presence of the Consul General, Morten Paulsen, NGI Houston president, Victor Taboada and UT Austin Professor, Robert Gilbert.

Victor Taboada on behalf of NGI welcomed delegates and introduced NGI as the largest center for geoscientific expertise in Norway, and one of the leading international centers for research and consulting within the geosciences. NGI currently has offices in Oslo and Trondheim (Norway), Houston (Texas), and Perth (Western Australia). NGI has around 250 employees from 40 countries, eighty percent of whom have MSc or PhD degrees.

The MoU establishes a framework for cooperation in joint investigations, international projects, scientific exchanges and training of personnel concerning the field of offshore geotechnical engineering, on subjects of mutual interest.

Fifty-five guests from major oil and gas companies, and companies related to the oil and gas industry in Texas attended the event. The program started with welcoming remarks by Consul General, Mr. Morten Paulsen, followed by three very interesting technical presentations and the
signing of the MoU. At the end of the event, there was a reception with beverage and light food where all the attendance had the opportunity to mingle and make new acquaintances.

The presentations were:

• Gulf of Mexico Geohazards with an Emphasis on Deep Water, by Mr. Earl H. Doyle, Consultant
• Oso, Washington, March 2014 - The Deadliest Landslide in U.S. History, by Prof. Robert Gilbert, UT Austin
• Offshore Renewal Energy at NGI, by Mr. Knut Schroder, Technical Expert at NGI