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Some SINTEF highlights from 2012

  • SINTEF scientists help to develop new operating instruments that will permit tumours in moving organs to be removed. The method could mean a new type of treatment without scalpels, lasers or anaesthetics.
  • Norwegian leading daily Aftenposten’s jury named multiphase technology the most important Norwegian invention since 1980. The technology enables us to transport oil, gas and water in one and the same pipeline, and has contributed to enormous value creation by the Norwegian petroleum sector. Research groups at IFE and SINTEF have played central roles in the development of multiphase technology.
  • Instituto SINTEF do Brasil (SINTEF Brazil) gained accreditation from the Brazilian Directorate of
    Petroleum (ANP): Accreditation is the formal confirmation that SINTEF Brazil is recognised as a supplier of
    research and development services for the Brazilian petroleum sector.
  • A radiation sensor developed by SINTEF ICT played a part in the discovery of the Higgs boson by the
    particle accelerator at CERN. The finding has been described as a milestone in particle physics.
  • Milestone for Ocean Space Centre: The Norwegian Ministry of Finance’s external quality assurers con­cluded that Ocean Space Centre, the proposed knowledge centre for ocean space technology at MARINTEK,
    will be profitable in social-economic terms. This was a milestone along the route to developing the future
    centre.
  • The European Union’s EcoGrid project reaches final round for the sustainable power award: With SINTEF in the coordinator role, the project reached the finale of the Sustania Award, an unofficial “World Champion­ship in Sustainable Energy” run by the Scandinavian think-tank MandagMorgen. The project utilises smart-
    power grids to create more flexibility for the use of solar and wind power.
  • Yet another Research-based Innovation Centre saw the light of day: the Centre for Petroleum Production Facilities (CPPF). The Centre is run from MARINTEK, with contributions from IFE and IRIS, NTNU and
    the University of Stavanger. The main aims of the Centre are to extend the lifetime of Norwegian oil-fields,
    increase their accessibility, and reduce the risk of accidents in the offshore sector.
  • Project Cold-Wear completed the development of the world’s most advanced work wear for fishermen. The suit incorporates a man-overboard alarm, a flotation system that is automatically activated when needed,
    and self-repairing textiles.
  • SINTEF was awarded the 2012 Diversity Prize. The jury justified its award by pointing out that we have managed to create an international milieu that includes highly qualified staff from a large number of cultures
    who are represented at most levels of the organisation. The award was handed over by Ahmad Ghanazideh, State Secretary in the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion.
  • SINTEF helped to develop the first sensor in the world that can identify individual particles in a blood
    sample, in close collaboration with colleagues from Stanford University and the University of Oslo. The sensor has outpaced existing equipment by raising sensitivity by a factor of one million.
  • A 3D oil-drilling simulator was inaugurated in Stavanger. The simulator was developed for Statoil, and is programmed with experiential data and mathematical models developed by SINTEF. It is already saving the petroleum sector millions of kroner by enabling it to avoid potential accidents and by improving
    the efficiency of well-drilling.
  • Powerful effort: SINTEF was given the job of developing the next generation of salt power generators,
    thanks to our wide-ranging expertise in the field of membrane technology.
  • SINTEF Technology and Society helps Ghana to build up a national supply industry for the petroleum sector, capable of supporting the latter’s activities on Ghana’s continental shelf. Ten local companies are participating in this venture, and most of them have gained customers in the petroleum sector in the course of the project.
  • SINTEF’s new analysis of the marine sector has attracted a great deal of attention. The analysis shows that it should be possible to multiply the value creation of this industry by a factor of six by 2050. The prerequisites are political prioritisation and good management of the environmental challenges faced by this sector.
  • SINTEF retains its position vis-à-vis the European Union: we are still by far Norway’s leading participant
    in European Union-financed research projects. By the end of 2012, SINTEF had participated in 188 projects
    under the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme for research and development, and had coordinated 44 of them.
    www.sintef.no