Oil sands to access Israeli technologies as CIIRDF joins COSIA R&D consortium

Alberta oil sands producers may soon be adapting cutting-edge technologies from Israel and Canada to reduce their environmental footprint, opening up the potential for their dissemination into the broader economy. The first batch of technology options will be presented in early 2015 to members of Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) by the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (CIIRDF), which was recently named an associate member (AM) in the 13-company organization.

COSIA granted CIIRDF AM status to gain access to a host of technologies related to waste management, desalination, sensors and material sciences to address increasing critical issues such as water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, oil sands tailings and land reclamation.

Since its formation, COSIA member companies have developed nearly 800 technologies aimed at improving their environmental performance and valued at close to $1 billion. The organization, which pools R&D for the collective benefit of its members, now has more than 30 AMs in a program that was launched in 2013.

"This is potentially huge ... We are the only associate member that represents a national system of innovation, which is Israel," says CIIRDF president Dr Henri Rothschild, adding that Canadian technologies will also be considered. "We act like a brokerage. We get the details on the technologies and they (the companies) decide what they need and then we work with our Israeli networks and present options to the COSIA members."

CIIRDF's affiliation with COSIA builds on its management of the Canada-Israel Energy Science and Technology Fund (CIEST), a three-year, $10-million initiative enabling companies from the two nations to collaborate on R&D and commercialization of energy technologies and processes. As a COSIA AM, CIIRDF will embrace a new function as technology broker, utilizing its extensive industry and research contacts in Israel and Canada to present oil sands producers with new technology-based solutions to address their growing environmental footprint.

Rothschild says the areas of technology expertise COSIA is seeking are quite broad but the technical specifications and explanations of need it provides to CIIRDF are extremely detailed.

"It's at a granular level, almost like the military. Israeli companies are used to problem solving this way," says Rothschild. "We are a hub. If we can't find it, it probably doesn't exist."

Rothschild describes the pending technology selection process to venture capital, with a pitch session to COSIA members. If a technology proves attractive all members or just a few can sign on, with CIIRDF doing the legwork to locate suitable companies as partners.

Each proposal is scrutinized for its scientific and technical merit, approach to proof-of-concept or performance, economic potential of concept, proponent's capabilities and related experience and realism of the proposed plan and cost estimates

Precedent setting

While CIIRDF's AM status is intended to benefit oil sands producers, Rothschild says the unique characteristics of the COSIA alliance and its AM program could result in significant spillover into other areas of the economy, both in Alberta and nationally.

"There's no precedent for the COSIA structure in the industrial history of Canada. It's a business consortium pooling technological capabilities and investing directly in innovation ... The purpose of company co-investment is to be environmentally compliant to regulations and reduce their footprint. The bonus is, if they succeed in meeting their targets they will have developed technologies which will have other purposes. The potential is huge."

As an example, Rothschild refers to Israel's pioneering R&D into desalination, helping to make one of the driest regions on earth self-sufficient in drinking water and water for commercial use. The technology has led to major exports and the construction of desalination facilities in China, California and elsewhere.

COSIA does not divulge its associate members but it's known to include the National Research Council, Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, General Electric, IBM and Natural Resources Canada.

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