The 91视频 (UH) welcomed a delegation from the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), the technical arm of India鈥檚 Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, on September 24, 2026, for discussions on expanding collaboration. The meeting highlighted opportunities to apply UH鈥檚 research expertise to India鈥檚 hydrocarbon exploration priorities and developing new avenues for technical as well as academic cooperation and industry engagement.
The UH delegation of faculty and researchers was led by Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president, Division of Energy and Innovation, while the Indian delegation was led by Dr. Neeraj Mittal, secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, India.
The visit builds on the 2023 partnership between the University and DGH that launched the UH鈥揇GH Center for Hydrocarbon Exploration. Using geoscience data and advanced interpretation tools, the center conducts research and evaluation of the petroleum geology of India鈥檚 sedimentary basins to identify opportunities for further exploration.
Dr. Krishnamoorti opened the meeting underscoring UH鈥檚 ability to support India鈥檚 exploration objectives through integrated technical analysis. He emphasized that the University brings together expertise across geosciences, petroleum engineering, subsea systems, offshore safety, infrastructure, energy policy, law and business, providing robust interdisciplinary capabilities.
This was followed by presentations from Dr. Robert Stewart, professor of geophysics in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and Dr. Ganesh Thakur, distinguished professor in the Department of Petroleum Engineering.
The delegation also received an update on the UH鈥揇GH Center from David Hume, research manager. Hume outlined the center鈥檚 research mandate, industry outreach and efforts to build interest in India鈥檚 exploration opportunities through technical presentations, publications, seminars and industry engagement.
A key technical discussion focused on the Mahanadi and Bengal basins. Michael Castele and Dr. Srinivasan Krishnan from the UH鈥揇GH Center reviewed already identified exploration prospects, including a recently developed petroleum systems model (PSM) created using advanced software at UH.
Dr. Krishnamoorti with Dr. Mittal
New Avenues for Collaboration
Mr. Vinod Seshan, joint secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, presented an overview of changes to India鈥檚 exploration policies and their potential to encourage investment in the country鈥檚 hydrocarbon resources.
He also introduced Samudra Manthan (鈥淐hurning of the Ocean鈥�), a government exploration initiative involving an expected US$8.5 billion investment over five years. The program is expected to support seismic-data reprocessing, new multicomponent seismic surveys, additional 3D seismic acquisition and funding of up to US$70 million for new wildcat wells in deepwater basins. India anticipates drilling 60 deepwater wells under the initiative.
These plans create potential opportunities for UH to contribute its expertise in seismic acquisition planning, reprocessing, interpretation and integrated basin analysis.
Vinod Seshan presenting at the meeting
Dr. Mittal, in his address, identified several areas for advancing the partnership. He invited UH to explore participation in Samudra Manthan and supported expanded academic collaboration, including potential sponsorships for graduate students focused on artificial intelligence and data management for hydrocarbon exploration. Dr. Mittal also introduced MC虏, a US$200 million energy-transition incubator fund intended to encourage innovation across the energy sector.
鈥淭hese discussions strengthened the 91视频鈥檚 longstanding relationship with India鈥檚 energy sector and highlighted practical opportunities to collaborate on exploration, technology and education,鈥� said David Hume. 鈥淯H鈥檚 technical expertise, combined with India鈥檚 ambitious energy initiatives, provides a strong foundation for work that can reduce exploration risk, develop talent and support future energy innovation.鈥�
Next phase of the UH鈥揇GH partnership
Several opportunities to advance the UH鈥揇GH partnership were identified at the meeting. The delegations discussed potential UH participation in Samudra Manthan through technical support for seismic acquisition, reprocessing and interpretation, as well as the integration of new data into existing basin models. Additional areas of potential collaboration include applying enhanced oil recovery technologies in Indian fields and UH conducting technical workshops and short courses with Indian partners and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
Through the UH鈥揇GH Center for Hydrocarbon Exploration, the University continues to build connections between its research capabilities and India鈥檚 exploration priorities, leading to technical collaboration, workforce development and greater industry engagement.