Fri, November 17, 2017
At its Executive Assembly meeting in September, PRCI approved the final slate of projects for its 2018 Research Portfolio. Member funding contributions of nearly $10 million and numerous in-kind support commitments were allocated to research activities including projects addressing leak detection, pipeline operations & integrity, corrosion prevention & control, design, materials, construction, underground storage, and pipeline facilities.
New this year was the implementation of the Research Bank, which provides members with increased flexibility to fund important research out-of-cycle as opportunities arise. Traditionally, members have been limited to voting their subscription dollars on an annual basis via the ballot, but now they have the opportunity to “reserve” those dollars to spend at their discretion on other research priorities that arise or may not have necessarily been represented on the ballot. Members committed over $1.5 million to the Research Bank and within two months of the closing of the ballot we have already seen opportunities arise to solicit its use.
The 2018 ballot was the thirteenth annual ballot through which PRCI members allocated funds and resources directly to research of importance to their operations and business drivers, as well as to meet key industry needs. This ballot featured projects addressing the following topics, many of which are aimed squarely at enhancing operators' ability to ensure pipeline safety and integrity: