FAQ

  • Since Pathways Alliance is made up of the six largest oil sands producers in Canada, can only Canadian firms respond to this Challenge?
    • No. Responses from around the globe are welcome.
  • Are responses from academic researchers of interest?
    • Yes. The Pathways Alliance welcomes submissions from academics, corporations, and startups with relevant technologies. However, the most promising technologies will be those that can eventually be field deployed. Therefore, academic researchers are strongly encouraged to consider how their proposed technology would transition out of the university lab and into full commercial development.
  • Can I propose more than one technology?
    • Yes. You can submit multiple responses, if you wish. If you have two separate and distinct technologies, you might want to consider submitting two different responses. This will allow you to discuss the performance of each. However, if you have two technologies that perform best when used together, you may wish to submit one response that discusses the overarching performance achieved with both.
  • What’s the minimum technical readiness for this Challenge?
    • While there is no minimum technical maturity, all proposed technologies should have a viable pathway to pilot-scale evaluation within a reasonable timeframe. The members of the Pathways Alliance are able to conduct pilot programs with promising technologies when available.
  • Does my technology have to improve capacity, efficiency, and reliability or can it make improvements to just one aspect of performance?
    • As long as the proposed technology can make a meaningful improvement on operational performance, then it is of potential interest to the membership of the Pathways Alliance.
  • Can I get additional information about oil sands operations?