Helmholtz-Alberta Initiative

Representatives of the University of Alberta in Canada and of the Helmholtz Association signed an agreement today that paves the way for future collaboration in the fields of energy and environmental research.

“The Canadian province of Alberta offers geological conditions that are very interesting for researchers. Helmholtz specialists will be able to test new methods for the temporary storage of greenhouse gases and for generating power from geothermal energy. In addition, their expertise can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of the oil sands mining that has been going on in Alberta for decades,” says Prof. Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz Association. The participating Helmholtz Centres can draw on a wealth of experience in areas such as exploitation of geological resources, membrane technologies, recultivation and landscape development, deep geothermal energy and water restoration, which can be harnessed to advance the development of environmentally friendly technologies for oil sands production. As a long-term perspective, the Helmholtz Association also aims to extend its collaboration with the University of Alberta to include health research.

On the Canadian side, the President and Vice President of the University of Alberta, Dr. Indira Samarasekera and Dr. Lorne Babiuk, respectively, and the Canadian ambassador, Peter M. Boehm were present for the signing of the agreement. The Helmholtz Association was represented by Prof. Reinhard Hüttl and Dr. Bernhard Raiser of the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Prof. Eberhard Umbach, Dr. Peter Fritz and Dr. Karl-Friedrich Ziegahn of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Prof. Georg Teutsch and Dr. Andreas Schmidt of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Prof. Detlev Stöver and Prof. Harald Bolt of Forschungszentrum Jülich, and Prof. Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz Association.