BP supports MIT Energy in a big way....

MIT announced today that BP has become the inaugural "Founding Member" of the MIT Energy Initiative, funding the Initiative to the tune of $5M per year for 5 years.
(As noted below, BP has been and continues to be a huge supporter of the MIT Energy Club and Conference as well).

The MITEI/BP collaboration includes support of MITEI itself as well as the establishment of a new MIT research program entitled the "BP-MIT Advanced Conversion Research Project". This program will focus on the conversion of low-value feedstock such as petcoke and coal to high-value products such as electric power, liquids fuels, and chemicals, while minimizing carbon dioxide emissions.

The core research thrusts of the Project are:

• Simulation of feedstock conversion/decarbonisation processes
• Multiscale simulation of gasification
• Syngas cleanup and upgrade
• Gasification technology development
• New processes for converting syngas to liquid fuels
• Process integration and design for operability
• Fuels market/policy analysis

As a Founding Member of MITEI, BP will also:

1.) Financially support MITEI's Energy Research Seed Fund program, which will provide funding for novel MIT energy research, and;

2.) Fund 10 "BP-MIT Energy Fellows" each year of its 5-year commitment. For reference, a typical graduate student tuition and stipend cost is ~$50,000/year.

BP has also been an invaluable supporter of the MIT student energy community: BP was an MIT Energy Club sponsor last year and continues as a sponsor this year, and is a "Title Sponsor" (highest level of support) of the MIT Energy Conference this year as well.