Alberta Upstream Petroleum Research Fund

AUPRF at a Glance

The Alberta Upstream Petroleum Research Fund (AUPRF) is an industry-led program that advances technology development and best practices for Alberta’s upstream oil and gas industry. AUPRF exists to help oil and gas producers in Alberta to collectively solve competitiveness and environmental challenges that no single company can tackle alone.

AUPRF 101

Check out the AUPRF 101 guide to learn more about the fund and its impacts.
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Funded by 300+ Alberta oil and gas producers, AUPRF turns applied research into practical solutions.

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Trusted Governance

PTAC serves as Alberta’s oil and gas research arm and third-party project manager, facilitating collaborative, industry-led innovation. Supported by CAPP, EPAC, and the Government of Alberta, PTAC manages AUPRF funds to deliver practical, cost-effective solutions to environmental and operational challenges.

Delivering Value

AUPRF is where innovation becomes impact—bringing producers together to advance practical solutions that drive efficiency, reduce costs, and inform policy and regulatory progress.
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Policy & regulatory revisions informed by AUPRF science-based evidence
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Experts across industry and government are collaborating in AUPRF Committees
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Invested, leveraging $190M+ in research spending

Committees

Alberta’s oil and gas producers come together, through the AUPRF committees, to chart a collaborative course in five Focus Areas that reflect the full lifecycle of upstream operations.

ARPC

Reducing methane emissions from engines, tanks, flares, facilities, and field operations—while progressing no regret priorities like NOx testing efficiency and evidence based compliance monitoring.

ERPC

Improving species detection, monitoring, and habitat management for species at risk through applied research and development of remote sensing and digital tools.

RemRec

Focusing on soil and groundwater based remediation and reclamation solutions to manage environmental liabilities at upstream oil and gas sites.

WIPC

Protecting water resources, reducing contamination risk, enabling alternative water use, strengthening data, and driving efficiency and cost savings.

WDRC

Improving well decommissioning solutions—alternative barriers, diagnostic tools to reduce gas migration, and safer, permanent closure of inactive wells.

Air Research Planning Committee

Reducing methane emissions from engines, tanks, flares, facilities, and field operations—while progressing no regret priorities like NOx testing efficiency and evidence based compliance monitoring.

Ecological Research Planning Committee

Improving species detection, monitoring, and habitat management for species at risk through applied research and development of remote sensing and digital tools.

Remediation Reclamation Research Committee

Focusing on soil and groundwater based remediation and reclamation solutions to manage environmental liabilities at upstream oil and gas sites.

Water Innovation Planning Committee

Protecting water resources, reducing contamination risk, enabling alternative water use, strengthening data, and driving efficiency and cost savings.

Well Decommissioning Research Committee

Improving well decommissioning solutions—alternative barriers, diagnostic tools to reduce gas migration, and safer, permanent closure of inactive wells.

Air Research Planning Committee

Ecological Research Planning Committee

Remediation Reclamation Research Committee

Water Innovation Planning Committee

Well Decommissioning Research Committee

Don’t solve industry-wide challenges on your own.
Join a network of companies committed to solving industry-wide challenges—together.

AUPRF Oversight Committee Members

Air Research Planning Committee

Ecological Research Planning Committee

Remediation & Reclamation Research Committee

Water Innovation Planning Committee

Well Decommissioning Research Committee

Request for Proposals

We help significantly improve the environmental, safety, and financial performance of the oil and gas industry through the facilitation of innovative and collaborative research and technology development.

View Current RFPs
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Tools

Hydropti

Hydropti is a web-based software system that has been designed to support the efficient allocation of water resources for hydraulic fracturing operations. Hydropti is an innovative decision support software tool that has been designed to help the oil & gas industry identify optimal water management strategies for hydraulic fracturing operations. The tool implements powerful optimization algorithms to explore all permutations in the system and identify the lowest cost water management plan.

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Surface Water Diversion Learning Portal

Widely used by the oil and gas industry, the eLearning tool now also includes diversion from groundwater sources and current regulatory requirements.
After completing the course, users will be able to:

  • Communicate the potential impacts of water diversion on a body of water,
  • Discuss the appropriate approvals required for water diversion and associated activities, and
  • Describe how to execute your role in monitoring, compliance and reporting.
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Alberta Water Tool

The Alberta Water Tool is a point-and-click tool that helps scientists, industry explorers, communities and government decision-makers to understand accurate, real-time information about water resources in Alberta. The Alberta Water Tool has been supported by AUPRF, enabling it to be free for anyone to use and explore. Listen to this free webinar about the Alberta Water Tool.

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AER Tools Application Software

AER tools is a collection of spreadsheet and application programs created for air quality professionals for the calculation of source parameters and ground-level concentrations. The tools were created based upon state-of-the-art engineering considerations of thermodynamics, energy balance, mass balance and practical application of these principles for use with current air dispersion models and methods.

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AUPRF Annual Reports

Why Become an AUPRF Contributor?

Proven Track Record

AUPRF’s history of successful projects lays a strong foundation for future innovation—showing it can consistently deliver meaningful solutions.

Purposeful Portfolio

The AUPRF program is built around clear, measurable goals like launching pilots, expanding guidance datasets, advancing technologies, and deepening producer engagement—all aimed at driving real progress in environmental and operational performance.

Collaboration at the Core

By involving producers at every stage, AUPRF ensures that the technologies developed are practical, easy to adopt, and capable of shaping both industry practices and regulatory policies.

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What the AUPRF Community has to say:

“We are justly proud of the history of achievement of the AUPRF program, and its sustaining collaboration between the industry, government, and regulators. We are also proud of the collegial spirit of our five technical committees and our oversight committee. These productive working relationships further the development of effective and reasonably priced solutions for the sector.”
Scott VolkTourmaline Oil Corp
Scott Volk
“AUPRF is where innovation meets practicality. By pooling resources, producers are advancing technologies and developing best practices that help reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and inform regulatory and policy development to accelerate technology adoption.”
James AgateCanadian Natural
James Agate
“As Chair of the RRRC, I’m proud to support the impactful projects currently underway. Our work focuses on advancing leading science and field practices to ensure remediation and reclamation efforts are carried out as cost-effectively and efficiently as possible. Many RRRC initiatives deliver practical tools, streamlined processes, and measurable cost savings—while also generating the data and evidence needed to inform sound regulatory and policy development that benefits both industry and regulators."
Jason DesiletsCenovus
Jason Desilets
“There is significant value that the industry gains through its involvement and funding. Properly designed regulations that reflect scientific and engineering facts improve all parties’ credibility. This can avoid processes that increase transactional timelines, lead to unwanted delays and potentially contentious hearings.”
Randy DobkoAlberta Environment and Protected Areas
Randy Dobko
“The AUPRF Ecological Research Planning Committee is committed to advancing science-based solutions that support responsible energy development while protecting Alberta’s diverse ecosystems. Through strategic collaboration and targeted research, we aim to address key knowledge gaps and inform best practices across the industry.”
Mark BoultonSuncor
Mark Boulton
“As a producer, we recognize that temporary surface pipelines are an increasingly important tool for moving water safely and efficiently. Participating in this project gives us early access to see how emerging leak detection systems perform in real-world Alberta conditions. It helps us make informed decisions about which technologies are practical, reliable, and cost-effective—while also improving worker safety by reducing the need for manual ‘walking the line’ inspections and ensuring we meet regulatory expectations.”
Sharla HowardCenovus
Sharla Howard
“This framework is a vital step forward for producers, providing a transparent, regulator-recognized path to certify legacy peatland pads and reduce liabilities. It also serves as a valuable tool for environmental and reclamation practitioners, supporting consistent application of the new protocol and advancing well decommissioning across the sector.”
Lori NeufeldImperial Oil Resources
Lori Neufeld
“The support from AUPRF was instrumental in advancing our eDNA work for Canadian toad detection. This project demonstrates how targeted, producer-driven research can provide practical tools that improve species monitoring while reducing costs and delays for industry.”
Stephen SymesSLR Consulting
Stephen Symes
“Through our lab work, we were able to rigorously test alternative sealing materials under controlled conditions and generate the data producers need to make informed decisions. This project reflects AUPRF’s collaborative model—bringing together researchers, producers, and international partners to share knowledge and field learnings. By advancing cost-effective, science-based solutions here in Alberta, we are positioning the province as a global leader in next-generation well decommissioning practices. ”
Jonathan HeseltineInnotech Alberta
Jonathan Heseltine

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