The exclusive agreement was signed last month, making Curtin the only university in the Asia Pacific to provide postgraduate training in Petroleum Engineering and Petroleum Geoscience to PUT students.

Curtin Executive Dean of the Division of Resources and Environment Professor Graham Lodwick said the agreement was the first step toward becoming a significant provider of petroleum education and research programs in the Middle East.

“Curtin already has an outstanding reputation in this field, thanks to the high calibre of our staff and the University’s practical approach to finding solutions for real-world problems,” he said.

“Iran has traditionally looked to the United States and the United Kingdom to train its students in petroleum engineering, so this new agreement is a significant boost to Curtin’s efforts to further its international links in this field.

“We now have the chance to penetrate this important market in the Middle East and maximise exciting opportunities for international research collaboration, student and staff exchanges and technical consulting.”

Former Head of Curtin’s Department of Petroleum Engineering Professor Raj Rajeswaran played a key role in initiating the negotiations with PUT in June 2002.

As a result, a high-powered Iranian delegation visited Curtin for follow up discussions, which led to the official signing of an Memorandum of Understanding in Tehran during an Australian Business Mission to Iran in 2003.

Professor Lodwick said the agreement guaranteed a minimum of 20 postgraduate students per annum for an initial term of four years.

Students began study this month and will complete a program leading to dual-badged Masters degrees in Petroleum Well Engineering, with the first half completed at PUT and the remainder of the course being taught in the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Curtin.

“This agreement is a significant inroad into a critical industry for the Middle East region and I’m confident our partnership with PUT will lead to other opportunities in the region in future years,” Professor Lodwick said.

Curtin’s Department of Petroleum Engineering was originally established in 1999 by Professor Rajeswaren and has an excellent reputation internationally, attracting postgraduate students from Europe, South America and Asia.