The Skolkovo Foundation in Russia has approved the establishment of a Center of Applied Research on Energy Efficient Heat Exchange and Catalysis (UNIHEAT) aimed at making oil refining in the country more efficient and environmentally sustainable.

The multi-million pound project involves British oil company BP and research institutes, including Imperial College London and the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis.

The Skolkovo Foundation and BP Russia will fund the UNIHEAT project.

UNIHEAT will focus on lowering heat losses during oil refining by up to 15%, by improving refining operations, enhancing oil production processes and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Skolkovo Foundation president Viktor Vekselberg said: "It is hard to imagine a more vivid example of efficient cooperation between business and science than the Center of applied research that we are establishing.

"This success is possible because of a close cooperation of global leaders in research on heat exchange and catalysis processes – Imperial College London and Boreskov Institute of Catalysis – with active involvement from British Petroleum."

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The Center of Applied Research is based on UNICAT, a spin-off innovation firm with main R&D activity in the fields of catalysis, engineering and energy efficient technologies.

UNICAT was founded by the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis and Novosibirsk State University.

Head of BP Russia, David Peattie, said: "Improving heat exchange technology is really important for the environmental efficiency of the oil processing industry."

Founded in 2010, the Skolkovo Foundation is a non-profit organisation and is the principal agency responsible for the Skolkovo Innovation Center, a new science and technology development centre in the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo.