The MMS Technology Assessment & Research (TA&R) Program cooperates with the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) and other countries regulatory agencies in sponsoring the International Committee on the Regulatory Authorities on Research and Development (www.ICRAD.org) to share information and to cooperate on research regarding the safety and pollution prevention aspects of offshore oil and gas operations. Projects have dealt with the integrity of marine pipelines and the assessment of human factors as to the safety of operations. MMS and C-NLOPB are also members of the International Regulators Forum (IRF) which is a group of nine regulators of health and safety in the offshore upstream oil and gas industry. It exists to drive forward improvements in health and safety in the sector through collaboration in joint programs, and through sharing information.

MMS works cooperatively with Environment Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, and Canadian industry to jointly fund research projects to improve oil spill detection, containment and response in the marine environment.

The program with Canada has been mutually advantageous due to the shared concerns for oil spill mitigation and the complimentary research undertaken by each agency. We have jointly sponsored a number of international workshops to assess current technology and set priorities for future research. This working relationship and the exchange of technological information have expanded the MMS oil spill response research program. Ongoing research projects include:
 

	Physical and Chemical Properties of Crude Oil and Oil Products
	Oil Spill Modeling
	Chemical Countermeasures and Dispersants
	Oil-Mineral Aggregate (OMA) Formation Research
	Remote Sensing in Arctic Environments