Iraqi-OSU partnership would put $100M toward building, education in Iraq

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Approximately $100 million is being invested in a partnership between Oregon State University and the Iraqi government to bring hundreds of engineers to Corvallis and possibly send Oregon contractors to work on major jobs in the Middle East.

The partnership, which has been in the works for three years, includes a fast-track plan to build as many as 11 green building research labs throughout Iraq, according to Scott Ashford, interim dean of OSU’s College of Engineering. The “Oregon Invest in Iraq” part of the program will focus on designing and constructing materials testing labs to green standards.

“We already know that several key engineering, architecture and construction companies will want to be a part of the team that does the work in Iraq,” said Catherine Mater, director of sustainability programs for OSU’s College of Engineering.

Mater spoke to the DJC from Arbil, Iraq, after traveling throughout the country and meeting with the ministers of higher education and scientific research for both the bulk of Iraq and the northern Kurdistan region.

The Iraqi government committed to pay for approximately $44 million of the five-year partnership, OSU is planning to contribute $37.5 million, and the Michael Scott Mater Foundation, started by Catherine Mater’s son in honor of his late father, will provide approximately $19 million, according to Ashford.

OSU has consulted with some firms in the Pacific Northwest to gain informal feedback about the planned lab construction, according to Ashford.

“The contractors that end up doing the work will potentially be building 11 laboratories, and we’ve learned that to be successful in working with the Iraqis and universities, what they really want is real partnerships with the construction firms on the ground in Iraq,” he said. “They want a close relationship with the firm working on the construction of these facilities.”

Lake Oswego-based Otak Inc., a civil engineering and sustainable design firm, is a likely partner – the firm is reopening an Iraqi office, according to CEO Nawzad Othman.

“It takes time to go through the embassy and state departments,” he said. “But we are pretty well set.”

Otak in 2004 operated offices in Baghdad and Arbil, but soon closed them because of safety concerns. Now security in the Middle East has improved, and Otak earlier this year was acquired by HanmiGlobal Co., which is aiding the firm’s global expansion. Otak also is taking steps to open an office in Shanghai, China, Othman said.

Othman, who was born in the Kurdistan region, said he supports the OSU-Iraqi partnership and hopes to be involved in the impending construction efforts in Iraq.

“In time we will participate in whichever way is appropriate,” Othman said. “There is the possibility that we can be of assistance with investors or skills – we’re available.”

The other focus will be to help Iraqis develop sustainable engineering curricula that they can then use to bolster their institutions, contribute to the planned green building labs, and generally aid in the region’s major reconstruction effort. Coursework will focus on sustainable engineering, agriculture and forestry, with access to OSU’s Green Building Materials Laboratory, an Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies shared-user facility.

The first delegation of Iraqi faculty, an elite group appointed by both Iraqi ministers, is expected to begin the process as soon as mid-January, according to Mater. At least 25 Iraqi institutions are committed to the program. Iraqi faculty will have the opportunity to participate in two-week teaching seminars or longer research fellowships, and faculty and students will be able to work on postgraduate research at OSU.

The university teams will begin organizing plans to build the Iraqi testing labs immediately, beginning with one in the Kurdistan region, one in the Baghdad area and one in Basra in southern Iraq.

“They will be established to harmonize the requirements for all ministry construction throughout Iraq,” Mater said. “It’s the first time there has been a consolidated effort to harmonize testing lab results and the building code requirements that contractors will have to comply with – it’s a really big deal here in Iraq.”

Ashford added that the team is considering some sort of modular construction that would enable the facilities to be manufactured in the U.S., and then shipped to Iraq and erected quickly.

Former Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed a similar agreement last year, but the understanding had to be reconfirmed after the Iraqi parliament confirmed a new higher education minister and a new Iraqi cabinet in December 2010.

“The U.S. has already made a tremendous investment in Iraq,” Ashford said. “This is an opportunity for us to help the Iraqis rebuild their infrastructure, transportation, clean water systems, waste treatment facilities. They’re in a very unique position. They’re starting basically from scratch right now, and they’re taking the opportunity to rebuild in a sustainable manner.”