The MMS Technology Assessment & Research (TA&R) Program cooperates with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on a number of projects regarding the safety and pollution aspects of offshore oil and gas operations. These projects deal with the assessment of the integrity of offshore platforms, the assessment of methods to mitigate problems associated with human factors in accidents, the use of risk and reliability methods to assess safety concerns in offshore operations, and methods of risk and reliability methods to assess safety concerns in offshore structures. The HSE jointly sponsored a number of international workshops with the MMS and also was a co-initiator in forming the International Committee on Regulatory Authority Research and Development or ICRARD. MMS works cooperatively with the United Kingdom (UK). Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and UK industry to jointly fund research projects to improve oil spill detection, containment and response.

Some ongoing research projects are as follows:

	Biodegradation of Chemically Dispersed Oil an Ecosystem Approach
	Effects of Chemically Dispersed and Biodegraded Oils
	Correlating Results of Dispersants Effectiveness at Ohmsett with Identical At-Sea Trials: Effects of Oil Viscosity and Dispersant to Oil Ratio
	Correlating Results of Ohmsett Dispersant Test with At-Sea Trials: Workshop to Coordinate Publications and Prioritize Follow-up Research
	Correlate Ohmsett Dispersant Tests with At Sea Trials; Supplemental Tests to Complete Test Matrix
	Calm Sea’s Application of Dispersants
	New Touch-Down Zone Solutions for Steel Catenary Risers (SCRs)
	Safe Design of Hot On-Bottom Pipelines with Lateral Buckling (SAFEBUCK)