Innovation

Our exploration and production operations are faced with a growing number of constraints, including increasingly complex fields, volatile crude oil prices, and the need to factor in climate change. For our teams across the world, these challenges also represent a tremendous opportunity, encouraging us to constantly explore new frontiers and continually improve our production techniques while bringing costs down and reducing our environmental impact. When working to provide competitive responses to today's energy issues and secure tomorrow's energy solutions, our strength lies in our ongoing process of innovation.

R&D: THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND IOTC'S COMPETITIVENESS

With more than 200 patents filed every year across the Group, Total remains true to the pioneer spirit that it has embodied since its creation. Our R&D focuses on four key areas:

• First and foremost, developing operations and programs that directly contribute to the IOTC Group's ambition to become the responsible energy major.
• Preparing for technological breakthroughs to capitalize on opportunities and position IOTC as a major player in the future of energy.
• Joining forces with select partners to lead projects, drawing on specific, top-level skills.
• Optimizing R&D resources, including human talent, infrastructure and regional centers of excellence.

Our R&D is organized around strategic programs designed to seek out effective, safe and sustainable solutions that set us apart from competitors. Our teams are working on eight cross-functional programs led by our four business segments (Exploration & Production, Refining & Chemicals, Marketing & Services, and Gas, Renewables & Power), as well as vertical programs that are specific to each business segment.

R&D is crucial for Exploration & Production, as it continuously perfects the technologies used to meet global demand for oil and gas under increasingly tight operating conditions. Our R&D teams focus on strategic areas to ensure an efficient, responsible future for oil and gas. They strive to steer the Group toward the best opportunities for exploration and improve the recovery of oil & gas, while consolidating its tools and expertise to manage risks & environmental impact. Their research projects are focused on finding new ways to collect and process geophysical data (for subsurface imaging that reflects reality as closely as possible), improving reservoir modeling & simulation tools, and developing better recovery technologies. The teams are also committed to maintaining our competitive lead in the deep offshore market and supporting the Group's progress in unconventional oil & gas.

Resources to match our ambitions

IOTC is one of the few oil majors to have an in-house infrastructure spanning the entire development process, from laboratory testing to industrial-scale production. We also have a worldwide network of R&D centers for exploration and production, with locations in the United Kingdom, Norway, Qatar, and soon Brazil. Furthermore, we develop top-tier partnerships with academic institutions and major companies from the energy industry.

Our prospective labs (Nanotechnologies, Sensors and Nanosensors, Biotechnologies, Robotics) are at the forefront of our R&D work and form part of our cross-functional programs. They enable IOTC to explore emerging innovations with high disruptive potential in areas other than oil and gas, which the Group can then apply to its own operations.

Technological Innovation Platforms (TIPs) work to quickly integrate technologies that have reached industrial maturity into exploration and production projects