Innovation through R&D
Our scientists, researchers and engineers are developing innovative technologies to help meet the world’s growing need for energy more sustainably.
Overcoming technology challenges
Our researchers, scientists and engineers develop innovative ways to find and safely produce new energy resources in harder-to-reach places and recover more oil and gas from fields where it would otherwise be too difficult or costly to extract.
Inside this section
Finding oil and gas
We use advanced technologies to uncover increasingly hard-to-find energy resources trapped in porous rocks beneath the land and seas.
Unlocking oil and gas
We are developing ways to unlock new energy resources safely and efficiently, often in more challenging environments.
Making the most of our resources
We are developing advanced techniques to recover up to 30% more energy resources from existing oil fields.
Safe and responsible decommissioning
The final step in the lifecycle of any oil and gas project is to prepare facilities for shutdown in a safe, environmentally responsible way.
Digital innovation
Shell has been at the forefront of digital technologies since the 1970s. Discover the areas with the greatest potential for our business today.
Chief Technology Officer and Chief Scientists
Working with our Chief Technology Officer, Shell’s Chief Scientists contribute to recognised scientific expertise and help to deliver innovative technology.
Scientists gain new line to the deep ocean
A new mooring line in the Gulf of Mexico could further scientific knowledge of the world's interconnected ocean systems.
Read the Inside Energy story
From hospital bed to seabed
CT scanning has already revolutionised medicine, now it is driving innovation deep beneath the waves.
Read the Inside Energy story
Accelerating technology development
Shell’s Chief Technology Officer: we want to work with start-ups developing breakthrough energy technologies that complement our business.
Read the speech by Yuri Sebregts
Hunting for the next big energy idea
How to turn bright energy ideas into commercial innovations, by Geert van de Wouw of Shell Technology Ventures.
Discover top tips for pitching bright ideas
Nasa’s adventure at the bottom of the sea
It took an abandoned nuclear missile silo, a vast underwater laboratory and a lot of hard work. But the US space agency boldly went where it had never been before: the North Sea.
Read the Inside Energy story
Innovating together
Do you have a great idea or innovative technology? We look for creative people, companies and organisations to partner with.
We can support your innovative ideaFeatured stories
Keeping the lights on in the Philippines
An innovative project in deep waters demonstrates how older gas fields can continue providing energy to power homes and businesses.
Back to the Future: could cars be powered by waste?
The Shell pilot plant that will turn rubbish into fuel for cars.
Tracking the future of energy technology
Shell Chief Technology Officer Yuri Sebregts talks about the critical role technology can play in lowering carbon emissions.