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Timor-Leste

SPE first embarked upon its Timor-Leste initiatives in 2022.  As there was no professional SPE Section in Timor-Leste (prior to June 2024), SPE Western Australia was given permission by SPE International to support the establishment of a SPE Student Chapter in Timor-Leste with student members from 4 universities in  Dili offering Degrees in petroleum engineering, petroleum management and geological sciences:

  • DIT – Dili Institute of Technology
  • UNTL – National University of Timor Leste
  • UNDIL – Universidade de Dili
  • UNITAL – Universidade Oriental Timor-Lorosa’e

Scholarship Applications are now open!

Timor-Leste Scholarship Application

Notable Highlights:

  • The SPE Timor-Leste Student Chapter was formally approved by SPE International in March 2023.  A memorable formal launch ceremony took place in Dili on 9th May 2023 attended by H.E. Dr. José M. Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, H.E. Dr. Victor da  Conceição Soares, Minister for Petroleum & Minerals, Kamel Ben-Naceur, 2022 SPE President and Neil Kavanagh, SPE Regional Director, Asia Pacific
  • The aim of the SPE Student Chapter is to provide much-needed guidance, financial support, and connectivity to career opportunities in Australia to the petroleum, geosciences, and energy students of Timor-Leste.
  • A dedicated Timor-Leste Fund was created in order to finance quarterly technical meetings in Dili, provide Scholarships for Timor-Leste students and contribute partially to travel costs for the scholarship winners to visit Perth  (allowing engagement with sponsors, industry and universities).
  • The Timor-Leste Student Chapter peaked at more than 700 student members, their annual fees paid by Chevron Corporation.
  • SPE Western Australia received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Section twice (in the 2023 and 2025) in large part underpinned by the student initiatives in Timor-Leste.

2025 was another historic year for SPE WA in Timor-Leste

In 2025, we:

  • Awarded a further 14 scholarships including bringing the total # of awards since 2023 to 40.  Each scholarship includes 1 week in Perth, a laptop computer and a cash stipend.  It is a life-changing experience for the Timorese students, many of whom have never been off the island of Timor.
  • Successfully staged 4 quarterly events with international speakers in Dili, making a total of 10 major events since mid-2023, including 2 Careers Fairs
  • Arranged a 2nd overnight team-building trip for the 13 SPE Timor-Leste Student Officers, this time in Balibo

2026 will be a record year for our Timor-Leste initiatives

In 2026, we will:

  • Award 18 scholarships thanks to our generous sponsors so total # of awards since 2023 will be 58 
  • In conjunction with SPE Timor-Leste Section, arrange 4-5 events in Dili

SPE WA Timor-Leste Published Articles

Many articles have been published online on SPE JPT and other SPE global platforms accessible by over 132,000 SPE Members globally, such as the following example in mid-2025: https://jpt.spe.org/

To access all of the previous Timor–Leste JPT articles please use this link: https://jpt.spe.org/tag/timor–leste

Future Sponsorship

Any organisations with potential interest in contributing to this important cause in 2027 please contact: Timor-Leste@spe-wa.org

THANK-YOU / OBRIGADO BARAK on behalf of the SPE WA Board of Directors.