SPE Northern Iraq Section

What SPE Northern Iraq Section does

SPE Northern Iraq Section (now operating as SPE Kurdistan Region-Iraq Section) is a regional chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers International, founded in 2012 and headquartered in Erbil, Iraq. It is a volunteer-led, non-profit professional membership organization serving oil and gas professionals, engineers, students, and educators across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as one of approximately 203 SPE sections worldwide. The section's member base is anchored by 13 university student chapters and an adult professional contingent, supported by an Executive Board of Advisors and a Chairman (Raboon Dizayee). Its core offerings include Professional Membership (priced at $25/year for Iraq plus a $10 one-time joining fee), free Student Membership (sponsored by Chevron Corporation), technical training courses, a Certificate Checker for credential verification, Section Webinars, a Monthly Speaker Series, and student chapter programming. The section also operates the Kurdistan Energy Gathering (KEG) as an annual industry event platform.

The section's business model is a non-profit membership and sponsorship model. Direct revenue is generated primarily through professional membership dues and event sponsorship, with student participation kept free through Chevron's sponsorship of student memberships. The 2025 KEG event is anchored by lead sponsor Blue Bell Shipping and additional sponsorship from DNO ASA, illustrating the centrality of corporate sponsorship to the section's go-to-market. Sponsorship income is also visible through partnerships with Tishk International University, Pulsar Petroleum, the SPE Italian Section, UNIDO, Knowledge University, and Palacký University. Distribution leverages SPE International's global platform, including OnePetro, PetroWiki, and SPE Connect, which provides the section with reach and knowledge assets that would be uneconomic to build independently. In 2024 the section received the SPE Presidential Award for Section Excellence as the only Middle East section to be recognized, a notable validation of its operational maturity.

Name

SPE Northern Iraq Section

Legal name

Society of Petroleum Engineers - Kurdistan Region-Iraq Section

Website

https://spe-northiq.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SPE Northern Iraq Section is a volunteer-led regional chapter of SPE International, serving oil and gas professionals and petroleum engineering students across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq through membership programs, technical training, webinars, and the Kurdistan Energy Gathering event platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Petroleum Engineering Professional Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Petroleum engineering training
• Technical training courses
• Industry networking events
• Student chapter program

Headquarters

HQ city

Erbil

HQ country

Iraq

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to conferences, publications, online resources, technical papers, and networking opportunities. Student membership sponsored by Chevron Corporation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SPE Northern Iraq Section is a regional non-profit professional membership organization that delivers continuing education, technical training, and networking services to oil and gas professionals and petroleum engineering students across the Kurdistan Region. Its core offerings include annual Professional and Student Memberships, in-person technical training courses (Well Services, Drilling Fluids, Well Control, H2S Training, Geoscience, Well Completions), webinars/speaker series, and the annual Kurdistan Energy Gathering conference. Operations are supported by 13 university student chapters and an Executive Board of Advisors drawn from regional industry and government.

Product overview

SPE Northern Iraq Section (formerly SPE Erbil Section, now SPE Kurdistan Region-Iraq Section) operates as a professional membership organization under SPE International, offering professional and student memberships, technical training courses, webinars, and events. The core offerings include Professional and Student Memberships, supported by technical training courses (Well Services, Drilling Fluids, Well Control, H2S Training, etc.), the Certificate Checker for verification, Section Webinars, Monthly Speaker Series, and the Kurdistan Energy Gathering (KEG) annual events platform. The organization also manages 13 student chapters at universities across the Kurdistan Region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kurdistan Energy Gathering (KEG): A platform for connection, collaboration, and insight across the region's energy sector, organized under the SPE Kurdistan Region-Iraq Section.

Products and services

• Professional Membership Annual membership for individual oil and gas professionals providing access to SPE International resources, including JPT subscription, ten complimentary technical papers per year, discounts on SPE Global Events/conferences and publications, SPE Connect collaboration platform, technical section affiliations, SPE Energy Stream, and the local Kurdistan Region/Northern Iraq section programming.
• Student Membership Free annual membership for petroleum engineering students, sponsored by Chevron Corporation, providing access to scholarships, PetroBowl competitions, student paper contests, the eMentoring program, Ambassador Lecturer Program, SPE Connect platform, and pathway opportunities to international conferences.
• Technical Training Courses In-person technical training courses covering Well Services, Drilling Fluids Mud School, Drilling Engineering, Well Control, H2S Safety Training, Geoscience, Well Completions, and Surface Logging Services. Taught by industry experts and hosted at partner universities and venues across the Kurdistan Region; attended by professionals and students.
• Certificate Checker Online verification tool that allows anyone to confirm the authenticity of certificates issued by SPE Northern Iraq Section after February 2023 by entering a certificate ID or scanning a QR code.
• Section Webinars and Monthly Speaker Series Ongoing webinar and speaker series hosted on the section's YouTube channel (@SPE-NorthIQ), featuring industry experts on pressing oil and gas topics such as NMR in Petrophysics, Generative AI for energy, and career development strategies. Available to members and the broader public.
• Kurdistan Energy Gathering (KEG) Annual conference platform organized by SPE Northern Iraq Section providing connection, collaboration, and insight across the region's energy sector, comprising KEG Oil & Gas, KEG Renewables, and KEG Academia tracks. Supported by sponsors including Blue Bell Shipping (lead sponsor) and DNO ASA (premium sponsor).

Quantifiable outcome

• Only Middle Eastern section to receive 2024 Presidential Award for Section Excellence - recognition for top 10% of SPE sections worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, major, minor and core.

• Knowledge UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2025Hosting International Workshop on Petroleum Engineering and Energy Transition on October 13, 2025, featuring collaboration with Palacký University.
• Palacký University OlomoucstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2025Academic cooperation with Knowledge University for International Workshop on Petroleum Engineering and Energy Transition, including MoU signing.
• Blue Bell ShippingmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 July 2025Lead sponsor of the 1st Kurdistan Energy Gathering (KEG), supporting SPE Northern Iraq Section's flagship annual energy platform.
• DNO ASAmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 July 2025Premium sponsor of the 1st Kurdistan Energy Gathering. Norwegian oil and gas operator active in Kurdistan region.
• UNIDOstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 July 2024Collaborative webinar planning for sustainable solutions in Iraq, addressing environmental impacts, methane emission reduction, water pollution control, and energy efficiency in oil and gas industry.
• SPE Italian SectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on webinar series for sustainable solutions in Iraq.
• SPE Central Iraq SectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on webinar series for sustainable solutions in Iraq.
• SPE Basrah SectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on webinar series for sustainable solutions in Iraq.
• Tishk International UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary venue host for courses including Well Services, Drilling Fluids, Well Control, H2S Training, and Distinguished Lecturer events. Provides facilities and academic collaboration.
• Pulsar PetroleumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing course collaboration including Well Services, Drilling Fluids, Well Control courses. Provides industry expertise and organizational support for training programs.
• OilSERV CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerField trip provider for Geoscientists' Role course, offering mudlogging services expertise and facility access in Erbil.
• OPA EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Gas Lift Theory course at SPE Koya Chapter, opening doors for student training opportunities.
• Chevron CorporationmajorOthersCorporate sponsor providing free student membership ($15/year) to support education of graduate and undergraduate petroleum engineering students.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SPE Central Iraq Section: Another SPE International section within Iraq, focused on the central region. Directly comparable as a volunteer-led professional membership organization serving upstream oil & gas engineers and students.
• SPE Italian Section: European SPE section explicitly named as a collaborator on the UNIDO sustainability webinar series. Comparable model of SPE International local programming, training courses, and student chapters.
• SPE Basrah Section: Sister SPE International section based in Basrah, Iraq. Operates the same membership, training, and student chapter model for oil & gas professionals in southern Iraq and is a documented collaborator on the UNIDO webinar series.

Broad incumbents

• World Petroleum Council: Global oil & gas industry forum hosting the World Petroleum Congress. Comparable as a higher-level international membership and convening body for upstream professionals.
• American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) – Middle East Region: International geoscience professional association with active Middle East presence and student chapters. Comparable in mission (upstream professional development) and overlapping petroleum-engineering audience.
• Society of Petroleum Engineers International (SPE International): Global parent organization and the world's largest oil & gas professional society. Comparable as the umbrella body whose content, publications, and global events the section localizes for Kurdistan.

Regional players

• Iraqi Engineers Union – Kurdistan Branch: National professional licensing body for engineers in Iraq with Kurdistan branches. Comparable in serving as a regional professional membership anchor for engineering practitioners.
• Kurdistan Engineers Association: Regional professional body for engineers in Kurdistan Region. Comparable as a Kurdistan-based membership organization supporting technical professional development, though not upstream-specific.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SPE-NorthIQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spe-northiq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SPE Northern Iraq Section