W. R. Grace & Co (Grace) and Sohar University inaugurated a jointly operated DCR Pilot Plant at the University in Oman. The Grace DCR Pilot Plant, which is an important part of Oman's Vision 2040, is a proprietary circulating riser pilot Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit and the leading, commercially available technology for small-scale FCC pilot units. As of today, 34 pilot plants have been licensed worldwide by major energy and petrochemical companies as well as research institutions.

More than one hundred scientific and technical articles have been published based on data from DCR pilot plants. The DCR Pilot Plant mimics processes present in commercial FCC operation and can operate at conditions outside of 'typical' FCC conditions to analyze feedstocks. Oman energy company OQ and other regional refiners are able to maximize value from existing, new and unconventional feeds by conducting research using a pilot plant.

The ceremony was attended by Her Excellency Professor Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi, Oman's Minister for Higher Education, Research & Innovation Sohar University Vice Chancellor along with Dr. Hamdan Al Fazari and various representatives from OQ and Grace, who helped celebrate the inauguration and show support for the project. The DCR Pilot Plant and Ecat Lab in which it operates are 100% staffed by Omani nationals, of whom 75% are women.