Intellectual property awareness campaign: NOTAP commissions 68th IPTTO in Plateau

Speaking at the ceremony, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NOTAP, Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi emphasised the IPTTOs were being established across the knowledge institutions in the country to create awareness on the importance of IPR to the economic sustainability of the country.

She noted that as a regulatory body, NOTAP observed lack of intellectual property culture in the  knowledge institutions and because of the critical role IP plays in the country’s technology development and economic sustenance, the Office, in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), in 2006, initiated the establishment of IPTTOs in the Nigeria.

She said NOTAP was primarily established to regulate the inflow of foreign technology through the Registration of Technology Transfer Agreements, but also has the responsibility to encourage the efficient  development of locally motivated technologies.

The DG said while carrying out these responsibilities, the Office observed a weak intellectual property system in the country’s knowledge institutions; a development she said was unacceptable, hence the need for the establishment of the IPTTOs.

Dr. Amadiobi stated that being knowledgeable about the importance of IP was critical to the  university and polytechnic communities as knowledge institutions are the beehive of research activities.

She added that in advanced societies, knowledge institutions create IP assets that generate funds, which sustain the institutions and also add to the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

She stressed that knowledge institutions should contribute to problem-solving by churning out technically skilled young manpower that can frontally change the nation’s economic narrative and put the country on the path of economic sustainability through technology development.

She urged the knowledge institutions to engage in market and demand-driven research, instead of conventional research for the purposes of publications and career progression.

She decried the alarming level of inventions and innovation wasting on the shelves in various knowledge institutions, noting that with the establishment of IPTTOs, such inventions and innovations could further be translated into goods and services for the benefit of the public.

She encouraged the school as well as the host community, Barkin Ladi, to leverage on the opportunities offered by the established IPTTO to present their research results to NOTAP for patenting at no cost to the institution or individual researchers. She reiterated that although intellectual property is intangible, it should be protected to allow the owners some monopoly of financial exploitation of the inventions.
Dr. Amadiobi further emphasised the commitment of the Office to continue to encourage the development of inventive and innovative spirits of Nigerians through strategic advocacies on the importance of critical research for the development of a stronger IPR ecosystem.

She said that the Office had assisted Nigerian researchers in securing over 340 patent certificates free of charge, and therefore, challenged the school to ensure that the institution would feature prominently in the next IPTTO ranking by NOTAP.

In his welcome address, the Rector of the Institution, Dr. Clement Selchum, said NOTAP’s decision  to establish an IPTTO in Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi of all the schools within the region was a clear testament to the enviable and focused leadership provided by his administration.
He said the establishment of IPTTO in the institution would encourage collaborative research and surely drive inventions and technological advancement.
He described the IPTTO as a platform that creates the vital bridge between knowledge, technology and the industry and would convert academic research into tangible outcomes.

“In today’s rapidly evolving technology, intellectual property has emerged as a cornerstone for economic competitiveness and our institution is privileged to be selected to drive the process.”

In her paper titled “Intellectual Property Assets Management,” the Director, Technology Acquisition and Research Coordination (TARC), Mrs. Caroline Anie-Osuagwu, said IP Assets are collections of intellectual properties such as patents, trademarks, copyrighted works, industrial designs, geographical indications and trade secrets, that are strategically chosen for their business values.

She said that those who are knowledgeable in creating intellectual property assets are turning global brands and seamlessly earning fortunes in hard currency.
She encouraged researchers within the community to engage in demand-driven research and also protect their inventions so as to enjoy the financial benefits accruing from their research and development undertakings.