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The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has moved to end Nigeria’s long-standing problem of research gathering dust on shelves, as it signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja, to drive innovation, technology development and commercialisation of research outputs.
According to a statement agency, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Mr. Khalil Halilu, while speaking during the signing ceremony in Abuja, described the agreement as a decisive step towards converting academic research into real-world solutions that directly impact national development.
Halilu said NASENI is deliberately shifting focus from theory to results, stressing that innovation must deliver tangible value to industry and the wider economy. “NASENI is focused on innovation that targets the right audience and produces measurable outcomes. Our Innovation Hub was created to ensure promising ideas are nurtured, supported and scaled into usable technologies,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to partnering universities and research institutions, noting that collaboration remains critical to closing the long-standing gap between academia and industry.
“This is your home. We are open and ready to do a lot more together,” Halilu added.
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In his remarks, President of the African University of Science and Technology, Prof. Peter Azikiwe Onwualu, said the partnership builds on years of collaboration between both institutions, including postgraduate training programmes and joint research initiatives that have benefited NASENI staff and researchers.
Onwualu explained that the AUST Inspire Innovation Hub was established to tackle weak research commercialisation in Nigeria, insisting that the era of research done merely for academic promotion must give way to innovation that delivers products and economic value.
“We are changing the narrative. Research must end in products, innovation and real impact,” he said, citing agro-waste conversion projects currently being executed under NASENI’s Delta-2 programme.
Both institutions agreed to deepen cooperation in innovation, technology transfer and human capital development.
