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The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has launched an ambitious campaign to transform research findings from Nigerian universities into commercially viable products, declaring an end to the era of groundbreaking discoveries gathering dust on library shelves.
Director-General of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, where she unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at converting academic research into wealth, jobs and industrial growth.
She announced that the agency has established 69 Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in universities across the country to safeguard innovations and accelerate their commercialisation.
According to her, vice-chancellors have been directed to establish the offices in their institutions, while NOTAP will provide specialised training on intellectual property management and technology transfer.
“We have established 69 Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices in Nigerian universities, and we are still expanding. We are also educating the universities on intellectual property and technology transfer,” she said.
Amadiobi revealed that NOTAP is also building a comprehensive national database of research outputs from universities and research institutes to identify innovations with commercial potential, secure intellectual property rights and connect researchers with investors and industries.
She explained that the initiative complements the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology’s Energise Commercialisation Programme, which seeks to move research breakthroughs from laboratories into the marketplace.
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“Rome was not built in a day, but Nigeria has a good number of valuable researchers. We are working with the ministry and industries to commercialise them,” she said.
The NOTAP boss disclosed that commercially viable research projects would be linked to the Bank of Industry for funding, while others would benefit from seed financing promised by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology. She added that some innovations would also pass through the National Board for Technology Incubation before being adopted by industries.
Amadiobi also unveiled the NOTAP Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship (NITTF), a flagship initiative designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry through collaboration among universities, industries and government.
Under the fellowship, industries will identify research challenges, sponsor PhD candidates in Nigerian universities, and fund their research until the outcomes are ready for commercialisation.
“The industries determine the research topics they need, sponsor the PhD candidates and support them throughout the research so that the outcomes can be commercialised,” she explained.
She disclosed that about 15 PhD candidates have already been admitted into the fellowship programme this year, adding that another round of applications would soon be announced to expand participation.
Expressing confidence in the new initiatives, Amadiobi said they would unlock Nigeria’s enormous research potential, strengthen indigenous industries, create jobs and transform scientific discoveries into wealth-generating products capable of driving sustainable economic growth.
