The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has urged Nigerian universities and researchers to prioritise patenting and commercialisation of research outputs to ensure innovations contribute to national development and economic growth.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NOTAP, Dr. (Barr.) Obiageli Edith Amadiobi made the call on Tuesday during Bayero University Kano’s maiden National Conference and Exhibition on Research and Development.
Amadiobi said Nigeria must move beyond conducting research solely for academic publications and focus on translating research findings into products and services capable of addressing societal and industrial challenges.
According to her, one of the major obstacles to innovation in the country is the weak linkage between academia and industry, a gap she said NOTAP is working to bridge through targeted interventions and partnerships.
“The truth is that we are moving from research for the shelf to research for the market. If you do research and nobody is taking it from you, it is valueless. What we want are research outcomes that can be translated into products and services that benefit society,” she stated.
She explained that NOTAP’s Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship Programme was designed to strengthen collaboration between universities and industries by sponsoring PhD candidates to undertake research based on industry needs.
The NOTAP boss noted that research should be driven by real-life problems and market demands rather than being conducted in isolation from the needs of society and industry.
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“You don’t just wake up and conduct research without addressing a need. If there is no problem, there cannot be a solution. The challenges facing industries are better handled by researchers in universities, and that is why we are working to bridge this gap,” she said.
Amadiobi also stressed the importance of intellectual property protection, urging researchers to patent original innovations to secure ownership rights and derive long-term benefits from their work.
According to her, inventors risk losing control of their discoveries if they fail to obtain patent protection for their innovations.
“Whatever you research into, and it is original, you have to own it. The way to own it is by patenting it. When you secure a patent, you protect your rights and can continue to benefit from that intellectual property,” she said.
She further called on universities to develop comprehensive intellectual property policies that clearly define ownership rights, revenue-sharing arrangements and the management of research outputs.
Amadiobi said such policies would help institutions maximise the benefits of innovation while preventing disputes over ownership and commercial returns.
Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, Professor Haruna Musa, said the institution organised the conference to encourage the commercialisation of research findings and strengthen collaboration among academia, industry and government.
He observed that many researchers in Nigerian universities focus primarily on publishing their findings in academic journals without making deliberate efforts to convert them into products capable of addressing developmental challenges.
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“We need deliberate initiatives to showcase our research outputs with a view to commercialising them. Researchers across Nigerian universities focus on research for publication in journals only, but we need to go beyond that and transform those findings into commercially viable products,” he stated.
The vice-chancellor explained that the conference was organised through the university’s Directorate of Research, Innovation and Partnership (DRIP) to provide a platform for showcasing research outputs and fostering partnerships that could facilitate their commercialisation.
He expressed satisfaction with the innovations and inventions exhibited during the conference, describing them as evidence of the talent and creativity available within Nigerian universities and research institutes.
“What I have seen so far shows that Nigerians are talented and that our universities and research institutes are doing greatly in promoting research and development that has the capacity to address our developmental challenges,” he added.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Professor Muhammad Maina, described the conference as a successful first attempt at creating a national platform for discussions on research commercialisation, innovation and intellectual property.
He said the organisers were encouraged by the level of participation recorded and expressed confidence that future editions would attract more researchers, students and exhibitors from across the country.
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“This is the first national conference and exhibition on research and development in Bayero University. We have tested the waters and can improve on what we have done and widen participation in future editions,” he said.
