The Federal Government has renewed efforts to transform research and innovation in Nigerian universities into commercial products, businesses and employment opportunities.
The development followed a meeting between Vice-Chancellors representing the six geopolitical zones and senior university officials with the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu.
The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration between Nigerian universities and NASENI, including through the proposed NASENI Campus, to create a stronger pathway for moving academic research from laboratories to the marketplace.
Speaking on the initiative, the government stressed that research must go beyond academic publications and prototypes.
“Our research cannot end with academic publications and prototypes. We must create pathways for our researchers to patent their inventions, develop market-ready products, attract investment and build viable companies,” it said.
It noted that Nigeria has a vast pool of researchers, lecturers and students developing promising innovations, but many of these ideas require stronger institutional and financial support to reach the market.
According to the government, the proposed NASENI Campus will help bridge the gap by connecting researchers with advanced laboratories, prototyping facilities, industry and investment.
“The proposed NASENI Campus will help bridge this gap by connecting researchers to advanced laboratories, prototyping facilities, industry and investment, taking promising ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace,” it stated.
The government also commended Halilu and the NASENI team, as well as the Vice-Chancellors of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka; University of Abuja (UNIABUJA); Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA); University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT); University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID); and Bayero University, Kano (BUK), for their commitment to strengthening collaboration among academia, government and industry.
It said the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), aimed at repositioning tertiary institutions as engines of research, innovation and enterprise.
“Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and our Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, we are repositioning our tertiary institutions as engines of research, innovation and enterprise,” the government said.
It further stated that as Nigeria works towards a $1 trillion economy, the country’s knowledge and innovation must translate into tangible economic opportunities.
“As we work towards a $1 trillion economy, Nigeria’s knowledge and innovation must translate into products, businesses, jobs and sustainable prosperity. This is how we move from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy,” it said.