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Researchers Call for Commercialization of Research Outputs
\nZainab Tanimu —-Kaduna
\nA body of researchers has called on the federal government to evolve a strategic approach to research and innovation for diversification of the nation\u2019s economy. It said that researches conducted by tertiary institutions in Nigeria have not yielded the needed impact to the national development due to lack of commercialization of the research results.
\nIt maintained that the development of the Small and Medium Enterprises(SME) sector of a nation remains key factor to its sustainable growth and development hence the need to enhance the promotion of the commercialization of appropriate technologies developed in the country. World\u2019s scientific and technological breakthroughs the body emphasized have all been made possible through research and innovations.
\nThis was disclosed to news men by the Chairman, Main Organizing Committee, Engr. Dr. Okopi Alex Momoh in a press conference held at the Board Room of Kaduna Polytechnic to kick- start their conference.
\nThe body, Engr. Momoh said had re-iterated the importance of coming together of all the stakeholders for the common course of charting a way forward for the economic growth of the nation. The conference is aimed at bringing together researchers in various disciplines in an interactive environment with its focus on the \u2018Triple Helix Model\u2019 of R and D collaboration.
\n\u201cThe formation of a Triple Helix of Academia-Industry-Government is focused on increasing attention to the economic utilization of publicly funded researches. This collaboration model ensures valuable utilization of academic research outputs as it seeks for an end-user for every research project in a collaborative manner.\u201d
\nThe long standing lack of synergy among the \u2018triple helix\u2019 to transform research results from our tertiary Researchers in various disciplines has been identified as a major set- back to development thus the need for collaboration. He stressed.
\n\u201cCommercialization of research outputs requires the involvement of investors in the organized private sector and policy direction of government\u201d
\nThe long standing lack of synergy among this \u2018triple helix\u2019 to transform research results from our tertiary Researchers in various disciplines has been a major set- back to development.
\n\u201cThe theme of the conference, \u201cDiversification of the Nigerian Economy through Research and Innovation\u201d was chosen with a view to promoting real-time problem solving researches and commercialization of research outputs through Academia \u2013Industry-Government linkages. The lack of linkages and collaboration for commercialization of productive researches is the major concern which the conference seeks to address.
\n\u201cThe conference would bring together researchers in various disciplines in a very interactive environment so that we can jointly focus on increasing attention to the economic utilization of publicly funding researches and also researches undertaking by non-governmental organizations. This collaboration model ensures the utilization of academic research output for national growth. We expect that this conference would trigger a re- focusing of research and innovation policy on the development challenges that are facing the Nigerian society today. It would also provide a platform for cross-disciplinary interaction and insights to new research and innovation approaches.
\n\u201c New technologies are evolving every day, every time and we also need to tap into them. By creating an interactive atmosphere, there would be exchange of ideas across disciplines. That is one thing the conference sets out to achieve. We also expect that the conference would enhance collaboration among the academia, industry and government. And also ensures that for every research that is conducted, you search for an end user. The\u2019 Executive Round Table Policy Discussion\u2019 by chief executive officers of tertiary institutions, industries and government agencies would help to develop a policy frame work from which government can draw out a policy instrument for commercialization of research results in for this country. We want to see that over time when full utilization of research results and technology development in this country comes up, there would be restrictions of imports of products from this technologists so that the users of this country would be made to look inwards; partner with the developers of these technologies for their commercialization and eventual use of the products in the country\u201d.
\nThe Deputy Director, Academic Planning, Kaduna Polytechnic, Hajiya Ramatu Zarma, opines that the conference would bring about a turn- around events in the employment sector.
\n\u201cYou see, for a long time we have been having students graduating from the polytechnics. In some countries you find industries going to the polytechnics to ask for specialized sets of students which l believe we can do. If an industry comes to our mechanical engineering department for instance and ask us to give them some numbers of students specialized in particular areas, it can be done. By the time the students graduate, there would be no need for them to stay at home waiting for jobs. But here we are, we have the facilities, we have the manpower, yet when students graduate, they have nowhere to go. We have so many duplications. Go to the universities they are offering the same course. Come to polytechnics we are offering the same course and the industries are not enough to cater for everybody. So, we have come together whereby the industries as well as the academia would have a look at what we have and when we are able to produce what we have then we see how the government can come in so that we can move the nation forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Researchers Call for Commercialization of Research Outputs Zainab Tanimu —-Kaduna A body of researchers has called on the federal government to evolve a strategic approach to research and innovation for diversification of the nation\u2019s economy. It said that researches conducted by tertiary institutions in Nigeria have not yielded the needed impact to the national […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\n