By Emmanuella Anokam

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says its 50 million dollars Research and Development Fund is a catalyst to the oil and gas research and development space.

The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Mr Felix Ogbe, made this known in Abuja at the SciBiz 2024 annual conference, organised by the Triple Helix Nigeria.

Triple Helix hosted the conference, following its successful inauguration in 2021.

This is in fulfilment of the requirements for galvanising members in intellectual discourse to promote research commercialisation and innovation culture in Nigeria and Africa.

The theme of the conference, sponsored by the NCDMB, Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) and others, is “Integrating Research, Innovation, and Policy: Triple Helix Pathway to Research Commercialisation”.

Ogbe, represented by Mr Silas Ajimijaye, General Manager, Research and Development, NCDMB, said pivotal to any meaningful sustainable initiative was funding, and within this context, the much-needed fund was created in 2020.

The executive secretary underscored the need to harness expertise, leading technologies and best practices of international experts and institutions to strengthen research and innovation potential.

He described partnerships as a strategic way to enhance local efforts to make Nigeria an important player in global innovation.

“Strategically, the Triple Helix model of Academia, Industry, and Government collaboration is an appropriate international business framework for expressing ideas about how research could be turned into new products and services.

“One avenue through which NCDMB exercises this mandate is by applying local content development to enhance research and commercialisation of innovative solutions for Nigeria’s oil industry,” he said.

He said that it would onboard more impactful research projects in the upcoming months in addition to the fourteen applied research projects that it presently sponsored at various stages of technological readiness.

He, however, urged the participants to explore more collaborative opportunities to develop strategies to drive progress.

Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, President, Triple Helix Nigeria, said that transition from education through research to commercialisation heralded an evolving frontier where academia, industry and government could collaborate under the Triple Helix model.

He said that the model would ensure that research transcended the boundaries of laboratories and classrooms to solving real-world problems and fostering economic prosperity.

He cited the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which said that Nigeria’s annual patent application has risen from below hundred in 2016 to more than 400 in 2023.

According to him, this significant growth, suggests that with the right policy environment, Nigeria has the potential to transform universities to solution-based entrepreneur centers of excellence.

He said that Triple Helix Chapter was established in. Nigeria in 2021 by some professionals with common interests of economic development through research and innovation.

He said that it was in response to identified challenges and opportunities in a knowledge based economy.

“The association has a global network of six regions including: North America; Latin America; Europe; North Asia; South Asia and Africa.

“We set an ambitious Vision 10-10-10-10 to demonstrate our commitment to bequeath entrepreneurial university system in Nigeria.

“Through this vision, Triple Helix Nigeria seeks to inspire at least 10 knowledge institutions, to accelerate innovation and have at least 10 per cent equity in 10 listed companies in the next 10 years.

“This model has worked in many of the regions where Triple helix Association has a strong presence and we have no doubt that it can happen in Nigeria and Africa,” he said.

He expressed hope that the conference would foster structured partnerships between industry and research community to attract research based funding in the direction of Africa based researchers.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman