Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s universities have been urged to move beyond academic publications and turn research discoveries into marketable products, businesses and jobs as the Federal Government seeks to strengthen the link between innovation and economic development.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, made the call during a meeting with university administrators and officials of the Federal Ministry of Education on a proposed partnership with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
Alausa said Nigeria could no longer afford to allow promising research to remain at the prototype or publication stage without creating pathways for commercialisation.
According to him, the proposed NASENI Campus could provide a platform for researchers to connect with laboratories, prototyping facilities, manufacturers and investors, helping promising innovations move from universities into the marketplace.
From research papers to Nigerian businesses
The minister cited innovation ecosystems around Cambridge, Massachusetts, as examples of how universities and research institutions can contribute directly to economic growth.
He urged Nigerian researchers to protect their inventions through patents, develop commercial products and work with investors to establish businesses around successful innovations.
Alausa also called on NASENI to strengthen partnerships with universities located around its development centres, noting that institutions have large pools of researchers, lecturers and students whose expertise could complement the agency’s technical and industrial capabilities.
He urged the agency to support researchers not only with technical assistance but also with patenting, investor connections and the establishment of university-based spin-off companies.
The minister identified lithium processing and battery manufacturing as areas that could benefit from stronger university-industry collaboration as Nigeria expands its renewable energy and industrial sectors.
NASENI seeks research commercialisation
Earlier, NASENI’s EVC/CEO, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, outlined efforts by the agency to move Nigerian innovations from prototypes to commercial production.
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Korede Abdullah 
Oluwatobi Adu 