The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has established an Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO) at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State.
At the Commissioning of the Office in the University, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Oge Elom commended the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) for its role in creating Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) awareness in Nigerian knowledge institutions.
Professor Elom said the move was a clear demonstration of commitment by the Management of NOTAP and by extension, the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to stimulate innovative activities in the University.
He said the university, was irrevocably committed to academic excellence benchmarked on research and development (R&D) activities adding that it was the desire of his administration to encourage and promote product-driven research geared towards providing solutions to the array of societal challenges.
The VC used the opportunity to express appreciation to the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu for supporting the collaboration between the University and NOTAP, which according to him, gave birth to the establishment of IPTTO in the institute, in addition to the upgrading of the Chemical Engineering Laboratory.
He, however, expressed hope that lecturers, researchers, inventors, and innovators within the university environment and the southeast zone in general, will benefit from the Office in dealing with issues of copyrights and patents as regards their research and innovation ideas in a seamless manner.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Director-General of NOTAP, Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim who was represented by the Director Corporate Planning department of NOTAP, Mrs. Idoreyin Imiyoho said that the Office was established to regulate the inflow of foreign technology into the country and at the same time, promote indigenous technologies.
The DG explained that the country has a weak intellectual property (IP) culture which according to him, the establishment of IPTTOs across Nigerian knowledge institutions will improve.
Dr. Ibrahim stated that what distinguishes developed from developing countries was the quality of goods and services emanating from their research undertakings as the strength of nations were no longer measured by the amount of mineral resources but the level of human capital development.
He urged researchers to engage more in demand-driven research that will attract venture capitalists rather than conventional research for the purposes of career progression.
The DG used the avenue to preach for synergy between academia and the industry, noting that research and development results can hardly metamorphous into goods and services without collaboration between the two bodies.
Reporting by Rabi Momoh, editing by Daniel Adejo