The Federal Ministry of Education, through its Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee (RICC), in collaboration with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has intensified efforts to transform research outputs into commercially viable products with the commencement of the North-East Zonal National Commercialisation Intelligence and Ecosystem Engagement Workshop in Gombe.
The two-day workshop, which began on Friday in Gombe State, is the fourth in a series of six zonal engagements designed to strengthen Nigeria’s National Research and Commercialisation Intelligence Ecosystem and accelerate the conversion of research findings, innovations, and inventions into marketable products, services, and enterprises.
The event brought together policymakers, researchers, academics, industry leaders, investors, development partners, innovation hubs, and financial institutions from the six North-East states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe to identify opportunities for collaboration and develop strategies for advancing research commercialisation.
Declaring the workshop open, the Gombe State Commissioner for Science and Technology, alongside the Commissioner for Education, described the initiative as timely and commended the Federal Ministry of Education and TETFund for creating a platform to unlock the region’s innovation potential. They urged participants to engage actively while highlighting the state’s growing capacity in science, technology, and innovation.
Speaking at the event, the Acting Chairman of the Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee (RICC), Mr TF Okujagu, described the North-East as a region of resilience and untapped innovation potential capable of contributing significantly to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
He said that despite progress in rebuilding institutions and strengthening knowledge systems, stronger collaboration was needed to translate research into practical solutions that address local challenges, stimulate enterprise development, and promote inclusive growth.
Okujagu noted that the zonal consultations would generate region-specific inputs for the development of a coordinated National Research-to-Commercialisation Framework.
According to him, Nigeria’s major challenge is not a shortage of ideas but the absence of a coordinated ecosystem linking researchers, innovators, industry, investors, government, and the market.
He disclosed that the proposed National Commercialisation Intelligence System (NCIS) would serve as a unified digital platform connecting research institutions, innovation hubs, industries, financial institutions, and policymakers through real-time commercialisation intelligence.
The platform, he explained, would make research outputs more visible, align industry needs with available innovations, facilitate investment, strengthen technology transfer, and provide data-driven support for innovation-led industrial development.
Okujagu further described the proposed National Research and Commercialisation Intelligence Ecosystem as a strategic national asset that would aggregate research outputs, patents, industry needs, funding opportunities, and investment intelligence into a single national repository.
He said the initiative, championed by the Minister of Education and TETFund, is aimed at driving research commercialisation, economic diversification, and enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.
Delivering the keynote address, titled ‘Bridging Research, Innovation and National Prosperity,’ Professor Seth Akutson challenged researchers to move beyond academic publications and focus on innovations that solve societal problems.
He observed that many valuable innovations remain confined to laboratories, while industries continue to rely heavily on imported technologies because of weak collaboration between academia and industry.
Akutson called for stronger partnerships among universities, research institutes, government, industry, and development partners, stressing the need for practical, problem-driven research supported by stronger intellectual property protection, innovation financing, and the Triple Helix model involving government, academia, and industry.
He said every successfully commercialised innovation has the potential to create jobs, improve productivity, and strengthen national prosperity.
Also speaking, Engr Umar Bindir, a member of the RICC, presented the National Research-to-Commercialisation (R2C) Initiative, describing it as a comprehensive digital platform that would integrate research outputs, patents, technology readiness levels, funding opportunities, market intelligence, and industry demand into a single national repository.
According to him, the system would automatically connect innovators with investors, industries, technology transfer offices, innovation hubs, and policymakers, thereby reducing fragmentation within Nigeria’s research ecosystem and accelerating the journey from discovery to commercialisation.
Bindir urged institutions across the North-East to upload their research outputs and innovations to the platform, saying broad participation would be critical to building a globally competitive knowledge economy.
Participants at the workshop also commended TETFund for its sustained investment in research infrastructure, academic capacity development, and institutional strengthening, noting that its partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education is laying the foundation for a coordinated national innovation ecosystem capable of driving enterprise development, quality job creation, and sustainable economic growth.
The Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee was established by the Federal Ministry of Education and is administered by TETFund, with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group providing strategic coordination and private sector-led technical support to strengthen collaboration among academia, industry, government, investors, and development partners in advancing research commercialisation across Nigeria.