By Dare Akogun
The commercialisation of research ideas has been described as a way of promoting economic growth for accelerated national development.
The Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Prof. Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, made this known at the maiden edition of the Quadruple Helix roundtable meeting organised by the institution’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Relations Committee.
Professor Jimoh noted that the roundtable that has brought together the academia, government, industry, and community to brainstorm on mutually beneficial ways represented the university’s commitment to collaborating and forging a path to national development.
While stating that commercialising research output was a core feature of the institution’s strategic plan, Prof. Jimoh added that it was necessary, now than before, for transformative ideas from research institutions to go beyond the confines of academia into the realms of industry and entrepreneurship.
In his welcome address, the Director of the institution’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, Dr Sunday Ojo, identified the growing challenge of unemployment in the country as solvable, with the robust ideas constantly being generated by the academia.
An industry consultant, Mr. Deji Ajani, in his presentation, urged the academia to begin to conceptualise research as much more than just a criteria for getting promotion, but also as an avenue for creating enterprise.
He also called on the government and universities in the country to provide infrastructure that will encourage researchers to become intentional about their research and to commercialise the research output.
