With the support of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Triple Helix Nigeria yesterday garnered different universities, science and technology based organizations to advocate the commercialization of researches.
In his goodwill message, the board’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who was represented by the General Manager Research and Development, Silas Omomehin Ajimijaye, said research and innovation represent the lifeblood of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, as recognised by the NCDMB.
The event was the Triple Helix Nigeria Conference in Abuja with the theme: “Integrating Research, Innovation, and Policy: Triple Helix Pathway to Research Commercialisation.”
The conference was graced by university Vice Chancellors, organizations such as the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), United Nations Industries Development Organisation (UNIDO) and other related agencies.
Ogbe said part of the means of exercising the board’s mandate is by using local content to strengthen research and commercialisation of innovative solutions for Nigeria’s oil industry.
“One avenue through which we exercise this mandate is by applying local content development to enhance research and commercialisation of innovative solutions for Nigeria’s oil industry.
“We intend to accelerate this virtuous circle of innovation and wealth generation by fostering partnerships between universities, research institutions, and industry players,” he said.
NCDMB, according to him, can bring together leading technologies and globally known institutions and organizations to strengthen its research and innovation potential.
Ogbe said: “We also recognise the need to meet those objectives with our global partners.
” We can harness the expertise, leading technologies and best practices of international experts based at internationally recognized institutions and organizations to strengthen our research & innovation potential.”
Speaking with reporters, the Triple Helix Nigeria, President, Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, said the NCDMB had identified research and development as a key success pillar for sustainable local content development.
This, he said necessitated the rolling out of a 10-year roadmap in 2017 to indicate where the local content should reflect in 2027.
Halilu, who is also the NCDMB Director Monitoring and Evaluation, said oil and gas technology requirements are products from countries that have invested hugely in research.
He cited the US, Germany as country’s research has enhanced their success in the oil and gas industry.
Halilu said countries that succeed in R&D actually collaborate and show the structured collaboration between the industry, who are the users of risk products of research, who are the users of technology.
He explained that the academia provide the solution, carry out research from the lab and then advance it to the market as the government is expected to provide the enabling environment.
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Continuing, the President said, “So we had this 10-year roadmap, but then we said, how do we ensure collaboration? “And that was when some professionals in the industry approached us and said, look, let us establish the Triple Helix Association.
“Because we’ve seen the leading countries also have a Triple Helix Association, which galvanizes all these three groups.
” And then they shape advocacy, they shape policy, and they also interface among themselves to ensure that research is carried out for the simple purpose of being used to develop the solutions that the industry requires.
“So we got together, started, 12 of us came together and said, okay, let us look at how this can happen.
“So we approached the Triple Helix Global and said, okay, we want to establish the association in Nigeria so that we can also benefit from the global network and what it offers in terms of being able to have a platform to commercialize research in Nigeria.”