Industrialists have been urged to commercialise innovative products to enhance the economy.
Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE) in Delta State, Professor Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, spoke at a press briefing yesterday on the FUPRE’s 15th anniversary.
Rim-Rukeh said there were over 17 patented innovations by the university that were ready for commercialisation.
“We have patented over 17 products and are calling on Nigerian industrialists to come and look at some of these products and see how they can be commercialised,” Rim-Rukeh said.
Some of the patented products include a multi-outlet smart energy meter, local ventilator design, development of a wicking agent for crude oil absorption, floating, piled active-to-passive bladed water current power generator, among others.
Continuing, he said the university was almost concluding discussions with Ministry of Power on the metering system designed to feed, monitor and bill “each connected user independently”.
The VC also said FUPRE would establish a training flow station, rig and refinery.
“FUPRE has entered an MoU with Wellberg to establish this facility within the next six months. There will be a flow station, a rig here on campus. We are streamlining that MoU between today and tomorrow and therefore operations will start soon.
“The issue of refinery is an indigenous project conceived by my predecessor. As at last week, the air stripper for our refinery has been designed and construction completed. It’s the first kind of indigenous constructing, design and fabrication”.
Commending the Federal Government and stakeholders for supporting and investing in the institution, he appealed for a re-evaluation of the “dimension of the mandate given to FUPRE to facilitate increased budgetary allocation to the university”.
Rim Rukeh promised that his administration would turn out graduates ready for employment, adding: “Innovative and academic excellence is our take-home for the 15th anniversary”.