The University of Ibadan (UI) has sought stronger collaboration among academia, industry and government to translate research outputs into practical solutions that address societal challenges and drive economic development.
The call was made on Wednesday at the University of Ibadan Research and Development Fair Committee (UI-RESDEV) Town-Gown Roundtable.
The event had as its theme: “Beyond the Gate: Translating Research into Societal Impact and Commercialisation.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said universities must bridge the gap between knowledge generation and societal needs.
Adebowale, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Prof. Simisola Akintola at the event.
The vice-chancellor said the institution was strengthening research governance, innovation ecosystems and partnerships to ensure research findings were translated into products, services and policies.
He also said that the university had initiated collaborations with organisations including Honeywell Group, Impact Hub Ibadan, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to deepen research commercialisation and innovation
Others, Adebowale said included Tohoku University, Hiroshima University and Euromed University.
“Commercialisation is not a betrayal of scholarship but its fulfilment, adding that universities, industry, government and civil society all have complementary roles in driving innovation,” Adebowale said.
Delivering the keynote address, Founder of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN), Dr Olusola Ayoola, urged researchers to focus on solving real-life problems through innovations that could be deployed beyond the university environment.
Ayoola said research should not stop at publication, but should culminate in products and services capable of creating jobs, improving livelihoods and attracting investment.
He stressed the need for stronger industry participation from the conception stage of research, improved access to data, enhanced intellectual property protection and increased investment in laboratories and innovation ecosystems.
“Nigeria possesses abundant research capacity but lacks sufficient structures to move innovations from laboratories into the marketplace,” Ayoola said.
He also advocated greater trust in local talents, stronger regulatory frameworks and sustained partnerships among government, academia and industry to support innovation-driven development.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Dr Seye Oyeleye, called on industries to invest more in research and innovation, noting that sustainable national development depended on stronger university-industry collaboration.
He urged private sector operators to fund research capable of addressing national challenges and accelerating Nigeria’s industrialisation.
Also speaking, the Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Olusegun Olayiwola, said research must be translated into practical and scalable solutions that benefit society.
Olayiwola, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Maria Karunwi, described collaboration among government, academia and industry as critical to innovation, policy development and national growth.
According to him, the state is ready to partner with the university to translate research findings into impactful societal benefits.