FG Seeks to Boost Synergy with Academia, Industry on Innovative Solutions

James Emejo in Abuja

The federal government has said it working to create better synergy with academia and industry in the area of innovation that addresses societal problems.

The Special Assistant to the Vice President on Innovation, Mr. Ife Adebayo, told THISDAY that it was critical at the moment to have better synergy between research outcomes, academic outcomes and innovation outcomes within institutions of higher learning and industry.

He said this is particularly impotent in view of the government’s current steps in prioritising economic interventions for growth and development.

Speaking at the Government, Industry and Academia (GIA) workshop organised by the AUSTinspire Business Incubation Center, which was held at the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Adebayo said agreed that institutions of higher learning have contributed to development given the number of talents that have churned out of the system.

But he said there remained major gaps in academia with regard to their funding answers to the socio-economic issues confronting the country.

According to the presidential aide, “What we should look out for more now is how institutions can contribute directly to industrial outcomes, contribute directly to innovation outcomes and contribute directly to the output of manufacturing for example and contribute directly to the specific priorities of the government in various areas.”

He said given that the federal government has prioritised agriculture, and the development of the knowledge economy, including support for the innovation ecosystem, therefore, the role of the academia in keying into these priority areas of government and driving research and innovation has become really critical.

He also said that the emergence of the Nigerian Start-up Law which he said was a joint effort of the ecosystem, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, will among other things, provide some form of regulatory protection and insight for the start-up ecosystem.

He said, “The beautiful thing about the bill was that it was the government and private sector coming together to put something on the table that would support the ecosystem.

“The bill is also scheduled to be reviewed annually to ensure there is continuous and incremental improvement to its effect and impact in the ecosystem.”