The Federal Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, on Monday commenced a 2-day workshop in Enugu to turn Nigerian research and inventions into profitable businesses.
The South-East Zonal National Commercialisation Workshop, organised by the Ministry’s Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee, RICC, in partnership with TETFund, runs from 13–14 July 2026.
It is the second of six zonal engagements meant to strengthen Nigeria’s research-to-industry ecosystem and accelerate the movement of research outputs into products, services and enterprises.
The exercise brought together policymakers, researchers, academics, industry players, innovators, investors, financial institutions and development partners from across the South-East to develop practical strategies for research commercialisation.
Enugu State Commissioner for Education, *Prof. Ndubueze Leonard Mbah, who declared the workshop opened, said the state is placing education, research and skills at the centre of its economic agenda.
He commended the FG and TETFund for the initiative, describing it as timely for unlocking the economic value of research.
He added that Enugu is investing in technology, entrepreneurship and apprenticeship to prepare youths for the future economy.
According to him, a competitive innovation ecosystem must include artisans, entrepreneurs, persons with disabilities and the informal sector, not just universities.
He highlighted the state’s emphasis on experiential learning, apprenticeship, and industry partnerships, noting that practical knowledge and innovation are essential to driving enterprise development, job creation, and sustainable economic growth.
Also speaking, the Acting Chairman of the Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee (RICC), TF Okujagu, described the engagement as a critical step towards building a nationally coordinated innovation ecosystem capable of driving industrialisation, economic diversification, and sustainable development.
He observed that although Nigeria possesses abundant research outputs, innovations, patents, and entrepreneurial talent, weak linkages among academia, innovators, inventors, industry, investors, and government have continued to limit the commercialisation of research.
He emphasised that the country’s challenge is not a lack of ideas, but the absence of an integrated ecosystem that transforms knowledge into products, businesses, jobs, and sustainable wealth.
He explained that the proposed National Research and Commercialisation Intelligence Ecosystem will establish a unified digital platform connecting researchers, inventors, innovators, industry, investors, innovation hubs, technology transfer offices, and policymakers.
He noted that the platform will generate commercialisation intelligence, identify market opportunities, facilitate investment, monitor the progress of innovations from conception to market, determine points of appropriate interventions, and support evidence-based decision-making.
He described the National Research to Commercialisation intelligencein frastructureas a National Asset that allows for real time tracking of Research to Commercialisation.
He urged stakeholders to see themselves as co-designers of Nigeria’s innovation future, emphasising that insights from the zonal consultations will shape the National Research-to-Commercialisation Framework and strengthen the country’s innovation ecosystem that will position the country not only to be relevant, but also competitive in the global knowledge-driveneconomy.
Delivering the keynote address on “Bridging the Gap Between Research, Industry, and National Development,” Dr. Emmanuel Eze, a technology expert, spoke on his experience as a researcher, technology entrepreneur, and industry leader to emphasis that the disconnect between research and industry is not inevitable but a design challenge that can be deliberately addressed.
He observed that while Nigeria continues to produce high-quality research and talented scholars, much of this knowledge remains within academic institutions instead of being translated into market-ready products, technologies, and enterprises.
He noted that sustained investment in research, strong university-industry partnerships, effective technology transfer systems, and supportive innovation policies are essential to national competitiveness and industrial development.
Dr. Eze emphasized the need for a coordinated national approach to research commercialisation through targeted innovation financing, stronger technology transfer offices, robust intellectual property protection, and reforms that reward commercial impact alongside academic excellence.
He advised researchers to focus on solving real-world challenges and encouraged government, industry, investors, financial institutions, and universities to work together in building an ecosystem that transforms research into enterprises, jobs, and sustainable economic value.
According to him, research must become a catalyst for industrialisation and national development rather than remaining solely an academic exercise. He commended the project as being the needed collaborative bridge in driving research to Commercialisation
Presenting the National Research-to-Commercialisation (R2C) Initiative, Engr. Umar Bindir, a member of the Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee (RICC), explained that the initiative seeks to establish a National Research and Commercialisation Intelligence Ecosystem that connects researchers, industry, investors, innovation hubs, and policymakers through a unified digital platform.
He said the system will provide a national inventory of research and innovation assets, identify market opportunities and industry demand, facilitate investment, and track innovations from conception to commercialisation, thereby strengthening evidence-based policymaking and accelerating research commercialisation.
Engr. Bindir described the initiative as a “Triple Helix Plus” model that brings together academia, government, industry, investors, development partners, innovation hubs, and the private sector to jointly build Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
He noted that the ongoing zonal workshops are designed to capture region-specific insights that will inform the National Research-to-Commercialisation Framework, stressing that every stakeholder has a critical role to play in transforming research outputs into competitive products, thriving enterprises, quality jobs, and sustainable national prosperity.