Research Commercialisation Underway as FG Inaugurates Committee

• Adds N3b operational budget in 2026 financial year

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

To foster economic growth and industrial competitiveness, the federal government has inaugurated a steering committee as well as policy drafting committee for the National Research to Commercialisation Policy.

It said beyond this, the inauguration aims at translating research outputs into tangible economic and social value in which the nation will benefit from in years to come.

Also, it has announced an additional support for research commercialisation, including a N3 billion operational budget for Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee, RICC in the 2026 financial year and the harmonisation of existing research funding lines to ensure synergy and measurable impact.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who stated this at the inauguration in Abuja yesterday, said the initiative which would reposition research and innovation, said Nigeria had invested substantially in research across universities, research institutes and specialised agencies.

He however lamented the translation of research outcomes into products despite the huge investments and services had remained weak and fragmented.

According to him, “Over the years, Nigeria has produced valuable knowledge and innovative ideas, but the pathway from research to real impact has remained weak, fragmented and largely unstructured,” he said.

He explained the National Research to Commercialisation Policy was designed to close the gap between knowledge generation and value creation.

This, he said, would be made possible by establishing clear, structured, and nationally applicable pathways for turning research outputs into commercial, industrial and societal value.

According to him, the drafting team will develop and finalise the national policy, propose financing and incentive mechanisms, design implementation roadmap and establish a results-based monitoring and evaluation framework.

“The outcome must be a practical, implementable policy supported by clear institutional arrangements and monitoring mechanisms.

“Nations that rise in the 21st century are those that can convert ideas into value at scale,” he said.

Alausa commended the Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee (RICC) and its partners for laying the groundwork for the policy, stressing that the process must remain evidence-based, inclusive and action-oriented.

On his part, chairman of the Policy Drafting Committee, Dr. Tayo Aduloju, said the policy would help build a strong institutional base for Nigeria’s industrialisation.

He assured the committee would adopt inclusive, empirical and evidence-based approaches and deliver the draft policy within the agreed three-month timeline.

“There is no industrial nation that has not mastered the pathway this policy seeks to embed as a national framework.

“Nigeria needs policies that work for us at home. We take this responsibility seriously and will expedite action to deliver a contextual and impactful policy,” Mr. Aduloju said.