By Tunbosun Ogundare

Copyright tribuneonlineng

The Lagos State House of Assembly has been urged to hasten the passage of the innovation bill to boost problem-driven research and innovation in the state.

A serving senator and former deputy governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule, gave the charge on Wednesday at the seventh research and innovation fair and exhibition organised by the Lagos State University at its main campus in Ojo.

Adebule was a keynote speaker at the event, and she spoke on the theme: ‘Promoting the quadruple helix collaboration: Government, university, industry and community.’

According to her, passage of the bill with the governor assenting to it will provide a solid link framework to accomplish research and innovation in the quest to grow the culture of innovation in Lagos State and its tertiary institutions.

She urged the vice-chancellor of LASU and her team, as well as the leadership of the institution’s innovation centre, to go all out and lobby the lawmakers to get the bill passed in good time.

She said LASU stands to benefit immensely if the Bill becomes a law since the university has already embraced the culture of research and innovation among its faculty members and students.

The lawmaker revealed that there would be a huge amount of money dedicated by law for research and innovation activities in the state-owned tertiary institutions that can translate their ideas into products and services, and also support doctoral and post-doctoral research activities.

“That is why it wouldn’t be out of place if LASU, as a state–owned university, pays attention to ensure that the Bill is passed in good time,” she emphasised.

Adebule disclosed that the Bill also talks about government-given incentives to companies that are interested in funding research and innovation that are people-centred.

She said by that, many companies would now be willing to fund meaningful research and innovation, making the effort of universities looking for research funders easier.

The incentives, she opened up, would come in the form of a tax holiday and other direct and indirect supports that include public-private partnerships.

She also suggested that LASU now as an institution, to reform its research management office for effective coordination of its research findings to translate into industrial inputs, marketable commodities, and specialised skills, with industry captains also becoming part of its advisory board.

The guest speaker, who has her undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral degrees from LASU, applauded the state governor and visitor to LASU, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for his administration’s commitment to the development of LASU, urging him to inject more money into the university, especially to enable it to complete its various ongoing infrastructural projects

She, however, underscored the importance of collaboration in doing research to involve government, university, industry and the community.

She said collaboration between town and gown, with government and community involvement, would bring ideas into reality.

According to her, collaboration is the currency of innovation and innovation is the driver of development, while development is the true measure of leadership.

She said policies and programmes of true leaders, especially in government, must meet the diverse needs of the people they serve.

In her remarks, the vice chancellor of LASU, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, highlighted the importance of the university’s annual research fair.

She said, “The Fair has not only become a great platform by which the university demonstrates its commitment to move beyond theoretical knowledge to tangible solutions that drive development.

“So, we are to use this two-day event to showcase some of our recent groundbreaking projects across engineering, medicine, the humanities, and the sciences, which are designed to solve real-world problems facing Lagos State and Nigeria by extension.”

Olatunji-Bello noted that it had long become common knowledge that no single entity can tackle the complexities of sustainable development in any society, hence the focus of the Fair to look at the role of government, university, industry and the community in solving societal problems through research and innovation.

According to her, the university generates knowledge and talents, industry commercialises the innovation and creates jobs, while the government provides the enabling policy, regulation and funding environment, and the community provides the context, demands the solution and validates its utility.

“So, our seventh Research Fair stands as a testament to the fact that LASU is not just a university in Lagos but a university for Lagos—a critical partner in the state’s socio-economic blueprint, promising that the university would continue to work together with partners and sustain the fair as a premier platform for national development.

“So, we must use this fair not just for paper and product presentations but as a marketplace for profitable ideas,” she added.

The vice chancellor commended the keynote speaker, especially for her acceptance to perform the role and also for her “untiring support” to the university.

She expressed optimism for the great positive impact that the research fair would make in the university, Lagos State and the country at large.

The Chairman of the occasion, Sir David Sunmoni, who is the immediate past Chairman of the university’s Governing Council, acknowledged the great impact the previous research fairs had made in society, saying the event is getting better each year.

The guest speaker and Professor of Chemistry from Central State University, USA, Ibrahim Katampe, also emphasised the importance of collaboration among researchers to enable them to come up with ideas with definite goals.

According to him, it will be difficult for a lone ranger in any activity, including research work, to make a great impact with their work, let alone the society.

He spoke on transitional research to solve challenges, describing it as a situation whereby researchers form a formidable team and not group with everyone plays a key role to make a meaningful impact.

Katampe, who is also the founder of Cosmopolitan University Abuja, therefore urged LASU faculty members and students to do more for research activities.

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