Get Guardian on GoogleA former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, has urged Nigerian universities to strengthen research collaboration with government and industry to generate more patents and drive sustainable development.
Olayinka said universities must move beyond producing academic publications to developing innovations that could be patented, commercialised and deployed to address societal challenges.
He spoke while delivering a lecture titled, “Frontiers in Science and Technology: Innovations for Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World,” at the fifth International Conference of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences (FASCON 2026), Lead City University, Ibadan.
He said collaboration among universities, government and industry would provide researchers with access to specialised expertise, sophisticated equipment, research funding and international networks needed to advance scientific innovation.
Olayinka regretted that Nigerian universities were not generating enough patents, noting that more research innovations could be protected and commercialised if academics received adequate incentives and operated in a supportive environment.
“There ought to be more patents coming out of our universities. This is doable if researchers are provided with the necessary incentives and an enabling environment,” he said.
He also emphasised the importance of international research partnerships and researcher mobility, saying access to foreign funding and global networks would strengthen the capacity of developing countries to contribute to scientific advancement.
On his part, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences at Lead City University, Prof. Babatunde Adebo, also urged researchers to translate scientific discoveries into practical solutions to societal challenges.
Adebo said complex global problems required interdisciplinary thinking, creativity and collaboration rather than isolated academic approaches.
He described FASCON as a platform for knowledge sharing, intellectual exchange and the development of solutions to pressing challenges, urging participants to move beyond paper presentations by building research partnerships and developing innovations that would benefit society.
In her welcome address, the conference chairperson, Prof. Bukola Bamkefa, urged researchers and industry professionals to harness multidisciplinary science and artificial intelligence (AI) to address environmental degradation, energy shortages, technological disruptions and security threats.
Bamkefa said AI offered opportunities for sustainable solutions in healthcare, agriculture and environmental management but stressed that its application must be guided by ethical considerations, responsibility and inclusiveness.
The keynote speaker, Dr Lava Kumar, Head of the Germplasm Health Unit and Virology at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, highlighted the potential of young people to advance agriculture through digital innovation, entrepreneurship and agribusiness.
Kumar, represented by Dr Ranjana Bhattacharjee, a molecular geneticist at IITA specialising in molecular breeding, urged young people to see agriculture as a viable business rather than a dirty and labour-intensive occupation.
Bhattacharjee said youths could contribute across the agricultural value chain, including production, processing, marketing and policymaking.
Also speaking, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Science, Technology and Innovation) of Lead City University, Prof. Olusola Ladokun, cautioned researchers and students against allowing AI to replace human reasoning.
Ladokun, a former Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, said AI should complement human intelligence rather than undermine independent thinking and creativity.
She disclosed that she helped draft the university’s AI policy and urged academics and students to acknowledge their use of the technology in research and teaching to protect academic integrity.
“The major thing is that the origin of all knowledge must be from humans and not from machines,” she said.
The Chairman of the conference’s Technical Committee, Prof. Amos Onasanya, said more than 400 participants attended the event, with about 180 research presentations scheduled.
He said the conference provided opportunities for researchers to showcase their work, exchange ideas and establish partnerships with scholars within and outside Nigeria.
