Get Guardian on GoogleFormer Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, and other academics and research experts have urged universities and researchers to strengthen collaboration, commercialise scientific discoveries and deploy innovation to promote sustainable development.
They made the call at the fifth International Conference of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences (FASCON 2026), held at Lead City University, Ibadan, with the theme, “Frontiers in Multidisciplinary Science and Artificial Intelligence: Innovations for Global Sustainability and a Secured Future.”
Olayinka, who spoke on “Frontiers in Science and Technology: Innovations for Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World”, urged Nigerian universities to deepen research partnerships with government and industry to generate more patents and turn academic findings into commercially viable products.
He said collaboration would give researchers access to specialist expertise, sophisticated equipment, funding and international research networks, describing university research as a critical component of the national innovation system.
Lamenting the low number of patents emerging from Nigerian universities, he said more innovations could result from academic research if scholars received adequate incentives and an enabling 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.
Olayinka also advocated international research collaboration and researcher mobility to strengthen the contribution of developing countries to scientific advancement.
On entrepreneurship, he urged startup founders to prepare for the early-stage financial difficulties known as the “valley of death”, when businesses struggle with negative cash flow before generating revenue.
He called on entrepreneurs to build resources before launching their ventures, retain their regular jobs until their businesses became financially viable and explore funding opportunities such as grants, crowdfunding, business competitions, loans, incubators and strategic partnerships.
Also speaking, the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Lead City University, Prof. Babatunde Adebo, 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. He urged 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 tackle environmental degradation, energy shortages, technological disruptions and security threats.
She 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 with specialisation 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, from production and processing to 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.
The DVC disclosed that she helped draft the university’s AI policy and urged academics and students to acknowledge the 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.
On his part, the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the conference, Prof. Amos Onasanya, said more than 400 participants attended the event, with about 180 research presentations scheduled.
Onasanya said the conference provided opportunities for researchers to showcase their work, exchange ideas and establish partnerships with scholars within and outside Nigeria.
