NOTAP Ranks UniPort Best IPTTO Of The Year

By Tolu Aiyegbusi
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has ranked University of Port Harcourt (UniPort) as best Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO) in Nigeria.
Its acting Director-General, Dr Idoreyin Imiyoho, disclosed this on Wednesday while presenting the awards to the top three IPTTOs in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NOTAP presents a cash reward of N500, 000 to UniPort, N300, 000 to University of Lagos and N200, 000 to University of Ilorin.
Imiyoho was represented by Mrs Anie Osuagwu, the Director, Technology Acquisition and Research Coordination of NOTAP.
She said the ranking of IPTTOs in the country was necessary to encourage demand-driven research and launch Nigeria into the comity of technologically independent nations.
“ The IPTTO ranking programme initiated by (NOTAP) is aimed at strengthening the operation of IPTTOs in the country to promote the culture of invention and innovation.
“The establishment of IPTTOs in Nigerian knowledge institutions across geopolitical zones of the country was an initiative of NOTAP in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a UN agency based in Geneva, Switzerland,’’ she said.
NOTAP boss said IPTTO initiative was to sensitise the Nigerian knowledge institutions on the importance of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) as well as the need to engage in market driven research as against conventional research.
She recalled that the programme started in 2006 with the establishment of six centers and has progressed both in number and quality to over 60 IPTTOs across the country,’’ she said.
According to her, the world economy is driven and sustained by knowledge. So, agency is saddled with the responsibility of regulating the inflow of foreign technologies through the registration of technology transfer agreements.
She said that the criteria for ranking comprised of visibility of the center within the institution, documentation of institutional research and development results, institutional intellectual property policy in place among other.
In her remarks, Prof. Mary Iwundu, the Director of IPTTO, UniPort, who received the award, appreciated NOTAP for its efforts in recognising the efforts of researchers in the country.
“ NOTAP has done a lot for the research community in Nigeria; it has been supportive through funding and various trainings.
“ As a recipient of this award and emerging the best, as a university we are very proud that our hard work is being recognised.
`It is a good thing that there is enough sensitisation to make people understand intellectual property rights and patenting, ” she said.
She commended NOTAP for establishing for IPTTOs in universities, polytechnics and research institutions in the country, saying this will promote interaction and strengthen the linkage between university/research institutions and industries. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Deji Abdulwahab