NOTAP Tasks Researchers on Patenting

In order to enjoy the economic benefit of research and development (R&D) activities, the Director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim has called on researchers and innovators to prioritize the protection of their intellectual property.

He made this call recently in Abuja while flagging off a one day training programme organized by NOTAP for Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTO) Coordinators on automated submission of patent applications to NOTAP.

Dr. Ibrahim said that while there has been noticeable geometrical increase in the number of applications for Intellectual Property Protection, a lot still needs to be done to increase awareness among researchers.

He harped on the importance of developing new technologies for the country, saying no nation can be termed developed until it has the capacity for research and development.

The NOTAP boss told the participants drawn from Universities, Polytechnics and Research Institutions across the country that nations are considered developed because of their technological advancement, adding that research and development are key to the growth and development of a nation as no country will develop without a vibrant intellectual property culture.

The DG maintained that as long as research and development results remain at prototypes level, the efforts of research and development may not have any significant effect on our economic development. He stressed that Nigeria’s economic development was dependent on the number of new technologies developed by Nigeria researchers, urging them to come up with technologies that will power the Nigerian economy.

He explains that NOTAP registers technology agreement and if it gives approval of 10 applications, 6-7 are on software and that the Office feels pained, seeing the humongous amount of money that leaves the country on acquisition of foreign software.

He added that NOTAP is determined to change the weak intellectual property culture in Nigeria because no entrepreneur will be courageous enough to invest his money on R&D result that is not protected. He therefore charged researchers to apply for intellectual property protection right first before the outcome of the researches are published.

Dr. Ibrahim said the training was organized for the Intellectual Property and Technology Coordinators to equip them with the capacity to do their jobs more effectively, especially in using the interactive platform created by NOTAP.

The DG expressed optimism that the platform would push the Coordinators to work harder and boost the number of applications for patents in the country.

A participant and former Director of IPTTO, Enugu State University of Technology, Prof. Mrs. Chinelo Igwenagu said the training will offer the IPTTO Coordinators the opportunity of comparing notes and sharing ideas with one another. She said most IPTTO coordinators work in isolation not because they don’t want to collaborate with others but because the proper platform had not been provided.

She thanked NOTAP for making their jobs easier especially as the automated submission of patent application forms will eliminate the challenges of struggling to physically visit NOTAP for submission of patent applications.