NOTAP Establishes 65th Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office at FUPRE – Anthony Emeka Nwosu

NOTAP Establishes 65th Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office at FUPRE

By Anthony Emeka Nwosu

Effurun, Delta State – The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has commissioned its 65th Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO) at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State. This marks a significant step in strengthening the weak intellectual property (IP) system in Nigeria’s knowledge institutions. The new IPTTO is one of 67 that have been established nationwide by NOTAP.

Speaking at the recent commissioning ceremony, Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, Director General of NOTAP, stated that the initiative was driven by the urgent need to reinforce the intellectual property framework in the nation’s higher education sector. She explained that while NOTAP was originally set up to regulate the inflow of foreign technology through the registration of technology transfer agreements, the agency also has a mandate to promote the development and domestication of indigenous technologies.

“The establishment of these IPTTOs is crucial,” said Dr. Amadiobi. “We have observed a weak intellectual property system in our knowledge institutions, and for a nation that aims to be a global player in the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) ecosystem, this situation is unacceptable.”

Dr. Amadiobi highlighted the significant role that universities and other knowledge institutions play in developed countries, not only in supporting the economy of their own institutions but also in enhancing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of their nations. She called on Nigerian universities to focus on market-driven research that solves societal problems and produces technically skilled graduates, rather than conventional research conducted solely for publication and career advancement.

The DG also lamented that many Nigerian researchers fail to commercialize their inventions, often leaving their research and development (R&D) results on the shelves. She encouraged the FUPRE community to take advantage of the IPTTO to present their research findings to NOTAP for patenting, free of charge. “Intellectual property may be intangible, but it must be protected to allow the owner exclusive rights to financially exploit the invention,” Dr. Amadiobi added.

She reiterated NOTAP’s commitment to fostering the inventive and innovative spirit of Nigerians through advocacy and the promotion of a strong intellectual property rights (IPR) ecosystem.

Welcoming the establishment of the IPTTO, FUPRE’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Akpafure Rim-Rukeh, represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor of Administration, Prof. Doris Favwe Ogeleka, described the event as a “dream come true.” Prof. Rim-Rukeh noted that the IPTTO would fast-track the university’s intellectual property evaluation and application processes.

Founded in 2007 with eight colleges, FUPRE aims to be a premier international institution providing world-class education, training, research, consultancy, and extension services for the petroleum and allied sectors. Prof. Rim-Rukeh also emphasized the university’s commitment to enhancing local content in Nigeria’s oil, gas, and energy industries, stating that FUPRE is the first institution of its kind in Africa and the sixth in the world.

Before the establishment of the IPTTO, the university had already secured one international patent and 33 national patents, some of which have been commercialized. Prof. Rim-Rukeh revealed that FUPRE has 15 centres of excellence and is committed to developing more to increase intellectual property awareness within the university community.

In a presentation titled “Intellectual Property Assets Management,” Mrs. Caroline Annie-Osuagwu, Director of the Technology Acquisition and Research Coordination (TARC) department at NOTAP, urged researchers to protect their inventions to maximize their financial benefits. She explained that intellectual property assets include patents, trademarks, copyrighted works, industrial designs, geographical indications, and trade secrets, which are strategically chosen for their business value.

The establishment of the IPTTO at FUPRE represents a significant milestone in NOTAP’s efforts to build a robust intellectual property ecosystem in Nigeria, ensuring that the nation’s knowledge institutions can contribute meaningfully to the global STI landscape.