By Muktar Tahir – The Research and Development Standing Committee, RDSC, of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, has brought to an end its 2021 session with poise to continue delivering on its mandates in 2022.
The session was brought to an end during an enlarged virtual plenary monitored by DAILY NIGERIAN in Abuja.
During the plenary, leaders or representatives of each of the 13 Thematic Groups, which make up the RDSC, took turns reviewing their activities in 2021.
The Thematic Groups include Agriculture, Environment and Bioresources, Medicine, Energy, Infrastructural Development, Education Pharmaceuticals, and Digital Economy.
Other Thematic Groups include Petroleum, Fossils Resources Solid Mineral and Mining; Defence and Military; Governance, Social Development, and Internal Security; Industrialisation, Manufacturing, Trade, Investments and Economy; and Engineering, Technology and Material Science Development.
In his remark, the Chairman of RDSC, Prof. N. M Gadzama said the Committee, through its various Thematic Groups, has placed Nigeria on the path of “global competitiveness in product development and service delivery by leveraging innovation systems led by R&D”, which is the core mandate of the RDSC.
He said the successes recorded were as a result of the adoption of triple helix model of innovation refers to a set of interactions between academia, industry and government, to foster economic and social development.
According to him, “in no distant time, the ordinary Nigerian will begin to feel the impact of the wonderful works the RDSC have been doing.”
Unveiling RDSC’s programmes for 2022, its Technical Coordinator, Mustapha Popoola said the committee will hold its first session on January 18, 2022 and hold the last one on July 19.
RDSC, according to Mr. Popoola, “will use 2022 to activate people-centric Triple Helix Model using diplomacy and advocacy; mainstream the reports into regional, national and global development agenda; development of partnership with the upcoming National Research Development Fund; translation of mapped strategic alliance to productive alliance; and sound-boxing adaptive metrics for monitoring, evaluation and learning of research, innovation, development and enterprise activities for NRDF.”
