PIC reveals 25 winners of R&D Project Proposals on Delta-2 programme
As a direct intervention fund to boost research and development-based economic activities in Nigeria, leading to commercially viable businesses, the partnership between the Czech Republic and Nigeria is yielding N9 billion direct support for 25 Nigerian registered companies to start off in the country under the Delta-2 programme.
This was disclosed by the Chairman, Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on Technology Transfer between Nigeria and Czech Republic, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru.
The official announcement of results of successful top 25 applicants (five on waiting list), under the Delta-2 Programme, Czech-Nigeria Bilateral Co-Funding R&Ds for year 2023, was held, yesterday, at the Technology Orientation Centre (TOC), NASENI Headquarters, Abuja.
At the event, Dahiru disclosed that the 25 companies that scaled evaluation process of the assessment committee criteria will receive funding from the Czech Republic-Nigeria Co-funding R&Ds project next year, 2023.
The Czech Republic government is supporting Nigeria’s technology-based enterprises with $10 million (N4.5 billion equivalent), alongside a match-up fund of the same amount already approved by the Federal Government, through the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
In his opening remarks, the Co-Chair of the PIC and Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, who joined the event via Zoom, said the evaluation of the proposal was carried out diligently by members of the assessment committee, under the auspices of the PIC.
The members were selected from Nigeria Academy of Science, Nigeria Academy of Engineering (as research experts) and the Nigeria-Czech Republic Trade and Investment Council (as business experts).
According to Haruna, “the process was well articulated, transparent and well-coordinated by experts in both fields of research and business, and ably assisted by the PIC Secretariat.”
Speaking further, the NASENI EVC/CE said: “To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time in the history of Nigeria that private sector, academia and the public sector are collaborating to jointly submit research and development proposals with work plans for commercialisation and mass production from the onset, backed by business plans.”
The NASENI boss, however, affirmed: “This cooperation between Nigeria and the Czech Republic and the collaboration between NASENI and TA CR is teaching us methods of deploying applied research and the best option to forge marriage between private sector, academia and the government, otherwise known as the Triple Helix.”
It will be recalled that PIC announced the Call for Proposals for Joint R&D Projects under coordination of the TA CR and the NASENI for the Delta-2 Programme in May 2022.
Following the call, 285 proposals were received, from which 117 were admitted into the evaluation and scoring process by the coordinating committee, based on the eligibility criteria, which included usefulness of the project and its contribution to fulfilling the goals of the three priority areas: Agriculture and Food Technology, Mining and Industrial Development, and General Manufacturing for SMEs Development.
