Utomi, others harp on university- industry collaboration on research

A professor of Political Economy and entrepreneurship coach, Patrick Utomi, has harped on the need for universities to collaborate with the industries in problem-solving research that can substantially lift Nigeria and its people out of poverty.

Utomi said until such collaboration activities are  encouraged and put to practice between town and gown, it will be difficult for Nigerian economy to move forward appreciably.

He said business activities across fields of endeavours including government, require research and innovations backed up with technology and carried out in line with best global practices.

Utomi recently made this assertion as a keynote speaker at an event to reopen the Centre for Research in Enterprise and Action in Management (CREM), in Lagos.

Speaking on the theme of the event, ‘Promoting research, learning and innovation as key drivers to economic growth,’ Utomi, who is the founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership,  said every businessman and woman would always need to search for a better way of engagement in their operations so as to be able to satisfy customers and maximise profit.

He said though they may face one challenge or the other along the line, all they need to do is to invest in evidence-based research and be more innovative.

He commended CREM for contributing significantly to knowledge acquisition, research and training of human capital among others within four years of establishment, saying the efforts are already yielding  results.

In his opening remark earlier, the chairman of CREM,  Dr Godwin Nwabunka, said Nigeria is a large market with many business opportunities but only those with entrepreneurial and creative spirit can provide products and services capable of satisfying people’s needs that can utilise the opportunities to maximise profit and better the society.

He said a good research is what will generate right information, data, evidence that are needed either to start a new business or to grow and develop the existing ones irrespective of size: micro, small, medium or large scale in both the public and private sectors.

He said most times funding is not actually the problem of growing business but  lack of knowledge and foresight to provide right products and services that meet people’s satisfaction.

In his own presentation, the Chief Operating Officer of CREM, Mr Clifford Onyeike, said the company would continue to contribute to evidence-based research and development as well as training of human capital, among others.

He said CREM organised the roundtable discuss at the relaunch event for participants to share knowledge and experiences that can help grow and develop businesses or organisations in the country.