Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has reaffirmed its commitment to turning research into practical solutions with the presentation of patent and Research Commercialisation and Acceleration Programme (RECAP) certificates to innovators and the onboarding of over 200 researchers, lecturers, innovators and postgraduate students into a new RECAP cohort.
Organised by the University’s Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO OAU, IFE) at the ACE Design Studio on July 28, 2026, the programme equipped participants with practical knowledge on intellectual property protection, innovation management, business model development, technology transfer, digital innovation tools, industry engagement and research commercialisation.
Presenting the certificates, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, urged researchers to look beyond publications and focus on creating solutions that improve lives, create jobs and drive national development.
“Research must move beyond publications and become a tool for solving real societal challenges. Our responsibility is to ensure that knowledge generated within the university translates into innovations that improve lives, create jobs and drive national development,” he said.
The event also recognised OAU inventors whose work has progressed towards patenting and commercialisation, highlighting innovations across engineering, health sciences and applied technology.
The Director of IPTTO, Professor Grace Ogunlusi, described RECAP as another milestone in OAU’s drive to become a globally competitive research and innovation institution.
Similarly, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, Professor Akanni Akinyemi, urged researchers to embrace commercialisation as the next frontier of academic excellence.
The initiative forms part of OAU’s broader efforts to strengthen innovation, entrepreneurship and technology transfer, including the proposed ₦3 billion Innovation Hub, championed by OAU alumnus and Moniepoint Group co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Tosin Eniolorunda.
Through RECAP, the university continues to build the bridge from knowledge to innovation, innovation to enterprise and enterprise to impact.
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