Research institutes must work as commercial entities – Minister

Research institutes under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are to be weaned-off government’s subvention, Dr Joe Oteng-Agyei, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), has announced.

He has, therefore, asked them to design innovative and market-oriented strategies to commercialize their activities to achieve financial autonomy within the next three years.

The Minister said it was time they changed their thinking, worked as commercial entities and translated research knowledge and findings into tangible financial benefits instead of keeping them in books and shelves.

Dr Oteng-Agyei, who was addressing a staff durbar as part of a working visit to the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) at Fumesua near Kumasi, said there was no doubt that this would enable them to pay their employees and run their activities independent of government subvention and other financial aids.

“Government expects the output of research institutes to be available to the public for adoption and financial benefits”, he added.

The Minister encouraged the institutes to partner the private sector to propagate their activities and market their findings.

He expressed the government’s readiness to support them with the needed equipment and logistics to help them generate their own revenue.

The goal was to make science and technology the driving force behind the country’s economy within the shortest possible time.

Dr Victor Agyeman, Director of FORIG, said they had accepted the challenge and already into partnership with the private sector to commercialize some of their work.

Source: GNA