TCoEFS Advances Industry Partnerships and Innovation on Day Two of Capacity Building Workshop

The second day of the Four-Day Capacity Building Workshop of the TETFund Centre of Excellence in Food Security (TCoEFS), University of Jos, held on Tuesday, 23rd September 2025, focused on deepening strategies for industry partnerships, innovation, and institutional sustainability.

The day's sessions emphasized the importance of building strategic relationships with industry stakeholders, developing income-generating ventures, and positioning TCoEFS as a hub for agricultural innovation in Nigeria.

Industry Partnership Models

Resource persons presented various models for successful university-industry collaboration, including:

• Contract research arrangements with private sector partners
• Technology transfer and licensing agreements
• Joint ventures in agricultural product development
• Consultancy services for government and NGOs
• Sponsored research chairs and endowments

Innovation and Commercialization

Participants explored pathways for translating research outputs into marketable products and services. Discussions covered intellectual property protection, startup incubation, and strategies for scaling agricultural innovations from laboratory to field implementation.

The Centre identified several research projects with commercial potential, including improved seed varieties, organic fertilizers, and livestock feed formulations that could generate revenue while serving smallholder farmers.

Capacity Building Initiatives

The day concluded with group work sessions where participants developed concrete action plans for their respective thematic areas, focusing on short-term wins that could demonstrate the Centre's value to potential partners and funding agencies.