Nigeria, Czech Republic launch $16.2m R&D project

Nigeria and Czech Republic yesterday in Abuja flagged off the $16.2m bilateral co-funding Research and Development project on Delta-2 Programme.

Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Engr Mohammed Sani Haruna, said the programme was part of the economic diversification priority of both countries.

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According to Haruna, Delta-2 Programme is the cooperation model of the Technology Agency of Czech Republic (TACR), running for the period from 2020-2025, through which TA CR sponsors applied research and innovation of manufacturing companies and innovative institutions.

He noted that the Call for Public Proposal for the Delta-2 programme is one of the projects to be implemented under the MoU between both countries.

NASENI and TACR, had, in 2014 in Prague, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, on critical areas of technology transfer and innovations resulting in the co-funding of Czech-Nigeria Bilateral Research and Development Project on Delta-2 Programme.

He stated: ‘’The priority areas of the MoU which includes biotechnology and pharmaceutical research, agricultural and food technology, mining and industrial development, among others, were unable to take off earlier due to bureaucracy until the Presidential Implementation Committee (PICTT) on Technology Transfer/Information Exchange between Nigeria and Czech Republic, PICTT was inaugurated by President Muhammed Buhari in November 2020.

“The PICTT would be sourcing technologies from the Czech Republic’s manufacturing companies; tertiary; research; and development institutions. The sum of CZK 250m (250m Czech Koruna, approximately $10.5m) has been a allocated as research fund by the government of the Czech Republic, through the TACR and will be supplemented by NASENI on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the sum of 2,000,000,000 or $5.7m.

‘’The Delta-2 Programme is uniquely designed to catalyze technology transfer and mobilize positive interventions and investments among private sectors and relevant stakeholders in Nigeria and Czech Republic for technology advancement. The project seeks to mobilize investments to help developing countries like Nigeria meet their needs for environmentally sound technology”.