Accra, Dec. 3, GNA- The second edition of the Africa Research and Innovation Commercialisation Summit takes place from March 13-14, 2025, in Accra.
The two-day summit would be on the theme: “From labs to market: Scaling Industry Uptake of Innovation and Research Outcomes.”
The event is organised by the Research and Web 3.0 company Heritors Labs Limited, in collaboration with its funding partner RISA Fund and other collaborators.
The flagship summit will gather the continent’s leading researchers, innovators, top-level government officials, and the private business community.
It will deliberate and share ideas and solutions that move research outcomes and innovations from the lab to markets across the continent and beyond.
Mr Derrydean Dadzie, the Chief Executive Officer of Heritors Labs, speaking at the launch of the event, indicated that ARICS seeks to build actionable pathways to transform African research into solutions that drive growth of the continent and bring better living to its people.
“ARICS 2025 is a catalyst for meaningful change, and our goal is to awaken the sleeping giants in Africa’s industry and bring to limelight the critical role that they play in stimulating the adoption and uptake of research and innovation outcomes across the continent,” he said.
Mr Dadzie said that the theme emphasised the practical steps needed to commercialise African research outcomes and innovations.
“We have the power to turn research outcomes into agents of growth and prosperity; we need not relent on but rather push through with all hands on deck.
“It’s only when industry steps into its pivotal role that they can unlock the great potential within our research and innovation value chains,” he said.
Professor Marian Quain, the Deputy Director-General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, noted that ARICS 2025 would be a platform to showcase home-grown research products and innovations and rallied stakeholder support for the summit.
She noted: “As Africans, we have come to the point where we have to take our destiny in our own hands; we are more than capable of producing to feed the continent, and that’s the very essence of the upcoming ARICS 2025.”
“In ARICS, we want our research and innovations to be commercialised, we want to feed ourselves, and we want to export to grow our economy,” he said.
Mr Wisdom Adongo, Senior Programme Officer, Private Enterprise Federation, reaffirmed the critical role of industry in facilitating commercial uptake of research and innovation.
He said African governments must work with researchers and the private sector to roll out practical homegrown solutions to Africa’s problems, emphasising that ARICS would be a stepping stone to push that agenda.
“Industry is a key player in research, and with this summit we can change the narrative regarding private sector uptake of research outcomes.
“We can only take full advantage of the single continental market with innovative and tradable commodities through productive research,” he stressed.
Mr Johnson Singir, Science and Innovation Network Manager for the FCDO in Ghana, underscored the commitment of the UK government to harness the power of research and innovation to tackle pressing challenges on the continent.
“By bringing together researchers, innovators, policymakers, and industry keepers, the summit will provide an avenue for collaboration and exchange of ideas that paves the way for research and innovation advancements that can drive socio-economic growth,” he added.
GNA