ABUJA – The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) is partnering the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) on its telemedicine project and the promotion of space technology applications.
Dr Umar Bindir, the Director-General of NOTAP, made the remark when he paid a courtesy visit to the Director-General of NASRDA, Prof. Seidu Mohammed, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Bindir described the agency’s telemedicine project as a national project and added that NOTAP would work with NASRDA to ensure that the project was fully accomplished.
He said that the agency would do this by involving relevant stakeholders, such as the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company to produce buses to run the telemedicine mobile clinic.
“Again we are going to involve in this project all the non-governmental organisations, such as the Computer Warehouse Group, Champs and others involved in software production.
“This is to ensure that we have the people who are coding the software.
“We are also going to involve the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and other agencies who are going to produce the hardware and hopefully come up with a model that is globally acceptable,’’ Bindir said.
The NOTAP director-general explained that the office would collaborate with NASRDA in the promotion of space technology applications to boost its impact on the development of Nigerians and the economy. [eap_ad_1] Other areas of collaboration include drafting of an Intellectual Property Policy that can motivate researchers to conduct applicable researches and engender their linkage with industries, he said.
“We are going to establish one NOTAP’s Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO) in the NASRDA complex to provide the platform for refining their technology outputs and linkage with industry.
“We are also going to work with NASRDA on its commercialisation programmes in the drive to move the agency’s output to relevant industries as well as generate technology that will boost the nation’s internally generated revenue,’’ he said.
In his response, Mohamed said the agency invited the NOTAP boss to seek his advice on issues related to intellectual property and other areas that could promote space technology.
“This partnership is relevant, particularly now that we are talking about partnership with the private sector and how to come up with a good roadmap for that, so that space can impact on the community.
“ I believe that we can work together for the benefit of our people and the country,’’ he said.
Seidu described the agency’s telemedicine project as one of the best and the cheapest way to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, especially in the area of health services.
He said that the agency’s telemedicine project would provide hospitals the platform to seek attention of the best medical experts across the globe at cheaper rates within 24 hours without the need to travel abroad.
“We believe that if the technology is properly handled it can be cheap enough for even the local councils to use in making health facilities available in knocks and crannies of this country,’’ he said.
He explained that it was the wish of the agency to work with other stakeholders in the health sector to jointly have a policy on the project. (NAN)
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