CSIR-INSTI seeks partnerships to commercialise technological innovations

The Institute for Scientific and Technological Information of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-INSTI) is seeking partnership with other institutions to adopt and commercialise some of its technological innovations.

It says such partnerships should translate into managing the innovations to boost socio-economic development.

“We are looking for people who would want to come pick up the research products and prototypes and commercialise them. Then some royalties could probably be paid to CSIR,” Mr Michael Wilson, the Chief Technician at the Electronics and Communications Division of INSTI, has said.

Mr Wilson said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the side-lines of the INSTI Open Day on Thursday as part of activities marking the 60th Anniversary celebrations of the CSIR.

It was on the theme: “Leveraging on Technology for Effective Scientific Research”.

He said most of the technological apps developed by INSTI were still being kept under cover.

Finances and strategic partnerships were, therefore, needed to ensure the operationalisation of such innovation to benefit the people, he said.

Mr Wilson said: “It is proper that we build local solutions in this information age, as information has become the most precious commodity. If we want to make money as a nation then we need to gather our own information and use it.”

“If we have our own apps then they can gather information, which will make decision-making easy for a smarter Ghana”.

Mr Wilson said solutions provided by google and Uber among others build on the taste of foreign products adding that INSTI was in to work to provide technology for industry and boost electronics and communications solution for Ghana.

He indicated that officials were working hard to come out with more innovations, in addition to their core mandate of processing, repacking and disseminating scientific and technological information to research scientists and the general public.

“The CSIR-INSTI is bracing itself to move away from its traditional printing and publishing to digitisation through the translation of research papers and science journals into electronic versions, and possibly commercialise it to our clients,” he said.

The Institute had already developed the Tourism and the Kwanso mobile application apps that were giving directions and boosting tourism.

The Kwanso app displays traffic conditions in real time on major roads and highways within Accra.

The Tourism app provide up-to-date information on Ghana’s tourism attractions sites.

Mrs Lucy Dzandu, the Acting Director of CSIR-INSTI, said the changing trends in technology had made INSTI to diversify its operations and looking into other areas such as electronics, communications and fluid science.

“Through the 60th Anniversary celebrations, all efforts are being made to ensure that CSIR and its 13 Institutes are made visible to the entire country and even beyond.

“Our activities as an institute will contribute tremendously to national development and help to achieve the Ghana beyond Aid agenda,” she noted.

The theme for the celebration is “CSIR-60 Years of Research with Impact for Sustainable Development.”