The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), was established by Decree No. 70 of 1979, amended by Decree No. 82 of 1992 now referred to as NOTAP Act Cap N68 LFN 2004. NOTAP is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST). It is structured into six main departments:
- Corporate planning Department
- Human Resources and Finance Department
- Consultancy Services Department (CS)
- Technology Acquisition and Research Coordination (TARC) Department
- Technology Innovation and Commercialization (TIC)
- Technology Transfer Registration (TTR)
At the apex of the Organization is the Director General assisted by six Directors heading each of the six departments. The NOTAP Charter, contains the vision, mission and details of the Office functions and activities. It also provides information on its clients and statement of services.
Vision
To move Nigeria from the periphery to the dominant centre of global industrual power structure within the shortest possible time and make her a major global power house of the 21st Century through an efficient Technology Acquisition Strategy and a vibrant innovation and R&D commercialization programme.
Mission
To ensure the acceleration of Nigeria’s drive towards a rapid technological revolution by an efficient acquisition/absorption of foreign technology and a concerted development of indigenous technological capability through a proactive promotion of innovation and commercialisation of technology.
Functions
- Encouragement of a more efficient process for the identification and selection of foreign technology;
- Development of the negotiating skills of Nigerians with a view to ensuring the acquirement of the best contractual terms and conditions by Nigerian parties entering into any contract or agreement for the transfer of foreign technology;
- Provision of a more efficient process for the adaptation of imported technology;
- Registration of all contracts or agreements having effect in Nigeria for the transfer of foreign technology to Nigerian parties. Every such contract or agreement shall be so registrable if its purpose or intent is in the opinion of NOTAP, wholly or partially for or in connection with any of the following purposes, that is to say –
- the use of trademarks,
- the right to use patented inventions,
- the supply of technical expertise in the form of the preparation of plans, diagrams, operating manuals or any other form of technical assistance of any description whatsoever,
- the supply of basic or detailed engineering,
- the supply of machinery and plant, and
- the provision of operation staff or managerial assistance and the training of personnel; and
- Monitoring, on a continuous basis, of the execution of any contracts or agreements registered by NOTAP.
- Commercialization of viable R&D results emanating from both private and public research institutions .
- Promotion of intellectual property rights and encouragement of innovation among Nigerian scientists, researchers and inventors.
- Establishment of network of linkages among researchers, inventors, industry and research institutions.
Activities
- Facilitating the transfer of foreign technology.
- Registration of technology transfer agreements/contracts.
- Monitoring of technology transfer agreements/contracts.
- Establishing relationship with national agencies, research and development institutions etc for focused activities on priority areas of domestic technological needs.
- Linkages between and among research institutions, industry and venture capitalists, financial institutions, Governments (Local, State and Federal) and NGOs.
- Collation and preparation of compendium of R&D results emanating from the nation’s research institutions, universities, polytechnics, and colleges of technology.
- Evaluation and assessment of data gathered from the various research institutions nationwide.
- Sectoral analysis of registered technology agreements to monitor technology trends in the country.
- Publication of project profiles for the promotion and establishment of industrial ventures and SMEs.
- Consultancy services on investment and selection of process technologies.
- Promoting the establishment of SMEs through the exploitation of locally motivated technologies.
- Preparation of feasibility studies on selected viable research results;
- Promotion of viable R&D results and inventions at trade fairs, techmarts, etc. at both National and International levels.
- Commercialization of viable R&D results and inventions.
- Promotion of innovation, patenting, intellectual property rights (IPR) and related matters through workshops, seminars, and awareness building programmes.
Clients
NOTAP renders services to clients both in the private and public sectors. These include Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) research institutions and private laboratories, Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology as well as individual researchers all over the country.
Services
- Evaluation/Registration of Technology Transfer Agreements.
- Developing the negotiating capabilities of Nigerian entrepreneurs,
- Monitoring of the implementation of Technology Transfer Agreements.
- Commercialization of research results/inventions.
- Provision of state-of-the-art information on specific field of technology and searches through the Patent Information and Documentation Center (PIDC)
- Promotion of innovations and inventions.
- Patent information and documentation services.
- Production of industrial business project profiles.
- Monitoring of technology trends and extension services.
- Dissemination of technology information in Patent documents to researchers, inventors in the public and private sector organizations and promotion of intellectual property rights
- Sensitization and Awareness Building Programme on the importance of intellectual property rights and the promotion of patent culture in Nigeria
- Organization of seminars, workshops and techmarts for capacity building
- Rendering of technology advisory services to support Nigerian entrepreneurs in the assimilation, absorption and adaptation of foreign technologies.
- Assisting in the patenting of R&D results and inventions from Research Institutions at the Nigerian Patent Registry and other Patent Registries worldwide.
- Linkages with research institutions and industry for joint research
- Conducting technology survey on market needs for new products and processes, and channeling same to (R&D) institutions to promote market- driven research.
- Providing consultancy services to entrepreneurs for the development of R&D results into commercializable products.
Standards
NOTAP provides excellent services on technology, intellectual property and franchise matters.
Quality
NOTAP is committed to rendering quality service to all clients by ensuring the highest standards and ethics.
Time frame
All services are handled promptly.
Grievance Redress Mechanisms and how to access it
- Any person aggrieved by the proposal of the Director General to reject an application for registration of technology transfer agreements may, within 60 days after the date of notice of intention to reject application is given to him, lodge with the Secretary, a notice of appeal to the Council.
- The notice of appeal shall be in writing setting out the grounds on which it is made and the Secretary shall lay it before the meeting of the Council next holding after the notice of appeal was lodged with him.
- Where an appeal is allowed the Council shall cause the Director General to issue a certificate of registration in that behalf and where an appeal is disallowed the aggrieved party shall, subject to the applicable rules of court have a right to further appeal to the Federal Revenue Court.
- Appeals shall lie from decisions of the Federal Revenue Court under this section in the same manner and to the same extent as appeals from the decisions of the Court in civil proceedings given by that Court sitting at first instance.
- Any person aggrieved by the disclosure of secret information provided to NOTAP in respect of its activities could enforce his rights in the court of law
- As regards commercialization of research results and industry/ research institutes linkages, agreement between parties will incorporate an arbitration clause which will provide grievance resolution mechanism.
Expectations from the Clients
The expectations from clients vary according to the services rendered to them.
- In the area of registration and monitoring of the technology transfer agreements, technology recipients are expected to submit the draft of the technology agreements, other appropriate documents specified it the application forms, fees and the completed application forms for processing. All required information should be furnished in accordance with the published guidelines. The company must be accessible to NOTAP for monitoring.
- In the area of Commercialization of R&D results, innovations and inventions, researchers and innovators/inventors are expected to submit a well-packaged feasibility report of their project. Innovators/inventors are encouraged to develop proto-types of their technologies to facilitate the assessment of the technical and economic viability of the projects.
- The commercialization of R&D results involve three parties viz.: The Researcher/Inventor, the Investor and NOTAP
- The Researcher/Inventor is expected to complete the NOTAP Questionnaire on R&D results and provide brief profile on the invention.
- The investor will be required to either purchase the established pilot plant or jointly sponsor the establishment of the industrial plant based on the R&D result.
- NOTAP is to undertake thorough assessment of the R&D result and develop/promote the result.
- In the area of Consultancy and Extension Services, companies are expected to provide adequate and correct information on their problems to enable NOTAP articulate and provide necessary solutions.