It is vital for the country to ensure that innovations de­veloped through academic research are not confined in laboratories and universities but are commercialised to impact lives and help create jobs, the Minister of Environment, Sci­ence, and Technology, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, has said.Dr Muhammad said this in a keynote address at the opening of the Biannual Environment, Science, and Technology (BEST) forum held in Accra on Tuesday on the theme, "Bridging the gap to improve Ghana's Research and Innovation Commercialisation Ecosystem for Economic Development."He said, "Our innovation and research sector have not yet reached their full potential.

We have bril­liant minds in our universities and research institutions, yet too often, their ground breaking works remain confined to academic papers and laboratories rather than transform­ing them into vibrant products and services that can uplift our econo­my.""We must propel our research and innovation into the market place where they can create jobs, stimulate growth, and improve the quality of life of our people," Dr Muhammed emphasised.Furthermore, he said the collaboration between key stake­holders, including the government, academia, industries, and research institutions, through public-private partnership (PPP), was key to mak­ing research and innovation com­mercially and financially visible."The partnership is essential to drive innovation forward.

We must establish networks that connect academia with industry, ensur­ing that our brightest minds are working hand-in-hand with those who can bring their ideas to life.

By facilitating these connections, we can create a robust ecosystem where innovation thrives," Dr Muhammad said.Dr Muhammad also called for adequate investment in human cap­ital and resource through training programmes and workshops on entrepreneurship and commer­cialisation strategies to harness the full potential of researchers and innovators.He explained that competing policy decisions was a challenge for politicians in relation to the in­vestment in research and the basic needs of the citizenry."There is always competing policy decisions to make between investing in research, which is good in the future, or investing in the basic needs of the people, shelter, health, accommodation, and water.