PETAN Chairman, Mr. Nicolas Odinuwe has said that for sustainable research and development in the oil and gas industry, there must be sustainable collaboration among stakeholders which will lead to equitable utilisation of scarce resources, avoidance of repetition, ensure local/national standardization and ensure quality of products and outcomes of R&D projects.Mr. Nik Odinuwe was giving his remarks at the second R&D Fair and Conference of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) which held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State earlier today, themed ‘Creating Sustainable Collaboration In Research & Development for the Energy Industry with its Linkage Sectors.Mr. Odinuwe commended the NCDMB for earmarking $50Million for the Research & Development Innovatoon & Incubation Centre on the heel of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in a period of ongoing energy transition that poses serious questions about the survival of the oil and gas industry.

He said that consequently, PETAN, including other Nigerian service companies, is ready and willing to partner with the NCDMB, PTDF, DPR, OPTS, NOCs and other relevant stakeholders for a sustainable collaboration in R&D for the Energy sector. “Most of PETAN’s over 200 member companies that cut across the entire value chain of the industry are involved in various R&D projects”.

He added that it left much to be desired that in the past, most discussions and funding were around creating an R&D Centre of Excellence which bore the TETFUND, which is still at teething stage and not specifically targeted at the oil and gas industry but thanks to the NCDMB’s Technology Innovation & Incubation Centre, the enabling environment needed for R&D to thrive in the Nigerian oil and gas industry will be established to create an integrated R&D database from research institutions as well as to serve as a one-stop centre for oil and gas R&D information bank.

He charged government at all levels to commit to leading Research, Development & Innovation funding and developing strong institutions while enabling workable Science & Technology and innovative policies to bolster and diversify the Nigerian economy. He added that the private sector and service companies should be encouraged to include investment in R&B as an integral part of its programs while striving to access the R&D funds and benefits of the NCDMB Innovation & Incubation Centre.