Valorising Research Results: Giving Meaning To Innovation

Cameroon hopes to attain the status of an emergent country by 2035. As the build up to this economic aspiration, the country is currently implementing the National Development Strategy 2020-2030 which is government’s blueprint as far as enhancing growth in all facets is concerned. To achieve the objectives of national development strategy, scientific research and innovation has a preponderant role to play.  In cognizant to the indispensable role of research and innovation, the President of the Republic has, in the past few years shown considerable attention to the sub-sector. In 2023, a Presidential Decree No.2023/337 of 8 August 2023 to lay down special rules and regulations governing research personnel signalled a new dawn. The decree outlined the rights and responsibilities, research procedures and remuneration of researchers. It also increased the hitherto early retirement age for researchers from 55 to 65 years in a bid to accord them ample time to contribute to national development. As a follow-up to the 2023 decree, President Paul Biya last week signed another decree fixing the remunerations for various categories of researchers in the country. Also, the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms which is in charge of government recruitments launched the recruitment of some 102 researchers into the public service to serve in the different research institutions in the country. These actions taken recently by the powers that be are obvious indications that the government attaches significant importance to the subsector. 
However, the million-dollar question lingering on many lips is how research results are valorised to advance the Cameroonian society.  This is a legitimate worry of many citizens who do not seem to feel or see the impact of research results in their daily lives. Cameroon counts some eight specialized research institutions with over 2,000 researchers. A lot of research activities are also carried out in the State as well as private universities across the country but little seem to be filtering out of the laboratories for the common man to feel the impact in their day-to-day lives. 
Cameroonian researchers have over the past years produced fascinating research results, which unfortunately, mostly end in the drawers. Cameroon needs growth in every domain of national life and research carried out in the various sectors could just be the springboard to leap frog positive change as researchers create new knowledge, products, research processes, methods to solve contemporary problems and develop humanity. 
At a time the government is trumpeting calls for import-substitution policy, research in domains like agriculture, industry, processing, technology, among others, could strengthen government resolve to curb importation by developing new products and enhancing the Made-in Cameroon brand. 
But come to think of it, research results must not be valorised by the researchers themselves. It involves a multi-dimensional action by different stakeholders. It is therefore incumbent on different stakeholders, both public and private, to take advantage of such thrilling research results in domains that concern them to give it meaning. For example, the Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plant Studies plays a crucial role in Cameroon’s medical field. Its main objective is to improve health conditions through better knowledge of pathological, epidemiological, preventive therapeutic and nutrition aspects of populations. It executes programmes in medicinal disciplines through its three centres including that of medicinal plants and traditional medicines. Its wide range research results on traditional medicinal plants which could be transformed into a giant pharmaceutical industry. It should be noted that Cameroon largely imports essential drugs while research results on medicinal plants are lying fallow in the research centres. Private sector investors could seize the advantage to implant a lucrative pharmaceutical industry which will process the rich Cameroonian flora into essential drugs.
Also, the Institute of Agricultural Research and Development, IRAD, has researched on a wide variety of high yielding and pest-resistant crops like rice. Unfortunately, the vulgarization of these results remains a far-fetched dream, yet, rice is Cameroon’s leading imported food commodity.
With this missing nexus between research results and valorisation of innovations, the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation in 2022 chose as theme for the Scientific Year “Scientific Research-Innovation and SND30: Need for Capacity Building for Structural Transformation of Cameroon’s Socio-economic Landscape.” The theme was to invigorate researchers to intensify research and...