The National Universities Commission has charged Nigerian universities to move beyond traditional academic roles and become active drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship, and societal transformation, as the body hosted an international conference on academic entrepreneurship in Abuja.

Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, Executive Secretary of the NUC, delivered the charge on Tuesday during the International Conference on Academic Entrepreneurship, Knowledge and Technology Transfer in Nigerian Universities. He was represented at the event by the Director of Research, Information and Technology, Lawal Farouk.

The conference brought together participants from universities, research institutions, development agencies, and international partners, including representatives of the University of Koblenz and the University of Erfurt in Germany.

Ribadu maintained that the measure of a modern university had shifted significantly. "Increasingly, the success of modern universities will not be measured only by the quality of teaching and research. It will also be measured by their ability to convert ideas into innovation, innovation into enterprise, and research into societal impact," he stated.

He noted that this conviction informed the development of the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards framework, which emphasises competency based and learner centred education. "The CCMAS framework seeks to equip students not only with disciplinary knowledge, but also with entrepreneurial skills, digital competencies, critical thinking, and the adaptability required in today's workplace," he said.

Ribadu stressed the need for cross sector collaboration to build functional innovation ecosystems. "Achieving this requires stronger partnerships among academia, government, industry and investors. It also requires institutional cultures that encourage creativity and reward innovation," he added.

He also described the partnership with the University of Koblenz and the University of Erfurt as a model for advancing these objectives and enhancing global competitiveness among Nigerian universities.

In a keynote address, Professor Harald Korflesch of the University of Koblenz argued that universities must professionalise academic entrepreneurship and improve the commercialisation of research. He noted that while many institutions already operate entrepreneurship programmes and incubation hubs, outcomes remained limited.

"We are very good at research and innovation, but we are not able to commercialise enough. We are not able to make much more out of the research," Korflesch remarked.

He called for structured pathways including proof of concept funding, spin off development, and stronger alumni networks, urging universities to focus on quality of delivery. "It's not about shall we do it, it is set, but how and how well we can do it," he concluded.