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UCC Cowpea Gets Approval from NVRRC

24 Sep, 2018 By louis Mensah

The National Varietal Release and Registration Council (NVRRC) of the Ministry of Agriculture has approved four new varieties of cowpea developed by a team of researchers from the University of Cape Coast.

The four new varieties are climate resilient and high yielding cowpea genotypes adaptable to the coastal savannah areas in Ghana and will boost high production in the three regions in Northern Ghana where Striga infestation and drought are major challenges to farmers.

According to the Principal Investigator of the project, Professor Aaron T. Asare, who is a Plant Biotechnologist, the approval of the four newly developed varieties was welcoming and would contribute towards ensuring food security and poverty reduction which is in line with government’s  ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ initiative.  

The rationale behind the Release of  New Varieties of Cowpea

Prof. Asare explained that the team was motivated to develop and select Striga, rust, viral and drought resistant as well as high yielding and early maturing cowpea genotype for farmer cultivation in wider agro-ecological zones in Ghana to meet consumer needs. He said cowpea production in the country was very low in spite of the high consumption of the crop. He indicated that the nutritional value of the cowpea crop was comparatively very healthy adding that, “Cowpea is consumed in most homes in Ghana and it is common to find people patronising waakye or gari and beans”

Characteristics of the Newly Developed Cowpea

Prof. Asare said the new varieties have a short maturity period and they could be cultivated at least two times in a year. He explained that in terms of climate and land, Ghana had the right climatic condition and adequate land for the cultivation of cowpea to meet the demands of the nation and also for export. “Ghana has a wide range of agro-ecological zone, which has not been exploited for cowpea production. Given the needed support, the University of Cape Coast through this project can help the nation produce enough cowpea throughout the year,” he stated.

First Stage of Approval

The approval by NVRRC forms the first stage of the processes leading to the official release of the cowpea to Ghanaian farmers. The NVRRC is the authority responsible for approving the official release of new crop varieties in Ghana based on laid down procedures.

After the first stage of the process which involved the inspection of the newly developed varieties of the cowpea, the committee was happy about the nutritional value and resistance to drought, Striga, rust, and other viruses. As part of the process, the newly developed varieties which are more drought and disease resilient and high yielding would be certified by the National Seed Council (NSC) before being released to seed production companies for onward distribution to farmers in Ghana.

Recommendations By NVRRC

The leader of the NVRRC, Prof. Richard Akromah, said they have recommended to the UCC team of researchers to multiply the seeds and make them available to the farmers since they were the ultimate beneficiaries. He also entreated them to develop a production guide to help farmers and users about the agronomic practices so as to achieve maximum benefits.

UCC Cowpea Project

The UCC Cowpea Project is funded by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). It is being piloted in some communities in the Central and Upper East regions of Ghana. The project is being carried out in collaboration with the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) and Plant Genetic Resources Research Institutes (PGRRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the University of Virginia, USA.

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This Policy shall come into effect after it has received approval from the Council of the University of Cape Coast and gazetted by the Registrar of the University.

All agreements concluded by the University and the Researchers/Inventors/Innovators/Creators at an earlier time shall be governed by the provisions of the Policy in effect at the time of the signing of such contracts.

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The University shall only enter into a research contract or other binding commitment to perform work that can reasonably be expected to be publishable, provide educational opportunities, and/or be in the public interest.

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The faculty shall not undertake research in which the sponsor:

  1. Prohibits the Researcher/Inventor/Innovator/Creator from disclosing the existence of the agreement; or
  2. Restricts the Researcher/Inventor/Innovator/Creator’s public disclosure of information developed by that faculty member.

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In the event that an Inventor has a grievance about the University’s handling of his/her Intellectual Property, he/she may

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  2. appeal to the Office of the Vice Chancellor, in the event when the complainant is still dissatisfied.

  3. refer the matter to the University Council, if the grievance remains unresolved.

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In the first instance, disputes shall be dealt with by the person or body designated by the University. A decision shall be taken within 14 days from the submission of the concern. Over and beyond the above, with respect to any legal dispute arising in connection with the rules of this Policy, the relevant provisions of law shall be applicable.

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The University provides an incentive to Inventor(s) by distributing revenue generated from the commercialisation of the Intellectual Property.

The expression ‘Net income’ shall mean all license fees, royalties and any other monies received by the University, arising from the commercialisation of Intellectual Property less all the expenses incurred in connection with the protection and commercialisation of the Intellectual Property at the University.

The principle of sharing revenues should be defined by the University, taking into account all the stakeholders with whom the university’s income shall be shared, as well as general economic factors. It is a general principle that the University’s share increases as the net income increases. The share of revenues from net income shall be shared equally between the Inventor and the University.

In cases where there is more than one Inventor, the Inventor’s share is divided between the Inventors in a proportion which reflects their respective contributions as provided in the signed Invention Disclosure Form.

In certain cases, the University reserves its right to negotiate special terms concerning revenue distribution, in particular when income is generated through sale of shares or payment of the dividend of shares in cases where shares have been allocated to the University in an entity to which the Intellectual Property is licensed or assigned but which is not a spin-off enterprise.

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The person designated by the University shall maintain accounting records on each Intellectual Property. He or she shall ensure that the Intellectual Property is recorded in the accounting records, any costs incurred are paid in due course and that the revenues from exploitation are distributed.

The University encourages its Researchers to identify research results with potential commercialisation value and which may enhance the reputation of the University through bringing them to public use and benefit.

The person or unit designated by the University is responsible for the protection and commercialisation of the University’s Intellectual Property. The Inventor(s), however, shall be consulted in each phase of the procedure.

Researchers/Inventors/Innovators/Creators, whose work is covered by an IP agreement, shall be required to present in writing the draft publications containing scientific results to the person or Unit designated by the University before publishing them, and shall state in writing that, to the best of their knowledge such works do not contain any results for which protection may be obtained or which can be exploited in any way.

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Copyrighted Works shall be excluded from the disclosing obligation set out in Paragraph 8.3., except for those which were developed in the performance of a sponsored research or other third party agreement.

Since protection and successful commercialisation of every invention, innovation or creativity will depend on its prompt registration as Intellectual Property Right at the appropriate Intellectual Property Rights office(s), Researchers/Inventors/Innovators/Creators are required to disclose all potentially exploitable Intellectual Property Rights as soon as they become aware of them. The disclosure must be made in writing by completing the Intellectual Property Disclosure Form available from the person or unit designated by the University.

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After full disclosure of all relevant information, the person or unit designated by the University shall record all creations and innovations which are potential Intellectual Property Rights in its register. When such innovations and creations are finally registered as Intellectual Property Rights, the same designated unit by the University shall record them in a register of Intellectual Property Rights.

The person or unit designated by the University shall determine whether any agreements provide for the sharing of IP Rights or other obligations override those set out in this Policy. Provisions of related Research Agreements may require the assignment of certain IP rights in full or in part. In case of assignment, the procedure for protection and commercialisation shall be governed by a separate agreement concluded between the University and other concerned parties. In all other cases, the procedure set out in this Policy shall apply.

The person or unit designated by the University shall notify the relevant Head of Department, within thirty 30 days, about all disclosures. The notification involves a short abstract of the potential Intellectual Property Rights and the name of the Inventor(s).

After the date of disclosure, the person or unit designated by the University shall immediately commence the evaluation of the innovation and creation regarding its potential registration as Intellectual Property Rights in conjunction with an Intellectual Property expert or an Intellectual Property office. Based on the results of the pre-evaluation, a recommendation on whether to register the innovation and creation as Intellectual Property Rights shall be forwarded to the person or Unit taking the final decision on behalf of the University. Such a recommendation shall be forwarded within 14 days from the date of disclosure.

The final decision shall be taken within 21 days from the date of disclosure.

The Inventor(s) shall be informed of the decision within 30 days from the date of decision in writing. If the University decides not to register the innovations and creations as Intellectual Property Rights and to exploit and commercialise them, then the provisions of Paragraph 6.6 shall apply.

The person or unit shall carry out a complete evaluation of every registered Intellectual Property Rights designated by the University shall carry out a complete evaluation of the Intellectual Property with particular attention on possible methods of the protection of the Intellectual Property and its business opportunities.

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The person or Unit designated by the University shall, within reasonable time not exceeding 30 days, commence the process for acquiring legal protection, if needed, and shall proceed with all due diligence to obtain protection. Public disclosure of research results made before obtaining the right of priority concerning a specific Intellectual Property application, highly jeopardise the proper protection of the related IP Rights. Therefore, Inventor(s) are requested to avoid any public disclosure of research results prior to filing such applications. The University shall endeavour to avoid undue delays in publications.

The person or Unit designated by the University and the Inventor(s) shall jointly determine an appropriate commercialisation strategy as part of the evaluation process within one month from the date of University’s decision. The strategy will outline the tasks of each concerned party in the commercialisation process and establish deadlines for the specific actions.

The person or Unit designated by the University shall be responsible to carry out the commercialisation plan and it shall submit specific proposals, such as draft agreements or business plans, to the person or Unit appointed by the University for decision.

Commercial decisions, such as the ones concerning the terms of an assignment/licensing agreement or establishment of a spin-off enterprise, shall be taken on a case-by-case basis by the person or Unit designated by the University, giving due consideration to all circumstances.

The University may decide not to apply for the registration of innovations and creations as Intellectual Property Rights or it may withdraw a pending application, if it is more appropriate for the purposes of commercialisation to treat the potential and relevant Intellectual Property Rights as confidential know how, secret etc.

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Intellectual Property that do not fall within the scope of Section 6 may also be disclosed to the University by Researchers/Inventors/Innovators/Creators under the terms of this Policy. In such cases, the University shall decide, within 30 days from the full disclosure of all relevant information, whether to exploit the Intellectual Property. If the University decides to undertake the protection and commercialisation of the Intellectual Property, the rules set out in this Policy shall apply.

Expenses incurred in connection with the protection and commercialisation of Intellectual Property shall be borne by the University.

During the evaluation and commercialisation period, the full description of the Intellectual Property shall be disclosed to third parties under a confidentiality agreement.

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