TETFund opens national research fair to all Nigerians, targets commercialisation of research, innovations
By Uji A Iliyasu Abuja
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced plans to widen participation in its 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition, opening the event to all Nigerians regardless of educational background or institutional affiliation, as part of efforts to accelerate the commercialisation of research and innovation.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this in Abuja while inaugurating the committee for the exhibition, explaining that the initiative was designed to convert research outputs into marketable products and services capable of generating jobs, wealth and national development.
Unlike the maiden edition held in 2024, which was restricted to TETFund beneficiary institutions, this year’s exhibition will accommodate inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers from across the country.
Echono said the Fund would advertise for entries, with any Nigerian who has developed a product, service or innovation given the opportunity to apply.
Submissions would be assessed by the committee, with those showing strong commercial potential selected for exhibition.
He said the fair was intended to become a one-stop shop for inventors, innovators and researchers nationwide, noting that innovation was not confined to the university system.
The exhibition, he added, would create a platform bringing together researchers, manufacturers, investors, venture capitalists, technology licensing professionals and entrepreneurs to help move promising innovations from laboratories into the marketplace.
Echono revealed that the Board of Trustees had approved the expansion and reconstitution of the organising committee following the success of the inaugural edition, broadening membership to include representatives of the organised private sector, innovation hubs, relevant government ministries, the military and the Association of Nigerian Inventors.
He said the committee would document research outputs from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, research institutes and independent innovators, while building a national database of innovations, clustering technologies by sector and facilitating investment partnerships.
He also disclosed that an international conference would run alongside the exhibition, aimed at positioning Nigeria as a leading innovation hub in Africa, drawing experts from within and outside the continent.
Echono linked the initiative to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that innovation remained the competitive edge in the knowledge economy and that Nigeria’s intellectual assets must be harnessed to solve national problems, drive local manufacturing and create wealth.
Director of Research and Development at TETFund, Dr Suleiman Zangina, said the Fund had invested heavily over the years in research and development, producing several outputs from the National Research Fund now ready for commercialisation.
He explained that the fair was conceived to bridge the disconnect between researchers and industry, describing the maiden edition as a widely acknowledged success.
Chairman of the committee, who preferred anonymity, lamented that despite Nigeria’s strong academic record, research had yet to meaningfully impact the country’s economic fortunes owing to weak collaboration between academia and industry.
He said the committee would deliberately strengthen private sector involvement, describing this year’s expanded participation as a major innovation that would distinguish the exhibition from previous editions, with industry expected to take ownership of the commercialisation process.