By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, has unveiled plans to expand participation in the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition as part of efforts to accelerate the commercialisation of research outputs and strengthen collaboration among academia, industry, investors and policymakers.
Speaking on Friday in Abuja while inaugurating the committee for the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition, Arc. Echono said the initiative was aimed at transforming research findings into commercially viable products capable of creating jobs, boosting local manufacturing and driving sustainable national development.
He explained that the decision to broaden the composition of the committee was informed by the success of the maiden edition of the fair held in November 2024, which showcased groundbreaking innovations from tertiary institutions and facilitated stronger partnerships between researchers and industry players.
“Considering the large number of exhibitors that participated in the fair and the number of spin-offs that were mainstreamed into the Nigerian market, we are hopeful that it was also a stimulus for job creation,” Echono said.
According to him, the reconstituted committee now includes representatives of the organised private sector, innovation hubs, relevant government ministries, the Nigerian military, community inventors, the Association of Nigerian Inventors and other critical stakeholders to foster wider collaboration and participation.
He said the committee’s primary responsibility would be to identify, compile and showcase proven research and development outputs, technologies and innovative products from across the country while creating an enabling environment for partnerships among researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts.
“The main goal of the committee is to source, collate, and showcase all proven R&D outputs, technologies, and products… and to also create a conducive environment to encourage synergy, complementation, and partnership among all relevant stakeholders, including angel investors, venture capitalists, intellectual property experts, technology licensing professionals, entrepreneurs, all with a view to forging a viable environment for commercialization and then streaming such outputs into the Nigerian market and beyond,” he stated.
The TETFund E.S disclosed that the committee would also develop a comprehensive national database of research outputs from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and research institutes while overseeing the selection of technologies to be exhibited later this year.
He added that the 2026 exhibition would feature an international conference designed to attract leading researchers, innovators and technology experts from across Africa and other parts of the world.
He stressed that participation in the exhibition would not be limited to institutions benefiting from the Fund’s interventions.
“Indeed, we’ll be advertising for entries, and any Nigerian at all that has developed a product, a service, or any kind of invention, we will expect them to apply,” he said.
He also encouraged exhibitors from the inaugural edition to return with improved innovations and newly developed products, saying this would demonstrate the progress made since the first exhibition.
Arc. Echono reiterated the Fund’s commitment to establishing the National Research Fair and Exhibition as Nigeria’s premier innovation platform.
“We hope that you do all in your power to ensure that this Fair, as the name implies, becomes a national event that will be the coalition of all efforts with regards to innovation, technology, and research outputs in our country. It should be the number one… one-stop shop for all inventors, for all innovators and researchers to come and showcase the products of their research,” he added.
Highlighting the broader significance of the initiative, he said Nigeria possesses immense intellectual capital that must be harnessed to address national challenges, stimulate industrialisation and unlock economic growth.
“Nigeria is richly endowed with intellectual assets. Our ability to harness these and to deploy them to activate the various sectors of our economy, promote local manufacturing, create jobs, create wealth across the entire value chain, then we will be on the right path to achieving greatness,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the committee, its Chairman, Engr. Umar Bindir, commended the Executive Secretary for broadening the committee’s membership to include researchers, industry leaders, inventors and policymakers, describing the inclusive approach as an innovation in itself.
Engr. Bindir pledged the committee’s commitment to delivering a successful exhibition and achieving its mandate of strengthening the link between research and industry.
“We subscribe to every word that you have used in inaugurating this committee, and we will do everything possible to make sure that we achieve this objective,” he said.
Earlier, TETFund’s Director of Research and Development and Centres of Excellence, Suleiman Zwingina, said the Fund had supported numerous research and development initiatives that had produced promising technologies and prototypes with strong commercial potential.
He explained that the National Research Fair and Exhibition was conceived as a strategic platform for connecting researchers with industry partners, investors and technology experts to transform innovative ideas into products and services capable of addressing Nigeria’s developmental challenges.
