The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has unveiled plans to expand its National Research Fair and Exhibition into a nationwide innovation platform aimed at commercialising research findings, attracting private investment and creating jobs.
Speaking on Friday during the inauguration of the committee for the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition in Abuja, TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, said Nigeria must move beyond producing academic research to transforming innovations into commercially viable products and services.
He said the country possesses vast intellectual resources that can stimulate industrialisation, promote local manufacturing and support economic growth if properly harnessed.
According to Echono, the expanded exhibition will bring together researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers to accelerate the commercialisation of homegrown technologies.
He explained that the decision followed the success of the maiden edition held in 2024, which showcased research breakthroughs from Nigerian tertiary institutions and facilitated partnerships between innovators and industry players.
Echono noted that several research outputs presented at the inaugural exhibition had already found their way into the market, contributing to employment opportunities and economic activities.
To broaden participation, he said the organising committee had been expanded to include representatives from the private sector, innovation hubs, government agencies, the military, the Association of Nigerian Inventors and community-based innovators.
He added that the committee would identify and showcase promising research outputs while linking innovators with venture capitalists, angel investors, technology licensing experts and intellectual property professionals.
The TETFund boss also announced plans to create a national database of research outputs from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and research institutes to strengthen collaboration and improve access to innovations.
He disclosed that the 2026 edition would feature an international conference expected to attract researchers, technology experts and investors from across Africa and beyond.
Echono further revealed that participation in the exhibition would no longer be restricted to TETFund beneficiary institutions, saying any Nigerian with a market-ready invention or innovative product would be eligible to participate.
He urged innovators who exhibited at the maiden edition to return with improved technologies and new products, expressing optimism that the event would evolve into Nigeria’s leading platform for innovation and technology.
Chairman of the organising committee, Umar Bindir, pledged the committee’s commitment to delivering a successful exhibition, describing the expanded membership as a strategic step towards strengthening collaboration between researchers and industry.
Earlier, TETFund’s Director of Research and Development and Centres of Excellence, Suleiman Zwingina, said the Fund had supported numerous research projects with commercial potential, adding that the exhibition was designed to connect innovators with investors and manufacturers capable of transforming research into products that address Nigeria’s development needs.
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