As part of efforts to fast-track the commercialisation of research outcomes and deepen collaboration among researchers, industry players and investors, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Dr. Sonny Echono, has announced plans to expand participation in the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition.

Speaking on Friday in Abuja while inaugurating this year’s National Research Fair/Exhibition Committee, Echono said the decision to expand the committee followed the success of the maiden edition held in November 2024, which showcased innovations from tertiary institutions and facilitated stronger linkages 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.

He said the expanded participation is aimed at providing a bigger platform for Nigerian researchers and innovators to showcase groundbreaking discoveries and home-grown technologies with strong commercial potential.

According to him, the initiative is expected to bridge the gap between research institutions and industry by attracting strategic partnerships, investment opportunities and technology transfer that will transform research outputs into market-ready products and services.

He explained that the reconstituted committee now includes representatives of the organised private sector, community inventors, relevant ministries, innovation hubs, the Nigerian military, the Association of Nigerian Inventors and other stakeholders to deepen collaboration and widen participation.

“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 commercialisation and then streaming such outputs into the Nigerian market and beyond,” he stated.

The Executive Secretary said the committee would also compile a comprehensive database of research outputs from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and research institutes across the country while selecting technologies for exhibition later this year.

He disclosed that the exhibition would feature an international conference aimed at attracting experts from Africa and other parts of the world, stressing that the event would go beyond institutions benefiting from the Fund’s interventions.

“Indeed, we will 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 urged previous participants to return with improved innovations and newly developed products to demonstrate the impact of earlier editions.

Responding, the chairman of the committee, Umar Bindir, commended Echono for broadening the composition of the committee to include researchers, industry leaders, inventors and policymakers, describing the approach as an innovation in itself.

Bindir said the committee would work tirelessly to ensure the success of the exhibition and fulfil its mandate of connecting research with industry.

Earlier, TETFund‘s Director of Research & Development and Centres of Excellence, Suleiman Zwingina, said the Fund had supported numerous research projects and development programmes that had produced promising technologies and prototypes requiring commercialisation.

He noted that the National Research Fair and Exhibition was conceived to create a platform where research outputs could attract industry partners and be transformed into goods and services capable of addressing Nigeria’s developmental challenges.