No fewer than 23 young innovators and tech firms have been awarded N100 million grant by Lagos State government to enable them pursue various technology-driven innovations across the six pillars of the development agenda of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration.

The recipients are the first set to benefit from the N250 million seed capital earmarked, last year, as research and innovation fund by the state.

They were selected through highly competitive process overseen by Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC) with the mandate to facilitate and encourage development of innovative solutions to solve local problems, using cutting-edge technology.

In a statement, yesterday, Sanwo-Olu congratulated the awardees of the research funds, urging them to apply the grant judiciously and transform their ideas into reality.

He said that his administration aimed to solve contemporary challenges facing the state, stressing that the innovation grant was initiated with the objective to empower local innovators and thinkers with knowledge of context and peculiarities to create specific solutions for local challenges.

He said: “We are here today to give grants from the LASRIC’s Research and Innovation Fund to successful applicants.

“We embarked on this unique project with the belief that local challenges are best solved by a thinking that understands and appreciates local contexts and peculiarities. With the presentation of the grants, the responsibility now firmly rests on the recipients’ shoulders to justify the opportunity.”

Sanwo-Olu, who noted that science and technology remained key enablers to transform the socio-economic destinies of cities, said that any serious government must give total commitment to application of technology and innovation to drive improve service delivery in transport management, healthcare, education, waste management, security and governance.

MEANWHILE, Special Adviser to the Governor on Innovation and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake, described the ceremony as “tangible development” in the history of governance in the state.

He said the awardees would be initiating innovation in key areas of manufacturing, food security and health management.
ALSO, LASRIC Chairman, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the event was a testimony of Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to the development of innovative solutions to challenges facing the state.

He said the Council would continue to assist the state to harness human and material resources of Lagos for problem solving, wealth creation and transformation of the state’s economy.