Nigeria will showcase between 400 and 500 research driven innovations with the potential to create businesses, generate jobs and boost economic growth at the 2026 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) National Research Fair and Exhibition.
The chairman of the organising committee, Engr. Umar Bindir, disclosed this in Abuja, saying the exhibition was aimed at transforming research outputs from universities and other tertiary institutions into commercially viable products and services.
The fair, scheduled for November 24 to 27, will bring together innovators, investors, industries, financial institutions, business development experts and intellectual property professionals to accelerate the commercialisation of home grown research and inventions.
Speaking at a committee meeting on Thursday in Abuja, Bindir said between 4,000 and 5,000 applications were received from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, research institutions, private inventors and other innovators across the country.
He explained that only innovations that had attained reasonable levels of development and demonstrated practical application potential would be selected for exhibition.
According to him, the screening process was designed to prioritise inventions that could move beyond preliminary research and progress towards commercial production and deployment.
Bindir said the initiative was part of TETFund’s broader effort to make research more relevant to Nigeria’s economic development by connecting knowledge institutions with the private sector.
He noted that the selected innovations would address critical needs in agriculture, healthcare, sanitation, housing, clothing and other sectors.
The committee chairman said the objective was to demonstrate the capacity of Nigerian institutions to generate knowledge and technologies capable of addressing national challenges and driving economic transformation.
To support the commercialisation process, Bindir disclosed that intellectual property experts specialising in patents, trademarks and industrial designs had been invited to provide free services and guide innovators on protecting their inventions.
Business development experts had also been engaged to advise participants on business formation, overcoming the challenges of establishing small enterprises and developing sustainable business models.
He identified access to funding, industry partnerships and technical support as major obstacles facing innovators, noting that many inventors lacked the financial resources and business expertise required to take their ideas to market.
He said the committee was therefore engaging banks, investors, industries and relevant government agencies to bridge the gap between research and commercialisation.
According to him, the partnerships would help innovators register their businesses, standardise their products, acquire relevant training and prepare their innovations for local and international markets.
Giving an insight into the impact of previous editions, Bindir disclosed that between 30 and 40 innovations had reached advanced stages of development and were undergoing commercialisation-related activities.
He, however, said several other projects remained at intermediate stages and required additional support in business development, product standardisation and other areas before becoming commercially viable.
He added that TETFund’s partnership with Innovat8 Hub was exploring ways to support such innovations and accelerate their transition to the marketplace.
Bindir recalled that the previous edition introduced a deal room arrangement that connected inventors with financial institutions, creating opportunities for partnerships between innovators and potential financiers.
He said the 2026 edition would build on that experience by involving the business community more directly in the planning and organisation of the exhibition.
The aim, he explained, was to ensure that businesses actively identify, adopt and support technologies with commercial potential rather than merely attend the exhibition.
The fair will also feature an international symposium involving participants and institutions from China, India, Canada and Japan, as well as representatives of the World Bank, UNESCO and the African Development Bank.
A Japanese expert is expected to deliver the keynote address at the symposium, which will commence on November 25.
Bindir said the international engagement would promote knowledge exchange, expose Nigerian innovators to global standards and showcase the country’s research capabilities to the international community.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would help reposition Nigeria from a country that generates knowledge but relies heavily on imported technologies and finished products to one capable of developing and supplying innovative solutions to other countries.
The exhibition will hold at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry Trade Fair Complex, along Abuja Airport Road.
Bindir said the committee had reached out to ministers, state governors, heads of government institutions and other stakeholders, urging them to attend and explore the innovations.
He commended TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, for providing administrative and logistical support to the organising committee, saying the backing had helped minimise the challenges associated with organising the national event.
