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the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has announced that participation in the 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition will be open to all Nigerian innovators, regardless of educational background or location, as it seeks to uncover and commercialise home-grown technologies capable of driving national development.
Speaking during a media interaction after the inauguration of the National Research Fair and Exhibition Committee in Abuja, committee members said the 2026 edition would place significant emphasis on emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and other digital innovations.
Responding to questions from journalists, a member of the committee said technology would occupy a central place at the exhibition, reflecting global trends where innovation is increasingly driving economic growth and industrial competitiveness.
“We are definitely going to showcase technological innovations. This is the age of robotics and artificial intelligence.
We want to see what our young people are doing with technology because it is critical to what we intend to showcase,” the committee member said.
The committee also disclosed that a nationwide call for entries would be advertised in national newspapers and across social media platforms, inviting innovators from every part of the country to submit their inventions, technologies and services for consideration.
According to the committee, all submissions will undergo a screening process, after which successful applicants will be invited to exhibit their innovations at the fair. “The call is open to everyone. Whether you are from a university, polytechnic, college of education, research institute or you are simply an innovator in your community, you are eligible to apply. It does not matter your educational qualification or where you come from in Nigeria,” a committee member explained.
The committee added that innovators working in information technology and digital solutions would have opportunities to demonstrate their products either physically or virtually during the exhibition.
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Representatives of the organised private sector, who attended the inauguration, commended the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, for integrating industry players into the planning and execution of the National Research Fair and Exhibition.
They described the inclusion of the private sector as a significant step towards ensuring that research outputs are aligned with market needs and commercial opportunities.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, the Chairman, Umar Bindir, expressed appreciation to the TETFund management for the confidence reposed in members, pledging to deliver on the committee’s mandate.
“We recognise that we have been brought together not merely to hold titles but to deliver on a mandate of real national importance. We are expected to identify and showcase research and technology outputs from our universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and research institutes, connect these innovations with investors and entrepreneurs, and organise an international conference that will demonstrate TETFund’s strategic leadership in funding research and driving innovation across Africa,” he said.
Bindir noted that the committee’s diverse membership, drawn from academia, industry, government ministries, the military, innovation hubs and the organised private sector, would strengthen its ability to deliver a successful event.
He promised that the committee would execute its assignment with diligence, transparency and urgency, while providing regular progress reports to the Fund.
“We will not relent in engaging all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the second edition of the National Research Fair and Exhibition surpasses the first in scale, impact and national relevance,” he said.
He also thanked the media for supporting the initiative and helping to promote research, innovation and technology development in Nigeria.
