Innov8 Hub, a non-profit innovation centre, has reiterated the importance of investing in research-based solutions to address global issues.
The Deputy General Manager of the organisation, Dr. Deji Ige, made this known while speaking to journalists during the one-day demo for the Academic Solutions Incubation Programme (ASIP) on Friday in Abuja.
The event, themed “TETFAIR 5, 6, 7 and ASIP: Demo Day,” was organised by Innov8 Hub in partnership with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Alliance for Innovative Research. It featured the unveiling of 15 newly developed prototypes cutting across agriculture, health, construction technology, digital systems, and energy, all created by academics and researchers from Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Ige explained that the outcomes highlighted the strong collaboration between TETFund and Innov8 Hub, noting that the programmes were open to lecturers through a transparent application process.
He said many academics had applied, but only the most feasible and practical concepts were selected through a fair screening method before being admitted into the programme.
“There should be an end goal to every research, and that goal should be transformation. Researchers should be solution-driven,” he added.
He noted that the showcased projects had attained the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage and were ready for commercialisation once funding support became available.
Ige also outlined the sustainability steps built into the process, explaining that market validation was conducted after research to ensure usability and durability of the products. This, he said, would help attract further investment and enable large-scale production using locally available materials.
He emphasised that participants in TETFAIR, ASIP, and other TETFund-backed programmes run by Innov8 Hub were not required to pay any fees, as the initiative fully covers their participation from start to finish.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr. Sunny Echono, said the demo was aimed at strengthening innovation awareness and skills within academic institutions to meet societal needs.
He noted that the economy was undergoing major shifts, explaining that the world had moved away from producing graduates solely for administrative roles and was now driven by skills, creativity, and the knowledge economy.
This, he said, made it necessary to reform the education system, starting with the teachers who are key to passing innovation-driven learning to students.
Echono added that more than 72 innovation hubs had been established across campuses nationwide, with the number growing each year.
The programme also included training for lecturers in business development, product refinement, technical mentoring, prototype design, and fabrication.
Participants engaged with investors and industry leaders in “Deal Rooms” to explore partnerships, investment opportunities, and potential market entry.
The event concluded with a live pitch session, awards, a stage play titled The Ordeal of an Innovator, an Ecolab exhibition, and the presentation of patents and copyrights.