How University of Uyo Scientist Is Building A National Map Of Nigeria’s Research Equipment

By IFIOK UDOM

Nigerian Professor Edu Inam Wins Global Prize for Transforming Research Access

PROFESSOR Edu Inam, a Nigerian chemist at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has won the 2026 Faculty for the Future Impact Prize of the Schlumberger Foundation for an initiative aimed at improving access to scientific research equipment across Nigeria.

Inam was one of nine women scientists and engineers selected from 156 applications submitted from 61 countries for the inaugural prize. The Schlumberger Foundation announced the winners in July, recognising initiatives in educational outreach, technology innovation and social impact.

Turning a research challenge into a national solution

Inam, a professor of chemistry and former head of the University of Uyo’s Department of Chemistry, developed the initiative, “Scaling a Research Equipment Database for Equitable Access in Nigeria.”

The project grew out of a problem she encountered repeatedly as an analytical chemist: researchers often struggle to identify where scientific equipment is located, whether it is working, who controls it and how they can gain access.

The problem can be particularly damaging for postgraduate students and other researchers who need specialised equipment to complete laboratory work. In some cases, equipment may exist within Nigeria but remain inaccessible simply because researchers do not know where to find it.

The Schlumberger Foundation’s account of Inam’s work shows how personal experience helped shape the project. During her own postgraduate studies, limited access to research equipment affected the progress of her work. Years later, she encountered similar challenges while working with students who had travelled long distances with research samples only to discover that the equipment they needed was not functioning.

Those experiences eventually led to the creation of LabEquipment.ng.

LabEquipment.ng connects researchers to available facilities

The searchable platform provides information about research equipment, its location and contacts for researchers seeking access.

It was publicly launched in 2021. By the end of 2025, the platform had brought together 22 institutions, listed more than 200 pieces of equipment, recorded over 3,000 searches and interactions, and attracted more than 550 users, according to Inam.

The idea is straightforward but potentially far-reaching: instead of researchers asking whether their own universities possess particular equipment, they can search for where the required scientific capability exists and determine how to access it.

Prize to strengthen research infrastructure

Inam said the prize would allow her team to improve the platform, introduce mobile access, bring more institutions onto the system and establish clearer procedures for researchers seeking equipment and laboratory services.

She said the ambition goes beyond creating a larger catalogue.

Rather, the project seeks to build a more connected research ecosystem in which students and scientists can access equipment beyond their immediate institutions.

The platform could also provide universities, government agencies, research funders and development organisations with better information for making infrastructure decisions.

With reliable data showing what equipment already exists and where it is located, institutions could potentially reduce unnecessary duplication of expensive equipment while identifying areas where new investment is required.

Inam also wants information about equipment functionality, maintenance and lifecycle to become part of the system. That, she said, could encourage institutions to view scientific equipment as long-term research assets rather than simply laboratory purchases.

From database to national research network

The professor sees the project eventually becoming more than an equipment directory.

She wants it to connect researchers, technical specialists, universities and industry around available scientific capabilities.

Her targets include verified equipment records across a substantial proportion of major research institutions within three to five years, increased inter-institutional access, better maintenance information and stronger regional research networks.

She also hopes the platform will help funding decisions reflect existing research capacity and genuine infrastructure gaps.

That could reduce unnecessary purchases while increasing the use of expensive equipment that currently remains underutilised.

Part of a global STEM recognition

The 2026 Impact Prize recognised nine initiatives across educational outreach, technology innovation and social impact. Other recipients included Dr. Darshana Joshi of India, Dr. Angela Tabiri of Ghana, Dr. Novalia Pishesha and Dr. Chao Mbogo, among others.

Capella Festa, president of the Schlumberger Foundation, said the Faculty for the Future programme had evolved from supporting women scientists and engineers to seeing its fellows apply their expertise to challenges in their communities.

The Faculty for the Future programme was established in 2004 to support women scientists and engineers from emerging and developing economies pursuing PhD and postdoctoral STEM research.

The foundation said the programme reached 1,000 fellows globally in 2026.

For Inam, however, the recognition is closely tied to a practical objective: making it easier for Nigerian researchers to find and use the scientific infrastructure they need.

Her long-term vision is for researchers to stop asking whether their individual institutions own particular equipment and instead ask where the required scientific capability is available in Nigeria and how they can access it.