Edu Inam, a Nigerian scientist and professor of chemistry at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has won the 2026 Faculty for the Future Impact Prize of the Schlumberger Foundation.
Ms Inam was among nine women scientists and engineers selected from 156 applications across 61 countries for the inaugural prize, according to a statement by the Schlumberger Foundation.
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The Foundation announced the winners on its website in July.
She was recognised for her initiative, “Scaling a Research Equipment Database for Equitable Access in Nigeria,” which seeks to improve researchers’ access to scientific equipment and research infrastructure across the country.
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Ms Inam, a former head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Uyo, is also the director of the International Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Research at the university.
From personal frustration to national project
Explaining the motivation behind the initiative, Ms Inam said her background in analytical chemistry exposed her to a persistent problem: researchers often struggle to know where functional scientific equipment is located and how to access it.
“My personal challenge has been knowing where functional equipment are located and how to access them in Nigeria’s higher institutions system,” she told PREMIUM TIMES.
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According to her, equipment sometimes exists in Nigerian institutions, but researchers may not know where it is located, whether it is functional, who manages it, or how to request access.
She said the situation has become particularly difficult for students who require specialised equipment to complete research projects as part of their graduation requirements.
To address the problem, she developed LabEquipment.ng, a searchable platform that provides information on available research equipment, their locations and contacts for accessing them.
The platform was publicly launched in 2021.
By the end of 2025, it had brought together 22 institutions, more than 200 pieces of equipment, over 3,000 searches and interactions, and more than 550 users, the professor said.
What the prize will support
The analytical chemist said the prize would enable further improvements to the platform, including mobile access, onboarding of more institutions and clearer systems for researchers seeking access to equipment and laboratory services.
“The goal is not simply a larger database. It is a more connected research ecosystem, one in which a student’s experiment is less likely to end at the door of a laboratory with a broken machine,” she said.
She said the initiative could also help universities, government agencies, funding organisations and development partners make better decisions about investments in research infrastructure.
According to her, having a clearer picture of existing research capabilities could help institutions avoid unnecessary duplication of expensive equipment while identifying areas where additional investment is genuinely required.
She also said recording information about equipment functionality, maintenance and lifecycle could help institutions treat research equipment as long-term assets rather than simply items purchased for laboratories.
Beyond an equipment catalogue
Ms Inam said the database could eventually become a platform for connecting researchers, technical experts, institutions and industry around available scientific capabilities.
She identified improved visibility, shared access, reduced duplication, better maintenance and evidence-based investment decisions as some of the ways the initiative could address Nigeria’s research infrastructure challenges.
For her, success would not be measured simply by the number of equipment listed on the platform.
“In three to five years, I would like to see a substantial proportion of major research institutions with verified equipment records,” she said.
She also wants researchers to be able to discover critical equipment and analytical capabilities outside their institutions, with increased use of shared facilities and inter-institutional access.
Her other goals include reliable information on equipment functionality, maintenance and technical expertise; funding decisions informed by existing capacity and identified gaps; fewer unnecessary equipment purchases; stronger regional research networks; and increased utilisation of expensive research infrastructure.
Ultimately, she wants more research projects to be completed in Nigeria because researchers can find and access the capabilities they require.
“The long-term vision is to change the question from ‘Does my university own this equipment?’ to ‘Where in Nigeria is this capability available, and how can I access it?’” she said.
Other winners
Other recipients of the 2026 Faculty for the Future Impact Prize include “Dr Darshana Joshi for her work on STEM access for women and rural communities in India; Dr Angela Tabiri for the Mathsqueen National STEAM Circuit; Dr Novalia Pishesha for the Future Southeast Asian Scientist initiative; and Dr Chao Mbogo for mentorship infrastructure for holistic technologists.”
The nine initiatives were recognised in three areas: educational outreach, technology innovation and social impact.
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Capella Festa, president of the Schlumberger Foundation, said the Faculty for the Future programme had evolved from supporting the education of women scientists and engineers to seeing its fellows apply their expertise to challenges affecting their communities.
“The Impact Prize allows us to recognise this leadership, connect it across the fellowship and help it travel further,” Ms Festa said.
Global recognition
The International Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Research, where Ms Inam serves as director, congratulated her on the recognition.
The centre described her initiative as demonstrating a commitment to strengthening research infrastructure and expanding equitable access to scientific equipment for researchers across Nigeria.
It also praised her contribution to research excellence, collaboration and scientific capacity building.
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 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research at leading institutions worldwide.
The Schlumberger Foundation said the programme reached a milestone of funding 1,000 fellows globally in 2026.
The foundation is an independent nonprofit organisation founded by Schlumberger in 1954 to support education and promote excellence in STEM research.
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