FUL Secures Seeding Labs’ Grant, Set to Receive Multimillion-Naira Lab Equipment

The Federal University Lokoja (FUL) has been selected as one of the institutions to benefit from Seeding Labs’ Instrumental Access Grant Award, involving the donation of laboratory equipment and supplies that will advance teaching, scientific research, and academic development of the Insitution.

The fourten-year-old University is the newest awardee selected to receive scientific equipment from Seeding Labs’ Instrumental Access program worth $300,000-$400,000 in a 20ft-shipping container.

Seeding Labs Instrumental Access is an initiative that makes high-quality laboratory equipment and supplies available to departments in universities and research institutes in developing countries, and it is the flagship program of Seeding Labs, a US-based NGO working to increase access to resources for science in developing countries.

Interestingly, FUL’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology was chosen for the Instrumental Access award after a rigorous and competitive selection process that receives and evaluates applications from institutions around the world. To be considered for the Grant, applicants outline the ways that an infusion of scientific equipment would remove barriers to STEM education and research at their institutions—paving the way for new avenues of scientific inquiry and expanding hands-on opportunities for students. Thus, the intervention provides a foundation for other critical resources that allow scientists to generate new knowledge, leverage sustainable funding, and better prepare university students for the scientific workforce and innovation economy.

So far, the Instrumental Access program has catalyzed scientific innovations at more than 100 universities and institutions in 39 developing countries. Particularly, the intervention has enhanced workforce training for more than 230,000 students, who have access to Instrumental Access equipment in practical lab sessions and thesis research; catalyzed research projects with $16.9 million of new funding across 69 universities; and given more than 2,900 scientific staff in 118 departments at different universities more opportunity to pursue their research endeavours, among other notable impacts.

About Federal University Lokoja

Federal University Lokoja was one of the nine (9) conventional Universities established in 2011 by the Federal Government of Nigeria to provide tertiary education to her teeming population, not only to accelerate equitable access to higher education, but also to build institutions that can support Nigeria’s drive for rapid development through the availability of quality manpower and a knowledge base to drive competitiveness. The proximity of the Federal University Lokoja to some national assets, the strategic location of the host town, Lokoja, and the diverse nature of the programmes being offered, makes one of the fastest growing universities in Nigeria and the most sought after by prospective candidates seeking undergraduate and postgraduate education.

The University, which is currently headed by Professor Olayemi Akinwumi, AvHF, FHSN, FNAL., fspsp, the third Vice-Chancellor, boasts of 58 programmes spread across ten faculties, including Science, Engineering, Medicine, Allied Health Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In applying for the grant, the facilitator and awardee, Professor Sunday E. Atawodi, a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Science, whose research endeavours center on cancer biomarkers, cancer chemoprevention, natural products pharmacology, ethnopharmacology and neglected tropical diseases, and who also headed the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Federal University Lokoja, stated that despite its young age and inadequate essential facilities, “the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Federal University Lokoja stands out, due to its distinguished faculty, commitment to research excellence, robust curriculum, strategic vision, existing collaborations, and societal impact”. He, therefore, expressed optimism that the donation will significantly enhance the University’s research and teaching capabilities, thereby advancing scientific discovery and excellence in teaching and learning.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olayemi Akinwumi, who received the cheering news with great excitement, expressed unwavering support and profound appreciation for the instrumental access grant, stating that the donation would improve the standards and quality of teaching and research in the Department and Faculty of Science, and by extension, the University. “Under my leadership as the Vice-Chancellor of this University, and with Prof. Atawodi’s academic and scientific leadership, the donated equipment will be put to strategic and judicious use,” he added.

About Seeding Labs

Seeding Labs is a Boston-based NGO that increases access to resources for science in developing countries. Seeding Labs has built a coalition of more than 230 public and private sector partners to provide scientific institutions in developing nations with lab equipment, training, and opportunities to collaborate with experts in their field—and to create a world where science and the institutions that sustain it can thrive everywhere, illuminating a brighter and healthier future for all.

As of February 2024, Seeding Labs has shipped 365 tons of lab equipment to 110 institutions in 39 countries around the world. Additional information on Seeding Labs and Instrumental Access is available at http://seedinglabs.org/ on Facebook at Facebook.com/SeedingLabs; and on Twitter at @SeedingLabs.

Seeding Labs’ social media handles: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeedingLabs l Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seedinglabs l LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seeding-labs/

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