Edu Inam, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Uyo, has won the 2026 Faculty for the Future Impact Prize presented by the Schlumberger Foundation, earning international recognition for an initiative aimed at improving access to scientific research equipment and infrastructure in Nigeria.
Inam was one of nine women scientists and engineers selected for the inaugural prize from 156 applications submitted across 61 countries, according to the Schlumberger Foundation. The award recognises projects led by Faculty for the Future Fellows that have demonstrated potential to create wider social or economic impact beyond their immediate communities.
The Nigerian scientist was recognised for her initiative, “Scaling a Research Equipment Database for Equitable Access in Nigeria,” which focuses on making scientific equipment and research facilities easier for researchers to locate and access.
Edu Inam’s research equipment initiative
At the centre of Inam’s project is LabEquipment.ng, a platform created to help researchers identify scientific equipment and laboratory infrastructure available at institutions across Nigeria.
The initiative addresses a challenge that has affected scientific research in the country, where researchers and postgraduate students can face difficulties finding specialised equipment needed for experiments, testing and laboratory analysis. Rather than requiring every university or research institution to possess every type of equipment, the platform is intended to make existing resources more visible and easier to access.
The Schlumberger Foundation said the Impact Prize will support the development of the platform, including improvements to its services, expanded mobile access and the onboarding of more institutions. The support will also help establish clearer ways for researchers to request access to equipment and laboratory services.
For Inam, the project grew from her own experience with the challenges created by limited access to research equipment, as well as years of observing similar difficulties faced by students and researchers.
In a profile published by the Schlumberger Foundation, Inam explained that her vision is to make it easier for researchers to determine where the equipment they need is located and how they can gain access to it, rather than allowing the availability of scientific tools at individual institutions to become a barrier to research.
Her work is therefore focused not only on creating a database, but also on building stronger connections between researchers and scientific facilities that already exist within Nigeria.
University of Uyo professor earns global recognition
Edu Inam is also the Director of the International Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Research at the University of Uyo and previously served as Head of the university’s Department of Chemistry. Her academic background includes research in analytical chemistry and environmental chemistry, with work connected to environmental challenges in Nigeria.
The recognition comes as the Schlumberger Foundation continues to expand its Faculty for the Future programme, which was established in 2004 to support women scientists and engineers from emerging and developing economies pursuing advanced STEM research. In April 2026, the foundation announced that the programme had reached the milestone of funding 1,000 fellows worldwide.
The nine recipients of the 2026 Faculty for the Future Impact Prize were recognised across three broad areas: educational outreach, technology innovation and social impact. Alongside Inam, the recipients included scientists working on STEM education, mentorship, climate-resilient water systems, healthcare, agroforestry and community-based health initiatives in different countries.
The Schlumberger Foundation said the prize is designed to help successful initiatives reach more people and strengthen the impact of work already being carried out by its fellows.
For Nigeria, Edu Inam’s recognition draws attention to an effort focused on one of the practical challenges facing scientific research: connecting researchers with the equipment and facilities required to turn research ideas into completed studies.
The expansion of LabEquipment.ng could therefore provide researchers with a clearer way to identify available scientific resources across institutions, while encouraging greater collaboration and use of existing research infrastructure.
The initiative also reflects a broader goal of strengthening Nigeria’s scientific capacity by improving access to resources already available within the country, rather than relying entirely on researchers travelling abroad to obtain specialised laboratory services.
With the support attached to the Impact Prize, Inam’s project is expected to move towards wider adoption, bringing more institutions and researchers into a shared system for identifying and accessing scientific equipment and laboratory services.