Three teams have emerged victorious from the University of Lagos Research Based Assistive Technologies Challenge, walking away with a combined prize of ₦4.5m for developing practical solutions to improve accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities.

The event, held on Wednesday at the Design Studio of UNILAG's Faculty of Social Sciences, was organised through a partnership between the Theseabilities Foundation and the Afretec UNILAG Inclusion Technical Working Group. Team Audio Reality clinched first place and the ₦2m prize, Team S.I.G.I.L. placed second with ₦1.5m, and Team Amebo secured third position with a ₦1m award. The three teams emerged from a pool of nine finalists selected from 19 initial submissions.

Chairman of the Theseabilities Foundation, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, traced the initiative to UNILAG's AFRETEC network, noting that the foundation came on board to provide sponsorship and funding.

"It wasn't originally our idea. It was by the University of Lagos AFRETEC Network. They have a technology hub where they want to ensure that people can create innovative ideas that will help people with disabilities. We decided to collaborate with them by offering the sponsorship and funding that a lot of these inventors would need to develop their innovations further and, when ready, help them take them to market," he disclosed.

Ighodalo described the foundation's mandate as one centred on advocacy, employment support, assistive tools and disability friendly environments, stressing that its role extends beyond funding.

Lead of the AFRETEC UNILAG Inclusion Technical Working Group, Prof Adekemi Sekoni, noted that inclusion is embedded across all its programmes, spanning gender, disability and vulnerable groups, including internally displaced persons and refugees. She added that applications were received from students and faculty within and outside UNILAG.

Acting Director of the Innovation and Technology Management Office, Dr Olayinka Adewunmi, described the conference as a platform for visibility, commercialisation and cross sector collaboration, emphasising that researchers must be connected to investors to scale impact.

"We want to get them ready for the market because research must move beyond the lab to create real impact," Adewunmi stated.