NANO+ advocates strategies to move research findings from lab to market
The Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+) at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, says it will continue to focus on strategies to move nanotechnology from laboratory to the market through translational endeavors that will promote sustainable development in Nigeria and other African countries.
Agbaje Lateef, Head, NANO+ group, LAUTECH, said the group through its 9th international conference, would continue to offer leadership in the pursuit of nanotechnology research in Nigeria.
Themed, ‘Sustainable Nanotechnology: From Research to Reality’, the conference is scheduled for November 18-21, 2025 at the main campus of the university in Ogbomoso.
The conference will be chaired by Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, the Vice-Chancellor of LAUTECH, during the opening ceremony on Wednesday November 19, 2025.
According to Lateef, the conference will witness presentations by experts from academia, industry and governmental agencies to foster sustainable development agenda via nanotechnology.
He added that the research group which was formed eleven years ago (2014) had contributed immensely to nanotechnology R&D in Nigeria through top-notch investigations along with collaborators from other countries culminating in about 180 research articles.
According to Lateef, NANO+ group has trained over 500 early career scholars in nanotechnology research in a decade, and have been engaging in advocacy projects to deepen the understanding of nanotechnology in Nigeria.
The flagship journal of the group, ‘Nano Plus: Science and Technology of Nanomaterials’ that was unveiled in 2021 is promoting nanotechnology publications and it had secured indexing by CrossRef, Google Scholar, African Journals Online (AJOL), and EBSCO.
According to him, the group has consistently organized annual gatherings to discuss nanotechnology in Nigeria since 2017 which involves hands-on training on the synthesis of nanoparticles and their multifarious applications, along with presentations of research works by scholars from Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States.
The group also reiterated its call for the development and implementation of a robust nanotechnology policy for Nigeria, amidst the need for special funding of nanotechnology research infrastructure in Nigerian Universities as implemented in South Africa.
The group also seeks the interest of public spirited individuals, organizations, and venture capitalists in funding nanotechnology endeavors in the country.
The previous conferences witnessed participation of government agencies including a minister of science and technology, technocrats, members of the armed and paramilitary forces, industrialists, scholars, and students.
Also, members of the group have attracted research grants worth over more N100 million in the last three years from TETFund on nanotechnology-based investigations, while five members of the group, Agbaje Lateef, Musibau Adewuyi Azeez, Taofeek Akangbe Yekeen, Tesleem Babatunde Asafa, and Iyabo Christianah Oladipo were among the 20 scholars that received the LAUTECH VC’s outstanding award for scholarly contributions to the growth of the university in April 2025 during the 17th convocation ceremony.
Furthermore, the leader of the group, Agbaje Lateef is a top 2% scientist in the world, a feat that he has achieved for six consecutive years (2020-2025).
The group continues to make case for the entrenchment of nanotechnology R&D in Nigeria to address various challenges that confront the nation in the health, agricultural, industrial, energy, defense, and environmental sectors.
