FUTA Central Research Laboratory Receives $200,000 Equipment Award from Seeding Labs
The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Central Research Laboratory receives $200,000 equipment award. See pictures below.
Chisom Ezeobi 
The Julius Okojie Central Research Laboratory (JOCRL) at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) has achieved a significant milestone by being accepted as an Instrumental Access Awardee by Seeding Labs, a prominent US non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts.
This was disclosed on the official Facebook page of FUTA.
This prestigious award provides the JOCRL with an opportunity to select specific equipment, glassware, and consumables tailored to their teaching and research needs.
The success of the application, initiated by the Laboratory's Director, Professor Folasade Olajuyigbe, in August 2023, led to the acceptance of this award. The JOCRL has already taken possession of equipment valued at $200,000 (equivalent to approximately N318,000,000 Nigerian Naira).
In a letter conveying the award, Chief Executive Officer Melissa Wu expressed her pleasure, stating, "We were particularly impressed with the caliber of the application submitted by Professor Folasade Mayowa Olajuyigbe and the level of excellence demonstrated by your organization. Our primary criterion for new awardees is whether additional equipment and resources will unlock untapped potential, and it is evident that this is the case at your institution."
The 106 selected items (equivalent to 7,000 points) amount to an estimated value of $193,305.85. Notable equipment includes a glove box with temperature and humidity control (PLAS-LABS), a Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC) system (GE), a reaction collector (GE), a refrigerated centrifuge (HETTICH), a -86°C freezer (Labrepco), a 4°C refrigerator, a nano spectrophotometer, a MAS-100 VF air sampler (Millipore Sigma), a microtome, a Reichert-Jung Biocut 2030, a PCR thermal cycler (Veriti 96), a metallurgical microscope (Ephiphot 200 w LHS-H100-1), a ductless fume hood, an infrared heat sterilizer, a dissolved oxygen meter, and a conductivity meter.
Congratulating Professor Olajuyigbe on this achievement, FUTA's Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, emphasized that the award was well-deserved and a testament to the university's exceptional academic and non-academic staff. She added, "This achievement not only brings recognition to FUTA but also reaffirms our status as a center of excellence."
