Three senior lecturers from the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) have secured high-impact research grants of $282,800 (N423 million) from two globally renowned institutions—Virginia Tech (USA) and Seeding Labs (Boston, USA)—in a major leap toward transforming the university into a hub for cutting-edge research in Africa.

A statement by the media aide to the Vice Chancellor, Dr Wole Balogun and made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, said the scholars include Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships, Research, Innovation and Linkages (SPRIL), Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole; Director of Research and Development, Prof. Olayide Samuel Lawal, and a leading Industrial Chemist and Schlumberger Foundation alumnus, Prof. Cecilia Olufunke Akintayo.

Ogunwole facilitated the acquisition of a Connected Autonomous Space Environment Sensor (CASES) GPS receiver, awarded by Virginia Tech College of Engineering under its VT-NigerBEAR project. Valued at $15,000, the GPS receiver will significantly enhance Nigeria’s capacity for atmospheric and space weather research.

In the award letter, Prof. Wayne A. Scales, Associate Deputy Provost at Virginia Tech, lauded Ogunwole’s visionary academic leadership and expressed optimism about future joint research outcomes.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Olubunmi Shittu, described the achievement as a “testament to FUOYE’s growing reputation as a centre for world-class research and international collaboration.”

“Thanks to Akintayo’s affiliation with the Schlumberger Foundation’s Faculty for the Future fellowship, FUOYE received a $17,800 subsidy, paying only $10,000 toward logistics and installation—a cost covered by the university’s management in support of the initiative.

“This is a major achievement for FUOYE and a proud moment for our Chemistry Department,” the acting VC said.

In a related development, Profs Lawal and Akintayo led FUOYE’s successful bid for the Seeding Labs Instrumental Access Award, joining 137 institutions in 39 countries to benefit from the prestigious programme.

FUOYE’s Department of Chemistry has now received 163 laboratory items valued at $250,000, including PCR thermal cyclers, chromatography systems, rotary evaporators, and heating baths—set to dramatically boost research capacity across Chemistry, Agriculture, and related sciences.

Seeding Labs’ CEO, Dr Melissa Wu, commended the application submitted by Lawal and Akintayo, stating that FUOYE demonstrated the core values needed to unlock untapped scientific potential.