Working laboratory equipment can be expensive to maintain and difficult to dispose of sustainably. At the same time, universities in lower-resource settings often struggle to access the equipment needed for teaching and research. 

A long-standing collaboration between the LMS, Professor Bernadine Idowu-Onibokun at the University of West London (UWL) and Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) has brought those two challenges together, giving surplus LMS laboratory equipment a productive second life in Nigeria. 

Equipment that was no longer economically viable for the LMS to retain is now supporting medical training and research at LASUCOM, where it has been formally commissioned by the university’s leadership. 

Two ideas come together 

The project grew from a timely meeting of minds. 

Bernadine, a long-standing LMS collaborator and passionate advocate for Black students and young people in STEM, had asked whether serviceable equipment that was no longer needed by the LMS might be reused rather than discarded. At the same time, LMS laboratory officer Shayan Kalantari had been exploring more sustainable routes for equipment due for disposal. That’s when Lindsay Keith, Head of Communications and Engagement, who works closely with Bernadine, brought the two together 

“Functional equipment shouldn’t automatically become waste simply because it’s no longer required in one location,” says Shayan. “This is a practical example of how sustainability, circular economy principles and responsible asset management can create value beyond an organisation.” 

When the two ideas came together, a practical route from London to Lagos began to take shape. 

Shayan turned that shared ambition into a workable process, ensuring the donation complied with MRC and UKRI policies and disposal requirements. He reviewed available equipment, identified items in good working order, cleared them for release and carefully prepared them for shipment. Bernadine drew on her links with LASUCOM and arranged onward transport to Nigeria, ensuring the equipment could support training and research rather than become waste. 

Putting it to work in Lagos 

The shipment included a centrifuge, an electroporator, Thermomixers and portable medical suction equipment. 

On 15 September, the Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji Bello, formally commissioned laboratory facilities supported by the donated equipment. 

Describing the donation as “kind and thoughtful”, she said it represented more than a material contribution, calling it “an investment in the medical and clinical training of future medical professionals”. 

She also highlighted the importance of giving back to institutions and communities at home, noting: “It is one thing to achieve success abroad and it is another to deliberately give back to your home and support institutions here.” 

The equipment will support practical teaching for medical students and provide researchers with access to equipment that can otherwise be difficult and costly to obtain, strengthening both training and research capacity at LASUCOM. 

“Science should create opportunities, wherever you are in the world. By giving this equipment a second life in Lagos, we are not simply reducing waste; we are investing in students, empowering Black Biomedical Science researchers and helping to build a future in which access to scientific resources is not a barrier to talent, ambition or discovery,” says Bernadine. 

Building on a long-standing collaboration 

The donation builds on many years of collaboration between Bernadine and the LMS around widening opportunity in Biomedical Science. 

Through her work with the MRC’s Black in Biomedical Science programme, Professor Bernadine Idowu has championed greater visibility, mentoring and practical opportunities for Black students and young people aspiring to careers in Biomedical science. She is the founder of the annual Black in Biomedical Science Undergraduate Conference, which celebrates Black talent, showcases student research and inspires the next generation of Biomedical scientists. The conference will celebrate its fifth year in Newcastle March 2027. Bernadine also leads the annual Black in Biomedical Science Summer School, which encourages secondary school pupils to explore opportunities in Biomedical science. The LMS collaborates with the University of West London to host a day of the Summer School each year and has also worked with Bernadine through the Gene Home public engagement programme, helping to engage and inspire future generations of scientists. 

For Bernadine, the shipment is both a practical investment in students and researchers at LASUCOM and the beginning of something larger: 

“The equipment is an important starting point, but the wider vision is to build a sustainable academic partnership that creates opportunities for students and academics in both Nigeria and the UK.”