Night view of a cable-stayed bridge illuminated in violet blue

Restoring academic innovation

SmartChain Innovation Tour 2026

Join the July 30 pre-campus webinar, then get ready for a campus activation where students turn ideas into practical solutions.

Welcome to the SmartChain Innovation Tour, a multi-year university–industry initiative connecting students and universities with global professionals across technology, healthcare, financial services, and the public sector. Together, we turn campus ideas into leadership, practical solutions, and social impact—building the talent pipeline for tomorrow’s workforce and economy.

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Explore Student Opportunities

Event Highlights

PATHWAY 01

Learn Directly From Industry Leaders

Hear practical lessons from professionals across technology, healthcare, financial services, entrepreneurship, and the public sector through keynotes, panels, and leadership conversations.

PATHWAY 02

Build and Pitch a Workable Solution

Join the Innovation Hackathon to define a real problem, design a practical solution, develop a project dossier, and pitch to university and industry judges.

PATHWAY 03

Access Leadership & Career Pathways

Apply as a Student Impact Fellow or Campus Ambassador. Selected Fellows may qualify for sponsored SLEP access, mentorship, live-project experience, and capstone preparation.

PATHWAY 04

Turn a Project Into a Supportable Campaign

Prepare approved social-impact projects for Fundrayser with a clear story, budget, implementation plan, stakeholder map, and outcomes that sponsors and donors can track.

PATHWAY 05

Compete, Earn Recognition, and Move Forward

Top teams and participants may receive prizes, SLEP opportunities, mentorship, partner visibility, campaign support, and formal recognition in the Campus Impact Report.

PATHWAY 06

Build Lasting Industry Connections

Meet speakers, mentors, sponsors, alumni, and fellow innovators through structured networking, mentorship, creating relationships that can continue beyond the campus activation.

A one-day, multi-institution event bringing students, university representatives, professionals, alumni, sponsors, and partners together for practical learning, student innovation, mentorship, and recognition.

  • Business & Technical Tracks
  • Innovation Hackathon
  • Career Opportunities
  • Leadership Training
  • Pitchathon Finals

Join us for the SmartChain Innovation Tour Lagos 2026

Saturday, 14 November 2026 | 10AM GMT+1


Venue to be announced

Programme & Featured Speakers

The programme combines industry insight, student innovation, career development, and social impact. Confirmed speakers, mentors, and judges will contribute across three connected tracks.

TRACK 1

Workforce, Leadership & Academic Innovation

Explore how universities and employers can prepare students for leadership, employability, entrepreneurship, and changing workforce demands.

Opening Keynote | Executive Panel | Thought Leadership

TRACK 2

AI, Technology & the Future of Education

Examine how AI, data, automation, digital platforms, and applied research are changing teaching, research, student development, and employment.

Tech Keynote | Expert Panel | Industry Leaders

TRACK 3

Venture Creation & Collaborative Impact

Learn how student ideas, research, and prototypes can become practical projects, ventures, social enterprises, and supportable campaigns.

Mentorship | Pitchathon Finals | Donor Funding

Meet our Speakers

Eromosele Omomhenle

Eromosele Omomhenle

Managing Director, NTT DATA

Washington, United States

Confirmed speakers on stage

Our confirmed speakers are global executive leaders across technology and academia

Our Community

Fundrayser
Microsoft
Flutterwave
NTT DATA
Amazon
FedEx
Aircover International
Fasmicro Group
SATH
Castle Applications Group

Sponsor Talent. Shape the Future

Take the Tour to More Schools

Headline association with the Innovation Tour across multiple campuses.

Sponsor a Campaign Pillar

Sponsors aligned to Education, STEM, Healthcare, or Community Development.

Sponsor Students to SLEP

Named sponsored SLEP slots for selected students.

Sponsor the Innovation Challenge

Fund prizes for top-performing Hackathon teams.

Support our Campus Activation

Provide support for campus engagement, logistics, production, student experiences and delivery.

Media & Storytelling partners

Support for publicity, media coverage, documentation, amplification, and impact storytelling.

How to Register

Registration is free for students, recent graduates, lecturers and alumni.

Five steps from this page to your Activation Day.

  • Choose your Track
  • Complete the Form
  • Get your confirmation
  • Attend the Webinar
  • Join the Activation Day
10 Universities100 Projects1000 Participants
Students and faculty collaborating during the Innovation Tour

Frequently Asked Questions

The SmartChain Innovation Tour is a multi-year university and industry programme that helps students build leadership skills, develop practical solutions, and prepare approved social-impact projects for support.

Students, recent graduates, lecturers, university teams, professionals, alumni, mentors, sponsors, and partner organisations can participate in the relevant parts of the Tour.

Yes. You can register your interest as an individual, and your university can also contact SmartChain to explore becoming a participating institution.

No. You can attend to learn, network, and join a team. Participants with an existing idea can also develop it through the Tour programme.

It is a structured challenge where student teams identify a real problem, develop a practical solution, and present their work to university and industry judges.

SLEP is the SmartChain Leadership and Employability Programme. Access details, fees, and any sponsored places are shared with each participating cohort.

Campus Ambassadors help promote the Tour, coordinate student engagement, support registration, and connect the SmartChain team with their university community.

Fundrayser provides a pathway for approved social-impact projects to present their story, funding needs, implementation plan, and measurable outcomes to supporters.

No. Opportunities depend on participation, performance, partner availability, selection criteria, and the requirements of each sponsoring organisation.

A university can register its interest to host or join a Tour activation and work with SmartChain to agree the programme, timeline, and campus coordination process.

Professionals and alumni can contribute as speakers, mentors, judges, industry advisers, project supporters, or connectors to career and partnership opportunities.

Organisations can sponsor a campus activation, campaign pillar, student places, the Innovation Challenge, media coverage, or other programme elements.

No. Sponsorship does not automatically transfer ownership. Any separate intellectual-property or commercial arrangement must be clearly agreed by the relevant parties.

It is the recognition event where participating students, teams, universities, mentors, and partners are celebrated for their contribution and outcomes.

Yes. The Tour is designed to document participation, projects, partnerships, and outcomes that universities and partners can reference publicly.

Use the registration or contact options on this page to tell us whether you are joining as a student, university, professional, alumni member, or sponsor.