The Nigerian Government has approved the award of N4,249,626,817.69 grant for the funding of 158 research projects under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) National Research Fund (NRF) 2024 Grant Cycle.
This is even as it has approved the sum of N15billion for the establishment of innovation hubs and entrepreneurship centres in 15 tertiary institutions.
The approval followed the report of the TETFund National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee (NRFS&MC) which recommended the funding of the 158 research proposals after a rigorous screening exercise which commenced with the receipt of 6,944 Concept Notes from various researchers.
A breakdown of the approval indicates that the sum of N2,349,951,630.43 was approved for the Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) thematic group; N1,028,966,204.32 for Humanities and Social Science (HSS), while Cross Cutting (CC) received N870,708,982.94.
A statement on Tuesday by TETFund Director, Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi listed the beneficiary institutions with the highest number of awards to include the Federal University of Technology, Minna (with 15 awards amounting to N400,035,708.51); Ahmadu Bello University (13 awards totaling N359,809,744.18); and Federal University of Technology, Akure (12 awards at N341,608,592.80).
Others are Federal University of Technology, Owerri with 11 awards at N256,350,698.80; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi with 10 awards at N273,406,318.80 and University of Ilorin with 8 awards totaling N220,538,834.12.
According to the statement, the approved research works include Development of Sustainable Eco-Friendly Walling System for Low-Cost Housing in the Rural Communities of Nigeria; Development of hybrid cubic fertilizer using plant based binders for efficient nutrient release and utilization; Development of an Intelligent Aerial Robotics System for Efficient Weed and Disease Management in Maize-Cowpea Farmland in Nigeria; Development of an Artificial Intelligence-Enable Internet of Medical Things for Military Physiological Monitoring and Activity Recognition System at War Zone, and Development of a Novel Intelligent Electrical Energy Management Metering among others
The National Research Fund (NRF) Grant was introduced by TETFund to encourage cutting-edge research which explore research areas relevant to societal needs of Nigeria such as power and energy, health, security, agriculture, employment and wealth creation etc., in line with its mandate. The intervention has received additional impetus under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR as a veritable tool to grow the economy and improve the standards of living of the Nigerian people.
Similarly, the Federal Government has approved the award of contracts for the establishment of 18 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hubs in TETFund Beneficiary Institutions across the six geo-political zones of the country in the 2024 Intervention of the Fund. The Hubs will provide Core Labs/Workstation to cover Electronic Lab, 3D Printing Lab, Laser Technology Lab, Product Design Lab, Robotics and Coding, Artificial Intelligence, among others.
The project is intended to facilitate and accelerate the uptake of promising research output, providing solution-driven and multidisciplinary hubs tailored towards the needs of Beneficiary Institutions where ideas and research findings can be domesticated and transformed into solutions for the Nigerian innovation ecosystem.
Still in support of the creation of Innovation Hubs and Entrepreneurship Centres, the Federal Government has also approved the allocation of funds under the 2025 Intervention to 15 TETFund Beneficiary Institutions. The institutions are Federal University Dutse, University of Uyo and University of Ibadan with an allocation of N1 billion each.
Others are Federal Polytechnic Bida; Taraba State Polytechnic, Jalingo; Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yola; Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zuru; Kano State Polytechnic, Kano; Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Uwana; Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi; Bayelsa State Polytechnic, Aliebiri; Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, College of Education (Technical) Kabba and Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu with allocations of N750 million each.
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