In a groundbreaking move, Bola Tinubu, the President, has given the green light for a staggering amount of ₦5,128,180,623.63 to support 185 accomplished research proposals through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), National Research Fund (NRF) 2023 Grant Cycle. In a statement released by Abdulmumin Oniyangi, the Ag. Director of Public Affairs at TETFund, on behalf of TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, it was revealed that the objective of the Fund was to further enhance research and development initiatives to foster economic and technological growth in Nigeria.
According to the issued statement, Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, granted approval after reviewing the report from the TETFund National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee (NRFS&MC). This report had earlier proposed the funding of the 185 research proposals after a rigorous screening exercise which commenced in March 2023 with the receipt of 4,287 Concept Notes from prospective applicants. The approval analysis reveals that a staggering amount of ₦3,784,635,923.00 was granted to the thematic group known as Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI).
Individual grants provided varied from ₦8m to well over ₦46m.
Meanwhile, ₦759,875,400.00 was allocated for the field of Humanities and Social Science (HSS), and ₦583,669,300.63. to the Cross Cutting (CC). Individual grants provided varied from ₦8m to well over ₦46m. Among the research projects sanctioned within the Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) thematic group, a couple of notable ones are: Application of the Hydro-Biogeochemical Framework to Develop a National Rural Water Quality Assurance Plan for Sustainable Water Quality Management In Nigeria; Development and Use of Doubled Haploid Maize Lines for Improved Maize Yield and Tolerance to Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda).
Others include Development of an Intelligent Multi Chamber Evaporative Cooling Preservative System for Post-Harvest Storage of Selected Fruits in Nigeria and Development of Electric Vehicle With Special Tracking Features, among others. Projects under Cross Cutting thematic group include Utilization of Scrap Tires and Plastic Wastes as aggregate Conductive Material for Renewable Energy Storage System; Development of Appropriate Technology for Production of Aluminum Alloy Sacrificial Anodes for Applications in Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry, as well as Development of an Economical Low Voltage Programmable Electroporator and Investigation of Pulse Electric Field for Wound Healing and Cancer Treatment; etc.
TETFund focuses on fostering a strong research culture.
Approved research works under Humanities and Social Science are Digital Financial Inclusion, Rural Households’ Consumption Structure and Well-being in Nigeria; Equity and Inclusion: Creating Access to Library Resources for Students Living with Vision Impairment in e-Learning Environment in Nigerian Universities and Mitigating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Frontline Nigerian Army Personnel using Stress Inoculation Therapy; and others, the statement said. TETFund established the National Research Fund (NRF) Grant as a means to foster innovative research endeavors.
This research delves into sectors crucial to Nigeria’s societal requirements, encompassing power and energy, healthcare, security, agriculture, employment, and wealth generation, among others. Aligned with its mission, TETFund focuses on fostering a strong research culture in our tertiary institutions by providing intervention programs. The aim is to empower scholars and researchers to produce impactful outcomes that can be transformed into marketable innovations. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, the intervention gained momentum as an effective instrument to uplift the Nigerian economy and enhance the quality of life for its citizens.
Related Article: Nigeria lags behind in research & development
Also under President Muhammadu Buhari’s reign, TETFund received a generous allocation of ₦7.5 billion for the 2020 NRF Grants Cycle. This approval was granted after successfully reviewing research proposals under the 2019 Grants Cycle, which culminated in a total sum of ₦3.9 billion awarded for 128 research projects. The twenty-eight prioritized thematic areas of research in the year were categorized into three distinct groups namely Humanities and Social Sciences; Science, Technology and Innovation; and Cross-Cutting.
Related Link
Wikipedia: Website
