From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has approved the award of N4.2 billion grant for the funding of 158 research projects under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) National Research Fund (NRF) 2024 grant cycle.
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.
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Executive Secretary, TETFund, Sonny Echono, in a statement by Abdulmumin Oniyangi, director, Public Affairs, yesterday, indicated that N2.3 billion was approved for the Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) thematic group; N1 billion for Humanities and Social Science (HSS) while Cross Cutting (CC) group received N870 million.
TETFund said 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 fertiliser using plant based binders for efficient nutrient release and utilisation; 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. It further confirmed that the beneficiary institutions with the highest number of awards are the Federal University of Technology, Minna, with 15 awards amounting to N400,035,708.51; Ahmadu Bello University with 13 awards totaling N359,809,744.18 and Federal University of Technology, Akure, with 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 totalling N220,538,834.12
Similarly, the 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.
It said the hubs would provide core labs/workstations to cover electronic lab, 3D printing lab, laser technology lab, product design lab, robotics and coding, artificial intelligence, among others.
It further noted that the project was 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 could be domesticated and transformed into solutions for the Nigerian innovation ecosystem.
The government further approved some financial allocation to 15 institutions under the 2025 interventions. The institutions include 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 Bamalli 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.
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