The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the sum of N5,128,180,623.63 to fund 185 successful research proposals under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) National Research Fund (NRF) 2023 Grant Cycle. The announcement was made by Abdulmumin Oniyangi, the Ag Director of Public Affairs for the Executive Secretary of the Fund in Abuja.
The approval, conveyed by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, followed the recommendations of the TETFund National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee (NRFS&MC). The funding of the 185 research proposals was endorsed after a thorough screening exercise that commenced in March 2023, involving the review of 4,287 Concept Notes from prospective applicants.
According to the breakdown provided in the statement, the approved sum includes N3,784,635,923.00 for the Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) thematic group, N759,875,400.00 for Humanities and Social Science (HSS), and N583,669,300.63 for Cross Cutting (CC), with individual grants ranging from N8 million to over N46 million.
The statement highlighted some of the approved research projects under the SETI thematic group, such as the development of an Intelligent Multichamber Evaporative Cooling Preservative System for Post-Harvest Storage of Selected Fruits in Nigeria and the Application of the Hydro-Biogeochemical Framework to Develop a National Rural Water Quality Assurance Plan for Sustainable Water Quality Management in Nigeria.
Under the Cross Cutting thematic group, projects include the Utilization of Scrap Tires and Plastic Wastes as aggregate Conductive Material for Renewable Energy Storage System and the Development of an Economical Low Voltage Programmable Electroporator for Wound Healing and Cancer Treatment.
The approved research works under Humanities and Social Science cover areas like Digital Financial Inclusion, Rural Households’ Consumption Structure and Well-being in Nigeria, and Mitigating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Frontline Nigerian Army Personnel using Stress Inoculation Therapy.
The National Research Fund (NRF) Grant was initiated by TETFund to encourage cutting-edge research focusing on societal needs in Nigeria, aligning with its mandate. The funding is viewed as a crucial tool under the Renewed Hope Agenda to stimulate economic growth and enhance the living standards of the Nigerian people.
