Tinubu Approves N5bn Grant For 185 TETFund Research

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has authorised a N5.1 billion grant for 185 successful research projects under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) National Research Fund (NRF) 2023 Grant Cycle.

N3.7 billion was approved for the Science, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (SETI) theme group, N759 million for Humanities and Social Science, and N583 million for Cross Cutting, with individual awards ranging from N8 million to more than N46 million.

The NRF Grant was established by TETFund to support cutting-edge research into areas pertinent to Nigeria’s socioeconomic requirements, including as power and energy, health, security, agriculture, employment, and wealth development, among others.

Sonny Echono, Executive Secretary of TETFund, said in a statement on Wednesday, Jan. 17, that the approval followed the report of the TETFund National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee (NRFS&MC), which recommended funding for the 185 research proposals after a rigorous screening exercise that began in March 2023 with the receipt of 4,287 Concept Notes from prospective applicants.

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He mentioned some of the authorised research works under the Science, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (SETI) thematic group, such as: Application of the Hydro-Biogeochemical Framework to Develop a National Rural Water Quality Assurance Plan for Sustainable Water Quality Management in Nigeria. Development and Application of Doubled Haploid Maize Lines for Increased Yield and Resistance to Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda). Development of an Intelligent Multichamber Evaporative Cooling Preservative System for Post-Harvest Storage of Selected Fruits in Nigeria, as well as the creation of an Electric Vehicle with Special Tracking Features.

Acting Director, Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi, who signed the statement on behalf of the Executive Secretary, added that the projects under the Cross Cutting thematic group include: Utilisation of Scrap Tyres and Plastic Wastes as aggregate Conductive Material for Renewable Energy Storage System; Development of Appropriate Technology for Production of Aluminium Alloy Sacrificial Anodes for Applications in Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry; and Development of an Economical Low Voltage Programmable Electroporator and Investigation of Pulse Electric Field for Wound Healing and Cancer Treatment; etc.

He also confirmed that research proposals approved under the 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 Environments in Nigerian Universities; and Mitigating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Frontline Nigerian Army Personnel using Stress Inoculation Therapy, among others.

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Nnamdi Okoli