FG Approves N5.1 Billion For TETFund Research Grants

The Federal Government has approved the funding of 185 successful research proposals under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund National Research Fund 2023 Grant Cycle, allocating a total sum of ₦5,128,180,623.

This decision, as communicated by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, was based on the recommendations of the TETFund National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee.

The approval follows a thorough screening process initiated in March 2023, involving the evaluation of 4,287 Concept Notes submitted by prospective applicants.

According to a statement, a breakdown of the approval indicates that the “sum of ₦3,784,635,923.00 was approved for the Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation thematic group; N759,875,400.00 for Humanities and Social Science while Cross Cutting received N583,669,300.63 with individual grants ranging between N8 million and over N46 million.”

The statement highlighted that among the approved research projects falling under the Science, Engineering, Technology, and Innovation thematic group are initiatives such as the Application of the Hydro-Biogeochemical Framework to Develop a National Rural Water Quality Assurance Plan for Sustainable Water Quality Management in Nigeria, the Development and Use of Doubled Haploid Maize Lines for Improved Maize Yield and Tolerance to Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda), the Development of an Intelligent Multichamber Evaporative Cooling Preservative System for Post-Harvest Storage of Selected Fruits in Nigeria, and the Development of Electric Vehicle With Special Tracking Features, among others.

Projects falling under the Cross-Cutting thematic group encompass endeavours like the Utilization of Scrap Tires and Plastic Wastes as Aggregate Conductive Material for Renewable Energy Storage Systems, the Development of Appropriate Technology for the Production of Aluminum Alloy Sacrificial Anodes for Applications in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry, as well as the Development of an Economical Low Voltage Programmable Electroporator and Investigation of Pulse Electric Field for Wound Healing and Cancer Treatment, among others.

Projects sanctioned under the Humanities and Social Science category include initiatives such as 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.