President Bola Tinubu has approved a grant of ₦4.25 billion for the funding of 158 research proposals under the 2024 National Research Fund (NRF) cycle managed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

The approval follows a screening process conducted by the NRF Screening and Monitoring Committee, which assessed 6,944 concept notes submitted by researchers across the country. According to a statement released by Abdulmumin Oniyangi, Director of Public Affairs at TETFund, the process led to the selection of projects across three thematic groups: Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI); Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS); and Cross Cutting (CC).

Of the total sum, SETI received ₦2.35 billion, HSS was allocated ₦1.03 billion, and Cross Cutting themes received ₦870.7 million.

Institutions with the highest number of approved projects include the Federal University of Technology, Minna, which secured 15 grants worth ₦400 million; Ahmadu Bello University with 13 projects totaling ₦359.8 million; and Federal University of Technology, Akure, which got 12 projects at ₦341.6 million.

Other notable beneficiaries are Federal University of Technology, Owerri with 11 projects; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi with 10; and University of Ilorin with 8.

Some of the approved projects include research into low-cost housing systems for rural areas, development of bio-based fertilisers, intelligent aerial robotics for crop management, and the creation of AI-powered systems for military health monitoring.

According to TETFund, the NRF grant supports applied research aligned with national development priorities, including power, health, agriculture, security, and employment.

In a related move, the Federal Government has also approved the establishment of 18 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hubs in TETFund beneficiary institutions across all six geo-political zones. The hubs will host facilities such as 3D printing labs, robotics and coding centres, artificial intelligence stations, and product design workspaces.

The government further approved ₦1 billion each for three universities—Federal University Dutse, University of Uyo, and University of Ibadan under the 2025 TETFund Intervention. An additional ₦750 million each was allocated to 12 other polytechnics and colleges of education to support the creation of entrepreneurship and innovation centres.

TETFund said the hubs are intended to accelerate the application of research findings and promote collaboration across disciplines to support Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.