The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has disbursed over N6.4 billion to 217 researchers under the 2020 National Research Fund grant of the Fund for the conduct of cutting-edge research in public tertiary institutions in the country.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro, disclosed this in Abuja, at the formal inauguration of the biennial TETFund National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee (NRFS&MC), as well as the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), in Abuja Wednesday.
The NRFS&MC has Prof. Abubakar Kundiri as its chairman while Prof. Charles Aworh leads TAG as the chairman with a mandate to screen proposals on manuscripts for development into academic textbooks and advise TETFund on viable manuscripts that deserve funding, among other things.
TETFund boss disclosed that the grant cycle of the 2020 was concluded in January 2020. He further said the awardees were selected from public tertiary institutions and research institutes after rigorous screening by the National Research Fund Screening & Monitoring Committee chaired by a former vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro.
Bogoro urged members of the committees to adhere strictly to merit, and warned against compromise in the selection process, stressing that any member found wanting would be sanctioned.
Bogoro said that the Fund had, between 2012 and 2019, awarded 240 research grants at a total cost of ₦6,708,367,736.25, which he observed was almost the awards for 2020 alone.
“From 2012 to 2019, a total of 240 research grants have been awarded at a total cost of N6,708,367,736.25.
“Also in 2020, key development in the NRF grant administration was the introduction of an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) to automate the hitherto manual processes associated with receiving and processing of Concept Notes and Research Proposals.
“This was done with a view to entrench and sustain the culture of efficiency and effectiveness in the process of awarding the NRF Grant and in line with global best practices,” Bogoro said.
He further disclosed that the TETFund National Research Fund intervention line was introduced in 2009 as a Special Intervention Programme, with a seed grant of N3bn, aimed at promoting the conduct of applied research and innovation by academics in public tertiary educational institutions and research institutes.
He said the seed grant was augmented with an additional N1bn in 2015, while the Board of Trustees of TETFund set up the NRF Screening and Monitoring Committee (NRFS&MC) and charged it with the responsibility for implementing and administering the intervention.
“Upon my reinstatement in 2019, we transformed the NRF into an annual intervention and enlarged the funding envelope to N5bn. As at the 2020 iteration of the NRF Grant Cycle, we had increased the funding pot to N7.5bn.
“For 2021, we have made available N8.5bn, indicating a clear progression and our determination to keep moving in the right direction. The 2020 NRF Grant Cycle Exercise has concluded in January 2021 with a total of 217 Research Proposals recommended for Grant Award at a total cost of ₦6,396,159,060.00,” he said.
He noted that the NRF intervention was primarily targeted at researchers in public tertiary education institutions, private universities could now take advantage of the fund by teaming up with eligible beneficiary institutions to compete for research grants. He therefore, charged universities in Nigeria to refocus on ensuring that their research leads to problem-solving outcomes, and not just for journal publications, library archiving and promotion to the next rank.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of TETFund, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, during the inauguration of the committees said the agency in the last 10 years had done a lot to transform the landscape of public tertiary institutions in the country, adding that the paradigm shift was for TETFund to also focus on research and content development as the standard practice.
The chairman of NRFS & MC, Prof. Abubakar Kundiri, in his acceptance speech, promised to ensure the commitment and dedication of members of the committee towards actualising TETFund’s mandate.
