Blessing Bello, Reporting
NIGERIA’S Tertiary Education Trust Fund has approved 174 research grants worth N7.5 billion under the 2025 National Research Fund cycle, backing projects in food security, healthcare, clean energy, defence technology and robotics.
The funding, announced by TETFund Executive Secretary Sonny Echono in Abuja, follows a rigorous nationwide selection process involving proposal vetting, technical assessments and oral defence sessions.
“We are investing in research because that is how nations create wealth, build industries and solve problems,” Echono said.
Grants range from N13.7 million to N49.98 million, supporting research teams across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. The funding round ranks among the largest research investments in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector in recent years.
Priority areas include health and social welfare, agriculture and food security, power and energy, the blue economy, defence and security, and innovation technology for national defence capabilities.
FUT Minna Leads With 18 Grants
Federal University of Technology, Minna topped the list with 18 grants – the highest secured by any institution nationwide. FUT Owerri followed with 11, while Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria claimed 10.
The University of Ilorin secured eight grants, with Bayero University, Kano and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka each taking seven. The University of Jos won six, while the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto each secured five.
Science and technology-focused institutions dominated the field, with the top ten universities together claiming 82 grants – nearly 47 per cent of all awards.
New Universities Show Promise
In a notable development, newly established federal universities – including the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, and the Federal University of Environment and Technology, Koroma Saakpenwa, Ogoni – also secured funding, signalling rising research capacity despite their short histories.
Several state-owned universities benefited too, among them Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Ekiti State University, Kwara State University and Rivers State University.
Polytechnics were not overlooked, with Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic among 10 institutions receiving grants. Three colleges of education also made the list.
Ambition To Top African Rankings
Echono revealed that Nigeria has climbed from eighth to fourth in continental research rankings over the past two years, with the next target set on becoming Africa’s leading research destination.
To achieve that, TETFund plans to expand research partnerships, upgrade laboratory infrastructure and support Nigerian scholars competing for global research grants.
With the 2025 cycle now closed, attention turns to next year’s round. TETFund has called on researchers across all tertiary institutions to prepare proposals for the 2026 National Research Fund cycle, promising a transparent, merit-based selection process.
Echono cautioned that success would not be judged by the N7.5 billion released, but by whether the funded projects produce innovations that transform food production, improve healthcare, increase energy access, strengthen national security and create the industries that will power Nigeria’s future economy.
