Over N23bn so far spent in funding research

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, said yesterday it has so far spent over N23 billion to fund 912 research projects across the country.

TETFund’s Assistant Director, Research and Development, R&D, Dr. Hadiza Ismail, disclosed this at a validation workshop on “Strengthening Research and Innovation Funding Agencies in West Africa,” in Abuja yesterday.

Ismail, who represented the Director of TETFund’s Research and Development at the event, said the agency was fully committed to the establishment of a science granting council in Nigeria.

While noting that TETFund had continued to financially support research through the National Research Fund, Hadiza said the Fund was also working hard to ensure that research outputs were linked to industry to bring about the desired development.

She said: “So far, the Fund has spent over N23 billion on about 912 research projects that have been sponsored.

“But that also gives us an insight into the need for this workshop and what we are actually talking about. Despite the fact that we have given grants to over 900 projects, we want to see how we can link these research projects to industry and get viable outcomes at the end of the day to help Nigeria move forward.

“On his part, Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies, ATPS, Network, Professor Nicholas Ozor, said the workshop was aimed at giving momentum to a project designed to strengthen national research councils in six West African countries.

He, however, expressed concerns about the non-existence of a national research and innovation funding agency in Nigeria, saying the absence had denied the country the ability to attract foreign grants for research.

He said: “Nigeria specifically has an issue currently because they do not yet have a well-recognized national research and innovation funding agency.”