The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has commenced the establishment of Innovation Hubs in 45 beneficiary tertiary institutions across Nigeria to accelerate research, promote technological innovation and commercialise locally developed products.

The initiative is aimed at transforming tertiary institutions into research and development centres where academics can develop home-grown solutions to national challenges, create businesses and contribute to economic growth.
Executive Secretary of the Fund, Arc. Sonny Echono, revealed this at the weekend in Abuja at the closing ceremony of Cohort 34 of the Research for Impact (R4i) Initiative.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Arc Babatunde Olajide, Echono said the hubs would provide researchers with facilities to apply skills acquired during the programme, sustain collaborative research and transform innovative ideas into marketable products.

The two-week Research for Impact (R4i) programme, implemented in collaboration with Innov8 Technology Hub, equips academics with practical skills, research development techniques and expert mentorship to transform ideas into innovative solutions, marketable products and viable enterprises.

The 48 participants in Cohort 34 were drawn from 12 beneficiary institutions, providing them with an opportunity to acquire hands-on experience and develop research-driven solutions to societal challenges.

Echono said the investment reflected TETFund’s commitment to building a knowledge-based economy through research and innovation.

“Education remains a critical cornerstone of nation-building, while technology has taken centre stage globally in transforming lives, generating wealth and shaping nations,” he said.

The Executive Secretary emphasised the need for Nigeria to develop indigenous technologies and solutions rather than depend solely on innovations developed abroad.

According to him, participants from previous cohorts have developed several prototypes, some of which have been patented, demonstrating the programme’s potential to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial application.

He said positive feedback from participants and their institutions had encouraged TETFund to sustain and expand the initiative.

He said to strengthen collaboration, the Fund has increased the number of participants nominated by each selected institution from one to four, bringing together researchers from complementary scientific disciplines to encourage teamwork and knowledge-sharing.

He explained that the arrangement is also expected to create a pool of innovative researchers who can mentor younger academics and promote a sustainable culture of collaborative research across tertiary institutions.

“The essence is to build a team of innovative researchers who will mentor upcoming scholars in the system, thereby promoting the entrenchment and sustainability of collaborative and innovative research practices in our institutions,” the TETFund boss said.

He urged participants to build on the knowledge acquired during the training and remain committed to developing solutions capable of addressing challenges in their institutions and communities.

“The completion of this phase signifies the commencement of the next phase of working towards commercialisation of the products you have developed,” he said.

Earlier, the Deputy General Manager, Innov8 Hub, Dr Deji Ige, described the partnership with TETFund as an important step towards strengthening research, innovation and enterprise creation in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

He said the programme was giving academics the opportunity to move beyond theoretical research and develop practical solutions with the potential to address local challenges, create businesses and generate wealth.

“Research for Impact is more than an initiative. It is a lamp unto the path of Nigerians, especially members of the academia, who have long awaited an opportunity to begin the journey towards translating ideas into innovation, solutions and action,” Dr Ige said.

He urged participants to embrace experimentation, noting that setbacks were often an integral part of developing new technologies.

Also, the Director of Innov8 Technology Hub, Edward Singhatey, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to the partnership, pledging to deploy cutting-edge technologies and relevant content to strengthen the programme’s impact.