By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has commenced the establishment of Innovation Hubs in 45 beneficiary tertiary institutions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, to strengthen research, promote technological innovation, and accelerate the commercialisation of locally developed products.
The initiative, is aimed at transforming tertiary institutions into centres of research and development, where academics can translate ideas into practical solutions, create businesses and contribute to national economic growth.
Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Arc. Babatunde Olajide, who represented TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, disclosed this at the closing ceremony of Cohort 34 of the Research for Impact Initiative, held after a two-week intensive training programme in collaboration with Innov8 Technology Hub.
Olajide said the Innovation Hubs would provide researchers with facilities to sustain collaborative research, develop prototypes and advance innovative ideas towards commercialisation.
He added that TETFund had increased the number of participants nominated by each selected institution from one to four to encourage multidisciplinary collaboration, knowledge-sharing and mentorship among academics.
He noted that participants from previous cohorts had developed several prototypes, some of which had been patented, demonstrating the programme’s potential to transform academic research into tangible products. Olajide urged the latest cohort to build on the skills acquired and develop home-grown technologies capable of addressing Nigeria’s challenges.
Also speaking, the Deputy General Manager of Innov8 Technology Hub, Deji Ige, described the partnership as an important step towards strengthening innovation and enterprise development in the tertiary education sector. He encouraged researchers to embrace experimentation and view failure as part of the innovation process.
Similarly, the Director of Innov8 Hub, Edward Singhatey, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to the partnership, pledging to deploy cutting-edge technologies and relevant content to support TETFund’s research and innovation objectives.
The Research for Impact Initiative is designed to equip academics with practical skills and expert mentorship to develop research-driven solutions, viable enterprises and market-ready products that can contribute to sustainable national development.
