The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has commenced the establishment of Innovation Hubs in 45 beneficiary tertiary institutions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones in the country.
The hubs are expected to strengthen research, promote technological innovation and accelerate the commercialisation of locally developed products.
The initiative is part of the Fund’s efforts to transform tertiary institutions into centres of research and development (R&D), where academics can develop home-grown solutions to societal challenges, create enterprises and contribute to national economic growth.
The executive secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this at the closing ceremony of Cohort 34 of the Research for Impact (R4i) Initiative on Friday. He was represented at the event by the director of monitoring and evaluation, Babatunde Olajide.
The two-week R4i programme exposes participants to practical innovation facilities, research development techniques and expert mentorship to help them transform ideas into solutions, products and enterprises.
Echono said that the Innovation Hubs would provide facilities where researchers could apply the skills acquired during the programme, sustain collaborative research and transform innovative ideas into practical solutions.
According to him, the Fund’s investment in research is driven by the conviction that high-impact innovation is essential to building a knowledge-based economy and achieving sustainable national development.
“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.
Echono also stressed the need for Nigeria to develop home-grown solutions to its challenges rather than depend solely on technologies and innovations developed elsewhere.
The R4i Initiative, implemented in collaboration with Innov8 Technology Hub, is designed to equip researchers and academics from beneficiary institutions with the practical skills needed to develop innovative, impact-driven research that addresses pressing societal needs.
The TETFund boss disclosed that participants from previous cohorts had developed several prototypes, some of which had been patented, demonstrating the potential of the programme to translate academic research into tangible outcomes.
He said the positive feedback from participants and their institutions had encouraged TETFund to sustain and expand the initiative.
As part of efforts to strengthen its impact, the Fund has increased the number of participants nominated by each selected beneficiary institution from one to four.
The expanded arrangement is intended to bring together researchers from different but complementary scientific backgrounds to foster teamwork, encourage knowledge-sharing and build a pool of academics capable of mentoring emerging researchers.
The executive secretary said the approach would also promote a culture of collaborative and innovative research within tertiary institutions, with a focus on producing market-driven research outputs that could be commercialised.
“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,” he said, adding that the establishment of Innovation Hubs in 45 institutions would provide a more conducive environment for researchers to continue developing their ideas beyond the intensive training sessions.
Echono urged the participants to build on the knowledge acquired during the training and remain committed to developing solutions capable of making a difference 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.
The deputy general manager of Innov8 Technology Hub, Deji Ige, stated that the partnership with TETFund was an important step towards strengthening research, innovation and enterprise creation in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
He said the initiative was providing academics with opportunities to move beyond theoretical research and translate their ideas into practical solutions with the potential to address local challenges.
According to Ige, the programme offers researchers an opportunity to explore how their knowledge and expertise can be converted into innovations, viable enterprises and products capable of contributing to national development.
According to him, “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.”
Ige also encouraged participants to embrace experimentation and learn from setbacks, stressing that failure was often part of the process of developing new technologies and solutions.
“When you are looking to innovate, do not be afraid of failure, because failure is part of the chaotic process of innovation. So, embrace the opportunity,” he said.
He also urged the researchers to sustain the relationships established during the programme and apply their knowledge to developing home-grown technologies, creating ventures and generating wealth.
The director of Innov8 Hub, Mr Edward Singhatey, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to driving innovation and strengthening its partnership with TETFund, pledging to deploy cutting-edge technologies and relevant content to deliver on its mandate.
In his own words, “we are passionate about innovation, and as long as you continue to trust and have confidence in us, we will keep searching for cutting-edge technology and the latest content to deliver on our mandate. We will forever remain a committed partner in innovation to TETFund.”
