The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) has awarded a $250,000 grant to four innovative research teams in Nigeria.
This followed the successful implementation of the Research for Impact Initiative (R41) under the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
In this initiative, four teams were shortlisted to advance their developed ideas through a collaborative grant established under SGIC with Innovation Technology Hub as the technical partner.
The Director of Research and Development of TETFund, Dr Saliba Bakare said Nigeria joined the SGCI in 2020, five years after the programme inception and had made a tremendous impact.
Bakare was speaking at the project inauguration and initial boot camp of SGCI funding in Abuja on Monday.
According to him, the $250,000 grant will support four Nigerian research teams, each working on projects with the potential to drive significant change.
Among these initiatives are advancements in the processing of garri, a staple food, and pioneering efforts in renewable energy, amongst others.
He said the funding was aimed to bridge the gap between research and practical application by fostering innovations that could be commercialised.
“The essence is to help them transform their findings into commercialisable goods and services in this country,” he said.
He noted that a critical component of the grant was its focus on helping research teams to develop their innovations into market-ready prototypes.
He added that this involved not only technical development but also pitching these products to industries by ensuring that the study was translated into tangible economic benefits.
“Four teams are going to use this money to develop their research into prototypes and pitch them with industries so that there will be take-off of the product coming out from the research,” he said.
Recall that TETFund is one of the 17 members of the Sub-Saharan Africa Science Funding Councils Initiative (SGCI) which seeks to strengthen Science Financing Councils in supporting research and evidence-based policies that contribute to the socioeconomic development of countries.
