TETFund to Set Up 18 Innovation Hubs in Tertiary Institutions

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has revealed plans to create 18 innovation hubs in tertiary institutions by 2025 to enhance Nigeria’s research and innovation landscape.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, made this known during the closing ceremony of the 30th Cohort of the Research for Impact (R4i) initiative at Innov8 Technology Hub in Abuja, as stated in a release by the Fund on Saturday.

He explained that this initiative reflects the Fund’s dedication to cultivating a culture of research, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and technological development.

Echono highlighted the crucial role of education and research in fostering national growth and sustainable progress.

The R4i programme, which collaborates with Innov8 Technology Hub, is designed to build the capacity of researchers and academics, enabling them to conduct innovative and solution-driven research that addresses real-world problems.

He further stated that the fund is committed to institutionalizing Research & Development (R&D) in Nigerian universities while strengthening research-industry collaborations.

According to him, TETFund is implementing innovation hubs and entrepreneurship centres in tertiary institutions in stages. He mentioned that this phased execution would allow participants to continue engaging in innovation and mentoring others.

The Executive Secretary also underscored the importance of research in enhancing national well-being and expressed gratitude to Innov8 for its role in advancing the country’s innovation ecosystem. He urged participants to apply their acquired knowledge to develop meaningful innovations within their institutions and communities.

“I am pleased to admit that the participants of previous cohorts of this initiative impressed us with their commitment during the training, which enabled them to come up with innovations in various areas of societal needs.”

“Let me also acknowledge that some of the innovations from previous editions of this programme were exhibited at the maiden edition of the TETFund National Research Fair/Exhibition held in November 2024 in Abuja. I am sure that the participants from this particular cohort, whom we have gathered here to celebrate, will not be different as they showcase their innovative outputs.”

“In line with the commitment of the Fund to provide an enabling environment for problem-solving research, TETFund is funding the establishment of Innovation Hubs and Entrepreneurship Centres in phases in our beneficiary institutions. The first phase will involve 12 beneficiary institutions under the 2023 intervention year, the second phase will involve 18 institutions under the 2024 intervention, and the third phase will involve another 18 institutions under the 2025 intervention.”

“These facilities will enable the participants of this programme to continue practising what they have learned at this innovation hub and mentor others,” Echono added.

Additionally, the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, Professor Idris M. Bugaje, emphasized the necessity of securing patents for innovations and registering trade names to safeguard intellectual property. He encouraged Nigerian polytechnics to pioneer practical innovations by applying scientific knowledge to develop products and technologies that could boost Nigeria’s technological growth.

Bugaje criticized Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods, including vehicles and mobile phones, and called for increased local production. He pointed to successful initiatives in Rwanda and Uganda, urging polytechnics to foster collaboration and take decisive action to position Nigeria as a leader in innovation, ultimately strengthening the national economy.

“I am very sure many of these innovations and ideas you have exhibited could be patented because that’s the most important step in innovation. You must patent your ideas, discoveries, and innovations. Besides patents, if there are any names, I’ve seen many names mentioned in some of the programmes, you also need to do trade name registration.”

“The challenge is on us today in Nigeria. Nigeria is among the top nations in terms of population, GDP, and many other criteria, including being number one in Africa. But today, Nigeria doesn’t have a technology that we can call Nigerian. We are holding Samsung products from Korea. We are driving cars made in Asia and Europe. You should lead Nigeria out of our present disabled condition. This training is very important because it exposes you to teamwork. This is what happens throughout the presentation,” he added.

The Director at Innov8 Hub, Edward Singhatey, urged participants to apply the skills they had acquired and share them with students at their institutions to foster innovation.

“We need to commercialise our research,” he encouraged, emphasizing the importance of utilizing available tools to promote technological advancement.