SGCI Awards $250,000 Grants to Four Nigerian Research Teams

Kuni Tyessi in Abua

Four Nigerian research teams have received a grant of  $250,000 from the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), to transform their research findings into commercialised goods and services.

Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this at the inauguration of the initial bootcamp of SGCI funding of research grants in Nigeria, yesterday  in Abuja.

The grant award followed the successful implementation of the Research for Impact Initiative (R41), under the auspices of TETFund where four teams were shortlisted to advance their developed ideas through a collaborative research grant established under SGCIs with Innov8 Technology Hub as the technical partner.

Represented by TETFund’s Director of Research Innovation and Development, Dr Salihu Bakare, the TETFund boss disclosed that the grant originated from the SGCI, a multi-funder initiative aimed at strengthening the capacities of 17 Science Granting Councils, SGCs, in sub-Saharan Africa.

TETFund is one of 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.

According to Echono, though Nigeria joined the SGCI in 2020—five years after the programme’s inception—the impact of this collaboration is poised to be transformative.

He said 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 aims to bridge the gap between research and practical application, fostering innovations that can be commercialised.

“The essence is to help them transform their research findings into commercializable goods and services in this country,”  Bakare explained.

He added that a critical component of the grant is its focus on helping research teams develop their innovations into market-ready prototypes.

This, he said, involves not only technical development but also pitching these products to industries, ensuring that the research translates 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 noted.