By Sunday Ameh
Education policy experts have urged the Federal Government to introduce far-reaching reforms aimed at improving Nigerian lecturers’ access to TETFund, local and international research grants, saying the country’s research ecosystem cannot compete globally without stronger institutional support, sustainable funding and industry collaboration.
The recommendations were made during the monthly policy dialogue of the Institute of Educational Planning, Policy, Management, Project, Monitoring and Evaluation on the theme, “Improving Nigerian Lecturers’ Access to TETFund, Local and International Research Grants: Policy Directions for the Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC), and TETFund.”
In his keynote presentation, the Acting President of the institute, Dr. Ogunode Niyi Jacob, proposed a national policy compelling large corporations operating in strategic sectors of the economy to establish or domicile their Research and Development units in Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
According to him, companies in sectors such as oil and gas, telecommunications, banking, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, pharmaceuticals, mining and energy should dedicate a defined proportion of their Corporate Social Responsibility or research budgets to competitive research grants administered in partnership with tertiary institutions.
He said the policy would deepen university-industry collaboration, increase investment in research, create sustainable funding opportunities for lecturers and postgraduate researchers, and stimulate innovation capable of addressing national development challenges.
Following the keynote presentation, the Ag. Deputy Registrar of the institute, Dr. Ayodele Ebunolu Nwisagbo, identified three strategic policy priorities for strengthening lecturers’ access to research funding.
Nwisagbo advocated the establishment of National Grant Writing and Research Development Centres in all tertiary institutions, supported by functional Research Development Offices and structured mentorship programmes. She noted that similar models in South Africa and the United Kingdom had significantly improved research competitiveness.
She also urged the NUC to make institutional research capacity development a quality assurance benchmark by requiring universities to establish grant support units, encourage interdisciplinary and international collaborations and incorporate grant acquisition, research impact and innovation into institutional performance assessments.
She further called on TETFund to expand seed grants, proposal review clinics, pre-award capacity-building programmes and international partnership initiatives while recommending performance-based accountability frameworks that measure funded research through publications, patents, innovations, postgraduate supervision, policy impact, industry collaboration and societal benefits.
Also contributing, Dr. Deborah Jegede, the acting Registrar of Institute of Educational Planning, Policy, Management, Project, Monitoring and Evaluation, suggests that the National Universities Commission (NUC), TETFund, and the Federal Ministry of Education should jointly develop a regulatory framework that encourages industry-sponsored research, protects intellectual property rights, promotes commercialization of research findings, and ensures transparency and accountability in grant administration.
She also contributed that Universities should establish well-equipped Research Management and Grant Development Offices to train academics in proposal writing, identify funding opportunities, build international collaborations, and provide technical support throughout the grant application process.
Dr. Olumide A. urged the Federal Government to introduce tax incentives and national recognition awards for companies making significant investments in university research and innovation. He also recommended institutionalising regular grant-writing workshops, mentorship programmes and simplified application procedures to improve lecturers’ success rates.
For Dr. Boma Ihua, strengthening institutional research and grants offices through continuous training in proposal development, project management and donor compliance would significantly improve grant acquisition. He also advocated transparent grant allocation processes, feedback for unsuccessful applicants, seed funding for emerging researchers and increased investment in digital research infrastructure.
Similarly, Dr. Vera G. Oweikpodor recommended making grant writing and research management training compulsory for academic staff in public tertiary institutions through regular workshops, mentorship programmes and proposal development clinics to enhance the quality of grant applications.
On his part, Dr. Okolo Michael Monday called on TETFund to expand the National Research Fund and Institution-Based Research Scheme while promoting multidisciplinary collaborations among universities, research institutes, industries and international partners to improve Nigerian academics’ competitiveness for global grants.
Speaking on digital access to research funding, Dr. Abubakar Musa advocated strengthening online platforms where lecturers can easily obtain information on grant opportunities, eligibility requirements, proposal templates, webinars and application procedures.
Orunbon N. O. recommended that every public tertiary institution should establish a functional Research and Grant Support Office staffed by experienced grant administrators to assist lecturers with proposal development, partnership coordination, funding opportunities and post-award management.
Also, Dr. Esther Amina Akuh called for stronger partnerships between Nigerian tertiary institutions and international universities, donor agencies, development organisations and research institutes, saying such collaborations would expose Nigerian academics to global research networks and funding opportunities.
In his contribution, Dr. Victor O. Ayoko advocated the introduction of seed grant schemes to finance pilot studies, noting that many international funding organisations require preliminary research findings before awarding major grants.
Dr. Michael I. Olumodeji urged the Federal Ministry of Education to establish a national policy on grant-writing training and research mentorship while directing the NUC to mandate functional Research Development Offices in tertiary institutions. He also recommended rewarding institutions with outstanding research performance and reducing excessive teaching workloads to improve research productivity.
Addressing governance issues, Dr. Yahaya Danjuma Mohammed stressed the need for greater awareness of TETFund opportunities, stronger institutional support, prompt release of research funds and decisive action against corruption and favouritism in grant administration.
Similarly, Isomom Benson proposed the establishment of a national research support framework to promote grant awareness, institutional collaboration and sustainable research financing. He also called for integrating grant-writing training into academic development programmes and strengthening institutional research management systems.
Concluding the individual presentations, Dr. Afolabi Iyabode O. advocated a transparent digital portal for TETFund research grants with clear eligibility criteria, application timelines and real-time tracking. She also proposed the establishment of a Nigerian Research Matching Fund through which TETFund would provide counterpart funding for lecturers who secure major international research grants, alongside annual grant-writing boot camps and partnerships with Nigerian scholars in the diaspora.
The participants unanimously agreed that improving lecturers’ access to research grants would enhance research productivity, technological innovation, postgraduate education, evidence-based policymaking, industrial development and Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
They urged the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission and TETFund to work collaboratively in implementing the recommendations, noting that strengthening the country’s research funding architecture is essential to building a knowledge-driven economy.
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