TETFund Constitutes Contact Point To Promote Research, Innovation

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has constituted the National Contact Point (NCP) to serve as a channel for information dissemination on opportunities.

The constitution of contact point is part of its commitment towards actualising the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) partnership on research and innovation.

The executive secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, who disclosed this at the  launch and presentation of the Nigerian Contact Network and presentation of work programme for 2023-2024, in Abuja, said the NCP will also provide for researchers  on various workshops.

Echono said TETFund, being an intervention agency for public tertiary institutions in Nigeria, has the mandate to facilitate the institutionalization of R and D in tertiary institutions to support development.

The executive secretary complained that Nigeria has not been able to participate effectively in the EU research funding framework programme until now.

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According to him, the Fund has initiated the process to ensure that the researchers from Nigerian higher education institutions participate effectively in the EU Research and Innovation framework programme, notably the Horizon Europe.

He also said the Fund is providing further support to the NCP Network to enable it to mobilise the Nigerian research community effectively to benefit from the platform and training programme to be deployed by the EU delegation.

Echono stated that the Fund has initiated several interventions aimed at resuscitating research activities in the nation’s tertiary institutions, and the interventions are intended to facilitate cutting -edged research which will contribute to national developmental efforts as well as tackle global challenges.

While stating that the Fund has supported members of NCP to participate in the AU-EU Innovation Agenda Stakeholders Event held in Nairobi, Kenya in November, 2022, he said they would be supported to execute the mandate of mobilising Nigerian researchers to respond to calls arising from Horizon Europe.

“TETFund is supporting research groups from various Nigerian universities through provision of training and mentoring on writing successful grant applications, project management, partnership and consortia development to further complement and extend the support being made available by EU delegates.

“Currently, the Fund has released a request for expression of interest for Nigerian researchers and research teams. TETFUND will spearhead the formation of a bilateral agreement on research and innovation between Nigeria and the EU, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Science and Technology and innovation,” he said.