FG To Establish Innovation Hubs In Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Government has expressed the readiness to replicate innovation hubs projects in public universities and other higher education institutions in the country.

Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono made this known at the opening of the TETFund Alliance for Innovative Research (TETFAIR) initiative on Wednesday in Abuja.

The TETFund boss, who said the TETFAIR programme was put in place in collaboration with Innov8 Hub, revealed that the move was part of efforts to institutionalise Research and Development (R&D) in Nigeria.

“The TETFAIR programme is being conducted by TETFund in collaboration with Innov8 Technology Hub, a firm championing the advancement of Science and Technology Education in Nigeria.

“The programme is designed to support the advancement of solution-driven research, innovation and sustainable development in Nigeria. Being a year-long programme, TETFAIR is aimed at providing unique opportunity for our academics and researchers in Nigerian Universities to transform their ideas into market-driven solutions, including the development and fabrication of prototypes.

“Through the programme, selected teams of researchers and academic staff with promising ideas for innovative solutions in the programme areas of focus, are being taken through a journey that combines technology and product development along with venture creation, ” Echono said.

The TETFund boss also revealed that the Fund has sponsored the production of another set of 50 books, which will soon be unveiled for use in tertiary institutions in the country.

Declaring the TETFAIR open, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu said the initiative would help address gaps and proffer solutions that will help Nigeria meet global demands.

Represented by Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Nanah Opiah, Adamu, who commended TETFund for the initiative, said developed countries leverage science and technology to achieve their status.

“Most of the countries that have emerged as global leaders have achieved this status through ingenuity and hard work of their scientists,” the Minister said.

On his part, Deji Ige, communication adviser, innovat8 hub, said the organisation was established to promote innovation and nurture ideas to reality.

“Founded by Professor Gregory Ibe and Dr Moshe Moalem, Innov8 hub in simple terms is a midwife that helps Nigerians who are pregnant with innovative ideas, to birth their ideas into inventions, nurse their invention into solutions, and transform their solution into enterprises.

“So far, we have helped Nigerians develop and perfect over 72 prototypes ready for commercialization, we have mentored over 150 innovators, inventors and venture creators, among whom are academics and researchers. We have been involved in the emergence of 15 solid start-ups,” Ige said.

This year’s edition of TETFAIR which attracted 66 scholars/ researchers is expected to run for one year.

By Clement Idoko
https://tribuneonlineng.com/fg-to-establish-innovation-hubs-in-tertiary-institutions/