TETFund Sets Up Innovation Hubs in 45 Nigerian Institutions

Hope Ajayi October 10, 2026 2 minutes read

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is establishing innovation hubs in 45 beneficiary tertiary institutions across Nigeria to help researchers turn academic ideas into marketable products, new businesses and practical solutions to national challenges.

The initiative is designed to strengthen research and development, promote technological innovation and improve the commercialisation of locally developed technologies.

TETFund Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Arc Babatunde Olajide, disclosed this on Friday while representing the fund’s Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, at the closing ceremony of Cohort 34 of the Research for Impact (R4i) Initiative.

In a statement on Saturday, Olajide said the innovation hubs would provide facilities where academics could continue developing ideas beyond formal training, undertake collaborative research and transform prototypes into practical solutions.

He said the investment reflected the fund’s commitment to making tertiary institutions more effective centres of research, innovation and enterprise development. “Education remains a critical cornerstone of nation-building, while technology has taken centre stage globally in transforming lives, generating wealth and shaping nations,” Olajide said.

The two-week R4i programme, implemented in collaboration with Innov8 Technology Hub, equips academics and researchers with practical innovation skills, research development techniques and expert mentorship to help turn ideas into products and enterprises.

Olajide said participants from earlier cohorts had developed prototypes, some of which had been patented, demonstrating the programme’s potential to translate academic research into tangible outcomes.

To expand its reach, TETFund has increased the number of participants nominated by each selected beneficiary institution from one to four. The expanded arrangement is intended to bring together researchers from complementary scientific backgrounds, encourage knowledge-sharing and build teams capable of mentoring emerging scholars.