The Federal Government has established the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Prize, an annual ₦365 million initiative designed to recognise and reward outstanding academic research, innovation and intellectual excellence across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, unveiled the initiative in Abuja, saying it was aimed at repositioning tertiary institutions as centres of research, innovation, enterprise and problem-solving.
Alausa said the initiative was aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and intended to provide greater recognition and support for exceptional research and innovations capable of addressing national challenges.
According to the minister, Nigeria possesses significant intellectual capacity across its universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education, but outstanding academic work requires stronger institutional support to translate into national impact.
The prize will recognise exceptional undergraduate dissertations with commercial potential, as well as outstanding Master’s theses and Doctoral research with industrial or developmental applications.
The awards will cover six thematic areas: Engineering and Technology; Medicine and Health Sciences; Arts and Social Sciences; Agriculture; Law; and Teaching Innovation.
The initiative will also feature the Dr Stella Adadevoh Prize for Medicine and Medical Innovation in honour of the late Nigerian physician.
The Federal Government said the programme would promote the commercialisation of research, preserve Nigeria’s intellectual output and strengthen the relationship between tertiary education, industry and national development.
The initiative is expected to create greater incentives for students, researchers and academics to develop practical solutions and innovations capable of contributing to Nigeria’s economic and social developmen
