TETFund To Establish Multipurpose Laboratories In Universities
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has inaugurated an ad-hoc committee on the establishment of central multipurpose laboratories in select universities in the country.
Inaugurating the committee on Monday in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said the move was part of efforts to provide relevant infrastructure to aid research in the country.
“It is universally accepted that innovative research and its commercialisation is clearly the driver of economic growth and prosperity in the contemporary world.
“Thus, it is imperative to make conscious efforts to not only develop our human capital but to also provide research infrastructure to support innovative R&D on a sustainable basis. It is indeed a key pre-requisite for accelerated national development and global competitiveness,” Echono said.
Speaking further, the TETFund boss maintained that the agency was deploying billions of naira to fund research programmes and projects with a view to deepen the institutionalisation of Research and Development to tackle national challenges.
“You will recall that the Fund has so far awarded a total of 727 Research Grants to researchers from public tertiary institutions at the cost of over N18bn under the National Research Fund (NRF) to undertake applied research in various academic disciplines.
“It was observed that some of these scholars who have benefited from the NRF grants have often requested that, to complete the execution of the Research Projects may require them to cross international borders to access certain facilities/equipment due to lack of requisite research facilities in their institutions’’ Echono said.
According to the TETFund boss, the Fund is also working to ensure that such laboratories are available in the six geo-political zones in the country few years from now.
He listed the term of reference of the ad-hoc committee as : “Make appropriate recommendations for scoping and effective establishment of the laboratories including whether the Laboratories should be Specialized Laboratories or Multipurpose Laboratories.
“Provide objective guidance on selection of the two beneficiary institutions to host the Laboratories, taking cognizance of historical contexts, accessibility, surrounding environment including presence of industries, needs of the nearby Institutions and strategic areas of focus for maximum impact.
Echono said the committee, which has former Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Emeritus Professor Olufemi Bamiro, has chairperson, has one month to submit its report.
In his acceptance speech, Bamiro, who commended Echono for setting up the committee, expressed the readiness of the team to deliver on the assigned task.
“This will surely go a long way in rejuvenating research and training in research in our nation state.
” Permit me to further commend you sir for the composition of the Committee to ensure the implementation of the assignment in line with the stipulated Terms of Reference.
“The Committee, like the assignment, is multidisciplinary in nature, with experts, and I mean really experienced experts, in the areas of food science and technology, energy, engineering, parasitology, medicine, biochemistry, nuclear physics, and architecture. I do not see any critical area of research endeavour that can escape the eagle eyes of the members.”
Aside Bamiro, other members of the committee are Professor Ekanem Braide, Professor Joseph Ahaneku, Professor Suleiman Mustapha, Professor Yusuf Saidu, Professor Nasir Isa Fagge, Professor Abubakar S. Sambo, Professor Ibrahim Katampe and Mallam Buhari Mikailu.
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