TETFund Launches 45 Innovation Hubs in Tertiary Institutions

TETFund has launched innovation hubs in 45 tertiary institutions to strengthen research, promote technological innovation, and accelerate the commercialization of locally developed products. Babatunde Olajide, the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, announced this initiative at the closing ceremony of Cohort 34 of the Research for Impact (R4i) Initiative.

The two-week program equips researchers with practical innovation skills and expert mentorship. Olajide emphasized the importance of developing home-grown solutions rather than relying on foreign technologies.

The R4i Initiative, in collaboration with Innov8 Technology Hub, aims to address societal needs through innovative research. Previous cohorts have successfully developed prototypes, some of which have been patented.

TETFund has increased participant nominations from one to four per institution to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing. The innovation hubs will provide an environment for researchers to develop their ideas post-training.

Deji Ige from Innov8 Technology Hub highlighted the partnership's role in moving academics toward practical solutions and enterprise creation.