Admin I Thursday, Sept 25, 2025
ABUJA – Nigeria is stepping up efforts to transform its research and development landscape, with a new initiative aimed at commercializing scientific innovations to drive economic growth. The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has launched a grant program designed to turn promising research into market-ready products and services.
Speaking at a recent sensitization program in Abuja, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, emphasized that commercializing research is a crucial component of Nigeria’s development strategy. Halilu, represented by the agency’s Research Director, Professor Abdulmalik Ibrahim Onuwe, highlighted the need to overcome the financial and administrative hurdles that typically slow down research projects.
The new NASENI Research Commercialization Grant Programme (NRCGP) aims to do just that by providing targeted support to viable projects. According to Professor Onuwe, the application process has been fully digitized to eliminate bureaucracy and ensure transparency.
“This is not just for personal benefit, but to empower prospective researchers,” Halilu stated, urging participants from various institutions, including universities and research agencies, to collaborate and innovate.
The program’s coordinator, Engr. Dr. Anas Balarabe Yazid, detailed the NRCGP’s objectives, stating that every funded project must be “noble, clear, market-viable, and align with NASENI’s transformation agenda and Nigeria’s broader development goals.”
He noted that the initiative is a key part of the agency’s “Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialisation” (3Cs) principle, which prioritizes the translation of research into tangible economic value.
The initiative has been met with positive reception, with participants encouraged to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by NASENI. Deputy Director, Ms. Joy Elugbe, expressed gratitude on behalf of the agency, encouraging researchers to embrace the new initiative as a pathway to national progress.
