The Federal Government has approved N10 billion for the 2026 National Research Fund (NRF) Grant Cycle of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The fund announced this in a call for concept notes, stating that the grant would support research projects across 30 priority thematic areas under Humanities and Social Sciences; Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation; and Cross-Cutting research.
TETFund said the 2026 cycle followed the successful completion of the 2025 programme, which resulted in the award of more than N6.09 billion to 174 research projects.
Who Can Apply?
According to TETFund, lecturers in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria are eligible to apply.
The fund said multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research involving scholars from different fields would be encouraged.
Each application must have a Principal Investigator (PI) who will lead the research team and take responsibility for the conduct of the project.
The PI must also be based in the institution serving as the coordinating institution and guarantor for the proper use of funds.
How to Apply
The application process will be conducted entirely online through the TETFund National Research Fund portal at nrf.tetfund.gov.ng.
Applicants are required to study the Research Brief and Application Guidelines before preparing and submitting their concept notes.
All concept notes will be assessed by the National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee.
Only Principal Investigators whose concept notes are considered fundable will be invited to submit full research proposals.
The PI and at least one member of the research team behind a proposal that passes the screening stage will subsequently be invited to defend the proposal before the committee.
Successful proposals will be presented to the TETFund Board of Trustees for final approval and disbursement of funds.
Deadline for Application
TETFund said the portal would open for submission of concept notes on August 31, 2026.
The deadline for submission is October 15, 2026, and the fund stressed that there would be no extension.
30 Priority Research Areas
The research themes are divided into three broad categories.
Humanities and Social Sciences: Citizenship and National Integration; Conflict, Defence and Security; Economic Development and Globalisation; Education and Human Capital; Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion; Governance, Politics, Law and Ethics; History, Culture and Identities; Humanities, Social Sciences, Technology and Business Interface; Languages, Literatures and Media; Population and Migration; Social Development and Welfare; and Tourism, Sports and Recreation.
Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation: Agriculture and Food Security; Geosciences; Health and Social Welfare; Industry and Innovation; Information Technology, Computing and Telecommunications; Power and Energy; Science and Engineering; Space Science and Technology; Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Terrestrial Ecosystems; Transport and Infrastructure; and Water and Sanitation.
Cross-Cutting: Blue Economy; Clean and Affordable Energy; Entrepreneurship and Wealth Creation; Environment, Housing, Urban and Regional Development; Innovation and Technology in National Defence Capabilities; Resource Governance; and National System of Innovation.
The call was signed by the TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny S. T. Echono, PhD, FNIA, OON.
Applicants seeking clarification can contact the TETFund NRF Secretariat through [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected].
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