The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has awarded N233 million fresh research grants and endowed professorial chairs in some Nigerian universities.
Of the grants, N172.5 million was awarded to support 13 proposals found to have met the stipulated criteria in the advertised 2021 Request for Proposal (RfP) for Telecommunications-Based Research Innovations from Nigerian Tertiary Institutions (research grant) Programme. Additionally, three universities received the sum of N20 million each for endowments of professorial chair by the commission.
Speaking at the award ceremony, which took place at the commission’s Head Office in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, the Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the event demonstrated the commission’s strong resolve in advancing the impact of digital technologies on the national economy, using indigenous products and solutions.
While presenting award letters to the Lead Researchers of the beneficiaries of the 13 research grants, Danbatta said, under the Telecommunications-Based Research Innovations, tertiary institutions submit detailed and well thought-out research proposals, on specific thematic areas provided by the Commission. The proposals are expected to result in the development of commercially-viable prototypes as concrete harvests.
According to Danbatta, in 2021 RfP, the commission received a total of 55 research proposal that focused on five emerging technology areas, namely: Fifth Generation (5G) deployment; Innovative Clean Energy; Advanced Method of Quality of Service (QoS)/Quality of Experience Management and Test Mechanism; Internet of Things (IoT); Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) Technology; and Monitoring and Localising of Drones.
“After thorough evaluations, 13 proposals were found to have met the stipulated criteria. Indeed, this is a clear testimony to the objectivity and painstaking approach to the evaluation process aimed at ensuring that the best quality is achieved and only researches that could produce prototypes with the potential of providing solutions to both local and global challenges were selected,” Danbatta said as he congratulates the 13 successful research awardees.
The EVC also presented dummy cheques of N20 million each to the Vice Chancellors of three Nigerian universities, namely: University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto; and Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, who are the beneficiaries of the NCC’s Professorial Chair Endowments.
The fresh endowment in the three universities brings to seven, the number of universities that the Commission has endowed professorial chairs. Earlier, the NCC had instituted professorial chairs in Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State; Bayero University, Kano, Kano State; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State; and University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Expressing appreciation on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Vice Chancellor, Usman Danfodio University, Prof. Lawal Bilbis, assured the Commission that the funds will be put to judicious use.
