A total of 13 proposals for technological innovations that met the requirements of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have secured N172.5 million in funding.
The 13 were selected out of the 55 research proposals that were submitted in response to the Request for Proposals (RFP) sent out by the NCC in 2021.
The RFP dwells 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”, noted the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Umar Danbatta who lauded the painstaking approach of the evaluation process that ensured 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.
The award by the Commission is in line with its recognition of the academia as a central stakeholder in its commitment to linkages and the local development sphere of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
This led to the institution of N233 million research grants and endowed professorial chairs in some Nigerian universities.
From the total grant, the 13 technological proposals have secured N172.5 million support in addition to N20 million for each of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto; and Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, the three universities for endowments of the professorial chair by the Commission.
The fresh endowment in the three universities brings to seven, the number of universities that the Commission has endowed professorial chairs with the value of over N660 million to Nigerian tertiary institutions for ICT-focused research innovations
Earlier, the NCC had instituted professorial chairs in the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State; Bayero University, Kano, Kano State; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State; and University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
Danbatta, at the award ceremony, said the grant is a demonstration of the Commission’s strong resolve in advancing the impact of digital technologies on the national economy, using indigenous products and solutions.
He presented award letters to the Lead Researchers of the beneficiaries of the 13 research grants, stating that under the Telecommunications-Based Research Innovations, tertiary institutions are expected to submit detailed and well-thought-out research proposals, on specific thematic areas provided by the Commission. The proposal is expected to result in the development of commercially-viable prototypes as concrete harvests.
The Commission has endowed professorial chairs in tertiary institutions across the country, as a mechanism in entrenching innovations in our tertiary institutions, as well as have vice-Chancellorng graduates that are “industry-ready.
The endowment of professorial chairs in university ties is one of Commission’s initiatives in supporting the academia to focus on research in Information and Communication TetoCT) to enhance the advancements of emerging technologies,” Danbatta stated, to underscore the purpose for instituting professorial chairs in tertiary endowments.
Endowment is through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Commission and each benefitting university just as the Commission recently included the sighing of MoU as part of the implementation of the Telecommunications-Based Research Innovations.
Earlier in his remarks, NCC’s Head of Research and Development (HRD), Kelechi Nwankwo, thanked the EVC for his vision to continually deepen collaboration between the Commission and the Academia. Nwankwo expressed optimism that the Management of the Commission would continue to allocate the requisite resources to research, development and innovations that are necessary for the industry to continue to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
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.
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