The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has recorded another significant milestone in its drive to promote quality research and innovation, as four of its research teams have received Letters of Award for research grants worth a total of N116 million under the 2025 Tertiary Education Trsut Fund (TETFund) National Research Fund (NRF) Intervention.
The award letters, signed by the TETFund's Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, were presented on Monday, June 6, 2026 by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, during a ceremony held at the Conference Room of the Vice-Chancellor's Office at the university's headquarters.
The grants will support research projects addressing critical national and global challenges in healthcare, science, environmental sustainability and other strategic areas of national development.
Speaking at the presentation, Professor Uduma congratulated the award-winning researchers for bringing honour to the university through their outstanding research proposals.
He described the grants as a strong vote of confidence in the quality of research being conducted at NOUN and urged the beneficiaries to justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering impactful and innovative results.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that research remains a core mandate of every university and plays a critical role in addressing societal challenges.
He encouraged the researchers to execute their projects with diligence, transparency and commitment while strictly adhering to the terms and conditions governing the grants.
Uduma added that the success of the research teams would further enhance NOUN's reputation as a leading institution committed to academic excellence, innovation and national development.
Among the awardees was a research team led by Professor Adamu Shehu Usman, the DVC, Administration, which received a grant of N25 million for the project titled "Formulation and Preclinical Evaluation of Phytopharmaceutical Prototypes from Nigerian Medicinal Plants for Cancer Therapy."
The study seeks to harness the medicinal potential of indigenous Nigerian plants in developing phytopharmaceutical products for cancer treatment.
It is expected to generate scientific evidence supporting the use of locally available medicinal plants in tackling one of the world's most challenging health conditions.
Another research team, led by Professor Tijjani Habibu, received N21,895,466 for the project titled "Advanced Graphene-Based Nanoemulsions of Rice Bran Oil for Promoting Angiogenesis, Tissue Regeneration and Antimicrobial Efficacy for Diabetic Wound Healing."
The research aims to develop innovative treatment options for diabetic wound care by promoting tissue regeneration, enhancing blood vessel formation and preventing infections.
The project is expected to contribute significantly to healthcare research and improve the quality of life of people living with diabetes.
A third team, headed by Professor Okoh Johnson Ifeanyi, was awarded N35 million for the project titled "Assessing the Readiness of the Financial System in Nigeria for Carbon Neutrality."
The study will evaluate the preparedness of Nigeria's financial system to support the country's transition towards carbon neutrality and environmentally sustainable economic growth.
Its findings are expected to provide valuable insights for policymakers, financial institutions and other stakeholders in developing strategies for sustainable development.
The fourth NOUN research team also received funding of N35 million under the 2025 TETFund National Research Fund Intervention, for the proposed research topic of "Multilingual Support System for Bridging Language Barriers in the Nigerian ODL: English, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo, which is being headed by Prof. Ogbonnadike Georgiana Onkolika.
The additional award further underscores the growing recognition of NOUN's expanding research capacity and its commitment to providing practical solutions to national challenges.
According to the award letters, each research project will run for 24 months, commencing from the date the first tranche of the grant is paid into the designated project account.
The researchers are also required to submit periodic progress reports to TETFund throughout the implementation period.
The award letters further stated that the grants were approved in line with TETFund's mandate to promote and support impactful research in public tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The intervention is designed to strengthen research and development while encouraging universities to contribute meaningfully to national growth through innovative, solution-driven research.
In addition, 95 per cent of each approved grant will be released directly for project execution through dedicated research accounts in the names of the respective principal researchers, in accordance with TETFund guidelines.
speaking onbehalf of the awardees, the DVC, Administration, Prof. Shehu Usman Adamu, thanked the university, which he said, kick-started the initiative with its own internal research grant system.
He also expressed appreciation to the DVC, Technology, Innovation and Research, Prof. Christine Ofulue as well as the Directorate of Research Administration, for their workshop, which further helped positioned the teams to effectively defend their proposals before the NRF.
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