FG UNVEILS ₦365M PRIZE FOR TOP ACADEMIC MINDS

The Federal Government has established a ₦365 million annual prize to recognise outstanding academic research, innovation and intellectual excellence across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

The Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Prize, unveiled by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, is designed to reward exceptional research with commercial, industrial or developmental potential.

The programme will cover universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education as part of efforts to reposition tertiary institutions as centres of research, innovation and problem-solving.

The prize will recognise outstanding undergraduate dissertations, Master’s theses and doctoral research across six thematic areas: Engineering and Technology, Medicine and Health Sciences, Agriculture, Law, Arts and Social Sciences, and Teaching Innovation.

The annual prize structure includes ₦35 million for the best undergraduate dissertation, ₦50 million for the best Master’s thesis and ₦100 million for the best doctoral thesis.

Six additional National Laureate Excellence Awards, each worth ₦30 million, will be presented across the six thematic areas, bringing the total annual prize pool to ₦365 million.

A special ₦30 million Dr Stella Adadevoh Prize for Medicine and Medical Innovation will also be awarded in honour of the late Nigerian physician who played a major role in containing the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria.

Alausa said the initiative was aimed at strengthening the connection between academic research and practical solutions while encouraging the commercialisation of innovations developed within Nigeria.

The government said the programme would also help preserve Nigeria’s intellectual output and create stronger links between tertiary institutions, industry and national development.

The inaugural National Laureate Awards are scheduled for November 2026, following the completion of eligibility guidelines, nominations and an independent adjudication process.

The Federal Government said the initiative reflects its broader efforts to give academic excellence greater national recognition and encourage young researchers to develop solutions to Nigeria’s developmental challenges.