The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Monday, said he has identified industry-linked research in institutions of higher learning as key to national development.
While receiving briefings from Chief Executives of parastatals and agencies under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education in his office in Abuja, the minister said: “The Federal Government is determined to support research linked to industry to synchronize research and the industrial sector to accelerate national development”.
He called on members of the academic community to ”see research beyond promotion and career advancement, adding that overall national development must take priority over any other considerations”.
Mamman also promised to do everything humanly possible to ensure that industry-based research is encouraged to accelerate national development.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr, Yusuf Sununu expressed the government’s determination to support the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in its efforts at promoting industry-based research, adding that the administration of “President Bola Tinubu will do everything humanly possible to clear any obstacle on the way of research funding”.
Earlier in his briefing, TETFund Executive Secretary, Sunny Echono told the ministers that the fund has in the last two years sponsored over 65,000 staff in tertiary institutions to national and international conferences, workshops and training programmes. He briefed the Ministers on critical investments being made by the Fund on high-impact projects, disaster recovery and research grants.
Echono informed the ministers that investment in research in varsities led to the Production and Public presentations of over 60 books in 2022, adding that more books will be published at designated publishing houses across the six geopolitical zones in the coming years.
