ABU organises NRF grant training workshop for staff, PG students
The Directorate of Research and Innovation, Ahmadu Bello University, has organised the 2025 National Research Fund (NRF) grant training workshop for staff and postgraduate students of the university.
The workshop took place on Thursday, 7th August, 2025, at the Postgraduate College Auditorium, Main Campus, Samaru, Zaria.
Speaking at the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, encouraged academic staff not to just conduct research for publications, but that they should also make such research out of the shelves.
Prof Ahmed expressed happiness over the successes the university had recorded so far in patenting some of its researches.
The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the efforts the university was making now was to ensure within the next few months or years, those research outputs were taken out to the industries.
Prof Ahmed urged all participants to be attentive and wished them fruitful deliberations.
In an address of welcome, the Director, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Prof Joy J. Maina, called on researchers within the humanities to submit research proposals that would address problems peculiar to their respective disciplines.
Prof Maina expressed the Directorate’s readiness to attend to both staff and postgraduate students willing to attract the NRF grants at their research clinic.
In a paper presentation titled “NRF Grant Eligibility: Requirements and General Structure, a Prof Tonie Okpe of the Department of Fine Arts, stated that for researchers to be eligible for NRF, they must clearly identify their research category and identify their thematic areas.
Prof Okpe asserted that researchers must also adhere to word count and budget sum.
In another presentation titled “Crafting Successful Concept Notes: Salient Points and Best Practices” the Deputy Director, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Prof Mohammed Auwal Ibrahim, said advanced research usually comes at two stages – the concept note stage and the proposal stage.
Prof Auwal maintained that NRF research topics should focus on developing or innovating something.
On his part, the ABU PTDF Professorial Chair, Prof AbdulAzeez Yusuf Atta, spoke on “Full Proposal Writing, Basic Components and Practical Trips”.
Prof Atta said it was very important for NRF grant seekers to stick to the key components and structure of full NRF proposals.
In her presentation, the Director, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Prof Joy J. Maina, underscored the significance of the rationale behind oral defense sessions.
Prof Maina enjoined all participants to always identify areas of focus during oral defense sessions.
Speaking on patenting and commercialization of research outputs, the Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Officer, Prof Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun, noted that it was high time academics go commercial with their intellectual property.
In a vote of thanks, Provost, Postgraduate College, Prof M N Shuaibu, thanked the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, for sharing his experience as an NRF assessor for over a decade.
Prof Shuaibu expressed optimism that the product of the workshop would reflect when TETFUND released names of grant winners.
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Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (AHW)
Friday, 8th August, 2025
