The Federal Government has launched the 2026 edition of the Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Programme, unveiling a ₦365 million prize fund to recognise and reward exceptional research conducted by students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The initiative, championed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, is designed to promote research excellence and innovation by recognising outstanding undergraduate projects, master’s theses, and doctoral dissertations from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, monotechnics, and military institutions.
The Chairman of the National Laureate Committee, Emeritus Professor Abubakar Sambo, announced the programme in a letter dated 31 July 2026 addressed to heads of tertiary institutions nationwide. The announcement was subsequently confirmed in a statement issued by the committee’s spokesperson, Ita Ekpeyong.
Under the guidelines, all participating institutions are required to establish internal selection committees comprising senior academics to screen and nominate eligible research works.
Each institution may submit a maximum of 18 entries across the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral categories.
Eligible research must fall within six thematic areas: Agriculture, Teaching Innovation, Medicine and Health, Engineering, Science and Technology, and Law, Arts and Social Sciences.
The programme offers a grand prize of ₦35 million for the best undergraduate research project, ₦50 million for the best master’s thesis, and ₦100 million for the best doctoral research.
In addition to the three major awards, 15 thematic prizes valued at ₦12 million each will be presented to outstanding entries across the designated fields.
As part of the eligibility requirements, all research submissions must first be uploaded to the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD), where they will be assigned a National Document Number before they can be considered for assessment.
The selection process will be conducted in three stages—at the institutional, regional, and national levels.
According to the committee, tertiary institutions have until 15 August 2026 to constitute and submit the membership of their internal selection committees, while all nominated research entries must be uploaded to the NERD platform on or before 31 August 2026.
Professor Sambo described the programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s intellectual capital, noting that it is intended to encourage innovation, reward research excellence, and stimulate ideas capable of driving industrial growth and national development.
For information on Press Releases, Photos, Promotional Events and Adverts, Please message us on WhatsApp via (+234) 09052129258, 08124662170 or send an email to: info@educeleb.com.
