The House of Representatives has begun efforts to create a National Research and Innovation Development Fund aimed at tackling funding shortages, improving research capacity and encouraging the commercialisation of locally developed innovations.
The proposed bill also seeks to establish a National Council on Research and Innovation to coordinate research activities, promote scientific breakthroughs and ensure research findings are transformed into commercially viable products and services.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed this on Thursday during a public hearing organised by the House Committee on Science and Technology on the National Research and Innovation Development Fund and National Council on Research and Innovation Bill, 2026, at the National Assembly in Abuja.
Represented by the Deputy House Leader, Abubakar Halims, Abbas said Nigeria could no longer rely heavily on imported technologies and solutions to problems its citizens had the knowledge and expertise to solve.
He noted that although the country boasts talented researchers, innovative youths and skilled entrepreneurs, the lack of an effective framework connecting research with funding and industry had continued to undermine the economic value of their contributions.
According to him, research efforts in Nigeria frequently end with academic publications, as promising innovations struggle to secure financial support, while discoveries with commercial potential rarely advance beyond the laboratory.
“The challenge, therefore, is not simply to produce more research, but to build an ecosystem that connects research to funding, innovation to investment, and discoveries to industry,” the Speaker said.
Abbas described the public hearing as an opportunity to critically examine the proposed legislation and ensure its provisions adequately addressed Nigeria’s research and innovation challenges.
“The objective is not simply to defend the Bill as drafted, but to produce legislation that can fulfil its intended purpose,” he added.
Earlier, the Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, Zakariya Zannah, said Nigeria possessed the human resources and intellectual capabilities required to advance research and innovation but lacked a reliable legal and institutional structure to fund, coordinate and commercialise research outcomes.
He explained that the proposed legislation was intended to close the gap between discoveries made in laboratories and their practical application in the marketplace.
Zannah urged stakeholders to critically assess five major aspects of the bill, including governance and institutional structure, funding sources, grant administration and commercialisation, accountability measures and possible implementation challenges.
On financing, he highlighted the proposed 20 per cent contribution from the Nigerian Content Development Fund under Section 19 of the bill, in addition to government appropriations, grants and proceeds from commercialisation.
He also drew attention to the proposed 2.5 per cent limit on administrative expenses under Section 21, calling on stakeholders to assess its legal foundation, adequacy and long-term sustainability.
Regarding grant administration, the committee chairman urged participants to examine the competitive and peer-reviewed funding framework outlined in Section 34, alongside the intellectual property provisions contained in Section 37.
He further called for a review of the proposed provisions on offences, penalties and legal proceedings to ensure public funds were safeguarded without creating obstacles for legitimate research activities.
Zannah encouraged stakeholders to present specific submissions backed by evidence, highlight areas requiring drafting improvements and recommend alternative provisions where necessary.
“Let us give Nigeria a Fund and a Council that are well governed, sustainably financed and focused on turning research into jobs, products and prosperity,” he said.
The proposed Fund is coming amid longstanding concerns about insufficient research funding, poor collaboration between universities and industries, and the low level of commercialisation of locally developed technologies.
The public hearing attracted representatives from government, academic institutions, research organisations, the private sector and the scientific and innovation community to deliberate on the proposed legislation.