The Vice-Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Prof. Daniel Nwachukwu, has urged the academic staff of the institution to enhance their research visibility and adopt effective strategies to secure research grants.
He made the call during a workshop themed “Writing Successful TETFund NRF Concept Notes and Proposals,” organized by the Directorate of Research and Development of the institution, when he emphasized the need for the university lecturers to transit from merely writing proposals to actively competing for and winning grants.
The Vice-Chancellor instructed all academic staff to maintain updated Google Scholar profiles, noting that research visibility is a critical factor in evaluating researchers and universities, as grant assessors review applicants’ publications, citations, and research records before making funding decisions.
“Research visibility is not optional. We must compete and win grants,” Prof. Nwachukwu stated, stressing that universities are increasingly ranked and funded based on their research output, visibility, and ability to secure competitive external funding.
Prof. Nwachukwu assured researchers that the management would continue to provide institutional support for multidisciplinary teams developing viable concept notes, adding that the Directorate of Research would also enhance its support through mentoring, internal proposal reviews, and follow-up clinics.
The guest speaker, Prof. Obinna Onwujekwe, a former Director of Research and Development at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, conducted a practical session on the essential elements of developing a competitive research proposal. He guided participants through the proposal-writing process, emphasizing that a successful proposal must begin with a clear, precise, and compelling title that communicates the research problem and its relevance.
He emphasized that researchers must demonstrate a strong understanding of the problem they intend to investigate and establish a convincing link between the identified research gap, the proposed intervention, and the expected outcomes. He urged participants to avoid vague objectives and overly broad research questions, advising them to develop focused studies with clearly measurable deliverables.
Prof. Onwujekwe highlighted the importance of methodological rigor, stressing that researchers must clearly explain how data will be generated, analyzed, and interpreted, and encouraged participants to pay close attention to research ethics, particularly when studies involve human participants, communities, or sensitive information.
He advised researchers to ensure that every major expenditure in their proposals is directly connected to the activities and objectives of the study, stressing that a credible proposal should contain a realistic timeline and work plan that outlines how the research will progress from commencement to completion.
He also encouraged the academics to embrace teamwork, multidisciplinary collaboration, and peer-review, stating that researchers should not work in isolation when developing major grant proposals. According to him, subjecting proposals to constructive criticism before submission can help researchers identify weaknesses, improve clarity, and enhance the overall competitiveness of their applications.
Earlier, the Director of Research and Development, Prof. Robert Onyeneke, noted that the TETFund National Research Fund is one of the most significant sources of research funding available to Nigerian academics. He explained that it supports research aimed at addressing national development challenges and provides scholars with the resources needed to carry out impactful work.
He shared practical insights into what is expected at the full proposal stage for the TETFund National Research Fund (NRF), stressing that progressing from a promising concept note to a fundable proposal requires more than just identifying an intriguing research problem; it also necessitates a clearly articulated research question, appropriate methodology, a competent research team, a realistic work plan, and a well-justified budget.
Prof. Onyeneke emphasized the importance of demonstrating clearly how proposed studies would address identified problems and yield measurable outcomes that contribute to institutional, national, or global development. He encouraged researchers to ensure alignment between their research objectives, methodology, expected outputs, and budget, noting that inconsistencies in these areas could undermine an otherwise promising proposal.
He urged academic staff to embrace multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research collaboration, particularly given the increasingly competitive nature of research funding. According to him, collaborating with researchers who possess complementary expertise can enhance proposals and improve their ability to tackle complex societal challenges.
Prof. Onyeneke highlighted the significant funding opportunity presented by the 2026 NRF grant cycle, which has an approved allocation across 30 thematic areas. He noted the increase from the previous year’s funding, presenting AE-FUNAI researchers with an opportunity to develop ambitious research projects capable of competing successfully at the national level. The 2026 call has been announced with a ₦10 billion NRF cycles, with concept notes leading to full proposals for those submissions deemed fundable.
He urged researchers to start early, work collaboratively, and subject their proposals to rigorous internal review before submission, assuring them of the Directorate’s readiness to provide mentoring, proposal review, and other forms of technical support.
The workshop reinforces the need for researchers to treat grant writing as a deliberate and collaborative process rather than a last-minute task. The approach aligns with TETFund’s NRF framework, which encourages multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research and requires successful concept-note applicants to proceed to full proposals before final funding consideration.
