The Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee has announced the commencement of the 2026 National Laureate Programme.
The National Laureate Programme is a federal government initiative aimed at recognizing outstanding academic research and innovation in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The programme, backed by an annual research prize fund of ₦365 million, is designed to reward exceptional undergraduate dissertations, master’s theses, and doctoral research from accredited higher institutions across the country.
The committee’s spokesperson, Ita Ekpenyong, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
Ekpenyong said, “The initiative underscores the federal government’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s research ecosystem, promoting innovation and positioning scholarship as a driver of national development.”
He said the programme, inaugurated under the leadership of the minister of education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, would identify, assess and reward outstanding research produced in accredited universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, monotechnics, military institutions and other eligible tertiary institutions.
As part of preparations for the 2026 edition, the committee directed all eligible institutions to begin internal arrangements for participation by setting up institutional laureate selection committees made up of experienced academics with proven research credentials.
The institutions are also required to submit the names and designations of committee members, who will coordinate their participation in the programme.
Following internal assessments, “Each participating university is expected to nominate up to 18 research works, comprising six undergraduate dissertations, six master’s theses and six doctoral theses.”
Equivalent submissions will be accepted from polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions.
The research entries will be drawn from six thematic areas, including agriculture, teaching innovation, medicine and health sciences, engineering, Science and technology, law, and arts and social sciences.
Under the programme, winners in the undergraduate category will receive ₦35 million, while the master’s and doctoral categories will attract prizes of ₦50 million and ₦100 million, respectively.
In addition, the committee said 15 Thematic Laureate Awards worth ₦12 million each would be presented to other outstanding researchers.
The committee stated that all nominated research works must first be submitted to the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank and assigned a valid National Document Number before they can qualify for consideration.
It explained that the requirement was intended to strengthen research integrity, improve documentation, and preserve Nigeria’s academic output within the country’s knowledge infrastructure.
The committee also said the programme would adopt a three-stage assessment process involving institutional, regional and national evaluations to ensure transparency, fairness and merit in the selection of winners.
It urged participating institutions to conduct their internal assessments with professionalism, noting that only the highest-rated research would progress to the next stages.
The committee further called on professional bodies across agriculture, engineering, science, medicine, law, education, arts and related fields to nominate distinguished scholars for appointment to Regional Laureate Selection Committees in the six geopolitical zones.
According to the committee, nominations will be screened based on merit, experience, integrity, diversity and conflict-of-interest requirements.
Institutions and professional associations have until August 15 to constitute their committees and nominate experts, while the submission of institutional entries will remain open until August 31.
Speaking on the initiative, Chairman of the National Laureate Committee, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, said the programme was conceived to promote academic excellence and recognise research capable of driving national development.
Sambo said the programme was designed to elevate academic excellence to national prominence, encourage world-class research, inspire innovation and recognise scholars whose work has the potential to transform lives, industries and the future of Nigeria
He urged all eligible tertiary institutions and relevant professional associations to participate actively in the inaugural edition of the programme.
