Abuja: The Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee has formally announced the commencement of the 2026 National Laureate Programme, which is poised to become Nigeria’s leading national platform for recognizing outstanding student academic research, innovation, and scholarly excellence across tertiary institutions.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ita Ekpenyong, Spokesperson of the National Laureate Committee, disclosed in a statement that the programme is part of the government’s commitment to promoting research excellence, strengthening the nation’s knowledge economy, and placing scholarship at the center of Nigeria’s development agenda. The initiative, inaugurated under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, aims to identify, evaluate, celebrate, and reward exceptional research from accredited Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Supported by an annual research prize fund of ?365 million, the programme ranks among Nigeria’s most prestigious academic recognition initiatives. Beyond recognizing academic excellence, it seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s research ecosystem by promoting innovation, encouraging the commercialization of research outputs, and establishing scholarship as a strategic national asset.
All accredited universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, monotechnics, military institutions, and other eligible tertiary institutions are requested to begin internal preparations for participation. Each institution is expected to form an Institutional Laureate Selection Committee comprising experienced academics with proven research records, integrity, and the capacity to conduct objective evaluations according to the approved framework.
Following the institutional evaluation process, participating institutions are expected to nominate up to 18 outstanding research works, drawn from six approved thematic areas. The programme offers significant monetary prizes for the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral categories, along with additional Thematic Laureate Awards for other exceptional research.
Institutions must ensure that every nominated research work is formally submitted under the National Policy for the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank (NERD) and assigned a valid National Document Number before consideration. This reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to research integrity and the preservation of Nigeria’s academic output.
The National Laureate Programme operates a rigorous three-tier evaluation system: Institutional, Regional, and National assessments. Institutions are encouraged to conduct internal assessments with the highest standards of professionalism and impartiality. The management of each participating institution is responsible for constituting its Institutional Laureate Selection Committee, which will coordinate the institution’s participation throughout the programme.
The National Laureate Committee also calls on Nigerian professional bodies to nominate distinguished scholars and subject experts for the Regional Laureate Selection Committees across the six geopolitical zones. These nominations will undergo rigorous screening to ensure the programme maintains the highest standards of credibility and academic excellence.
Institutions and professional bodies are advised to finalize the selection of committee members and experts by August 15, with submission of institutional entries continuing until August 31. Prof. Abubakar Sambo, Chairman of the National Laureate Committee, emphasized the programme’s role in elevating academic excellence to national prominence and encouraged active participation from eligible institutions and associations.