A N50 million research grant has been approved by the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Lafia, Professor Mohammed Isa Kida, to strengthen the Institution's research capacity and improve its competitiveness in attracting national and international funding.

The fund has been released to the University's Research and Conference Development Committee to support high impact research projects, promote innovation, and improve the quality of academic research across faculties and departments.

The committee's Chairman, Professor Adam Adebayo Sirajudeen, described the initiative as a major step towards building a sustainable pipeline for larger external grants. According to him, the fund will enable researchers to initiate quality projects, develop robust methodologies, and generate evidence based solutions to pressing societal challenges.

He noted that the initiative is expected to improve the University's research output, strengthen its national and international reputation, and enhance its position in global university rankings. "The deployment of the university's research development fund to initiate quality projects and refine robust methodologies is laying a strong foundation for attracting substantial external funding," Sirajudeen stated.

"This initiative represents a major milestone in promoting problem solving research and cultivating a strong culture of grantsmanship," he added.

The Committee has already approved and funded the first batch of research proposals valued at N34,072,600. University Management disclosed that the funded projects would contribute to knowledge generation in critical fields while providing research support for postgraduate students working under the supervision of principal investigators.

The initiative forms part of the University's broader push to position itself as a competitive destination for research funding, both within Nigeria and from international partners, as it works to build a stronger culture of grant driven, evidence based scholarship across its faculties.