The World Bank’s Africa Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Power and Energy Development, ACE-SPED, has given N12 million seed grants to 12 student research groups at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN.
The Director of ACE-SPED, Prof. Emenike Ejiogu, while briefing journalists during the award ceremony at UNN on Tuesday said the award was for select UNN student research teams who have generated innovative and entrepreneurship ideas for sustainable energy and power development. He said that the 12 research areas showed significant commercialization prospects and would create solutions to address energy and power problems in the African sub-region.
Ejiogu, who is also the Dean, of the Faculty of Engineering, UNN, equally said that the principal aim of the ACE-SPED Innovation Seed Grants is to provide monetary backing for research endeavours that correspond with the innovation objectives of the Centre, specifically in domains like electric power system development, renewable energy, waste-to-energy conversion, energy conservation, management, resource assessment and forecasting, and sustainable energy.
He further said the selected research groups would be monitored and provided with further funding to enable them to grow into businesses and companies if they scale through future competitions.
He said: “The ACE-SPED is not just a theoretical centre of research. By our mandate, we also engage students and staff in issues such as entrepreneurship and innovation.”
