The Federal Government has unveiled a N12bn Digital Economy Research Fund aimed at promoting evidence-based policymaking and supporting the nation’s long-term digital transformation agenda.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, revealed this in a statement, announcing the launch of an expression of interest for the National Digital Economy Research Clusters.
According to him, the programme was being funded under Project BRIDGE, a federal initiative to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic backbone infrastructure across the nation to expand connectivity and enable a modern digital economy.
He noted that as the government expanded digital infrastructure nationwide, research-backed approaches were required to ensure inclusive benefits.
Under the initiative, six national research clusters will be established across key pillars of the digital economy,
The clusters will be led by up to 36 professors drawn from universities, working alongside international academic partners, with more than 200 researchers, including postdoctoral fellows and PhD candidates, expected to generate policy-relevant research.
Edited by Favour Owonibi.