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A microfinance institution, Grooming Centre is giving out a total sum of N20 million as research grants to a total of 100 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate final year students in any of the public and private universities in the country.
The grants with this year’s edition fourth in the series, are to support the research projects of the intended beneficiaries.
The Head of Project, Grooming Centre Nigeria, Mr Egulefu Chikezie, made this disclosure at a news conference to officially announce the commencement of submission of entries for this year’s edition of the grants at the corporate headquarters of the organisation in Lagos.
He said the grant is part of the social intervention efforts of the bank on education to encourage and boost evidence-based research works among university students in areas such as microfinance, rural development, inclusive finance, social enterprise, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), technological development, women in development and any other areas aimed at lifting people out of poverty.
He said the bank, which also gives grants to no fewer than 500 children of its customers who are in senior secondary schools on yearly basis believes that so many university students in the country would want to carry out research works on problems-solved issues that are impactful to the economy, hence the giving of grant awards to assist them.
Chikezie said while each of the 50 postgraduate potential beneficiaries who could come from any part of the country and without religious beliefs consideration or family financial status would get a sum of N200, 000, their undergraduate counterparts are expected to get N100,000 each.
He said the company raised the grants to this amount last year but could not get enough suitable applicants to benefit from the gesture.
He said the submission of entries which would be done strictly online through a dedicated portal with the address given as www.groominggrant.org had begun on June 18 and to last till September 30, after which successful applicants would receive their grants.
He emphasised that the research study with the grants being managed by the Center for Research in Enterprise and Action in Management (CREM), must focus on issues relevant to the Nigerian context, practical, innovative and capable of promoting any of the already identified areas of interest in the Nigerian space.