TERTIARY EDUCATION TRUST FUND (TETFund)

Guideline for Accessing Institution Based Research Fund (IBRF)

TETFUND PUBLICATION

2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Content 	Page 	

Table of Contents 	i
1.0 	Background 	1
1.1 	The Research Funds 	1
1.2 	Structure of the Guideline 	1
2.0 	How to Access and Utilize the IBR Fund 	2
2.1 	IBR Fund and Disbursement 	2
2.2 	Thematic Areas for IBR 	2
2.3 	Eligibility Criteria 	2
2.4 	Submission of Research Proposals 	2
2.4.1 	At the Level of the Institutions 	2
2.4.1.1 	Checklist of Documents for Submission of Approved Proposals
To TETFund by Researchers 	3
2.4.2 	Submission to TETFund 	3
2.5 	Submission of Reports 	4
2.5.1 	Progress Reports 	4
2.5.2 	Final Report 	4
Annex 1: 	Institution Based Research (IBR) Proposal Template/Format 	5
Annex 2: 	Institution Based Research (IBR) Progress Report Template/
Format 	7
Annex 3: 	Institution Based Research (IBR) Final Report Template/Format 	8

Guideline for Accessing Institution Based Research (IBR)

1.0 	Background

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) was established by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund
Act 2011 to administer and disburse to Federal and State tertiary education institutions the
2% education tax charged companies operating in Nigeria. The areas of TETFund intervention include the following:

· 	Essential physical infrastructure for teaching and learning
· 	Instructional materials and equipment
· 	Research and publications
· 	Academic training and development

1.1       The Research Funds

One of the strategies of TETFund is promotion of research in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria – Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. TETFund does this through two types of research Funds– Fund for institution based research (IBR) and the National Research Fund (NRF). This document is a guideline for accessing and utilization of the fund for IBR.

IBR was established with the objective of resuscitating research activities in the nation’s tertiary institutions in Nigeria; the culture of research over the years has been dwindling in most of the higher institutions in the country. The outcome of which would be the revival of quality research among not only lecturers in tertiary institutions but also students of such
institutions.

1.2       Structure of the Guideline

This  guideline  is  developed  to  increase  access  of  researchers  to  the  Institution  Based Research Fund of TETFund and improve implementation of researches by the researchers as well as provide for a more effective coordination  of the IBR researches.  The guideline  is divided into three sections:

·    Background
·    How to access and utilize the fund
·    Annextures

2.0 	How to Access and Utilize the IBR Fund

2.1 	IBR Fund and Disbursement

· 	TETFund gives allocation for IBR annually. This allocation however is domiciled in TETFund and only released for execution of the project after the proposal has been approved.
· 	A maximum of N2,000,000.00 is approved/project
· 	The approved fund shall be disbursed in tranches  – 85% (before commencement;
15% after submission of Final report.

2.2 	Thematic Areas for IBR

· 	There is no restriction in the thematic areas under IBR – Arts, Humanities, Science and Technology, Education, etc

2.3 	Eligibility Criteria

· 	Lecturers in all public tertiary institutions in Nigeria are eligible to access IBR fund
· 	The research must be conducted in the submitting institution

2.4 	Submission of Research Proposals

Submission of research proposals will be done at two levels:

2.4.1    At the Level of the Institutions

· 	Research proposals shall be submitted to the Institution’s  Committee on Research who will screen the proposals based on the following criteria:
Ø  Having followed the prescribed format (Annex 1)
Ø  Quality of content of proposal which could be assessed based on the following:
- 	Executive summary
- 	Title
- 	Introduction
- 	Objectives
- 	Literature Review
- 	Methodology that can be replicated including methods of data analysis
- 	Detailed work plan including estimated dates of commencement and completion
- 	Detailed budget not exceeding N2,000,000.00
· 	Approved  proposals  shall  be  given  back  to  the  researcher(s)  where  there  are corrections. Such proposals shall be vetted by the ICR for compliance and thereafter signed by the Chairman of the Committee
· 	Approved proposals shall then be submitted in five copies to TETFund using this address:

Executive Secretary Tertiary Education Trust Fund No. 6 Zambezi Crescent
Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja

· 	Soft copy of the research proposal should be sent to this email address:
bogorose@tetfund.gov.ng

· 	And copy the email addresses below: ukimio@tetfund.gov.ng israelcookey@tetfund.gov.ng asimolowoma@tetfund.gov.ng

2.4.1.1 Checklist of Documents for Submission of Approved Proposals to TETFund by
Researcher(s):

All researchers  must ensure that all required  documents  are attached  as non-inclusion could delay the process or lead to rejection. The following is a checklist:

· 	Covering  letter  to  TETFund  by  the  Principal  Researcher  through  the  Head  of Department, the Chairman (ICR) and the Head of Institution or his representative requesting for funding for the approved proposal
· 	Minutes  of  meeting  of  the  Institution’s  Committee  on  Research  (ICR)  in  which proposal was approved
· 	Evidence of approval of proposed research project by the ICR – an approval page which clearly states that the research proposal has been screened by the ICR and considered worthy of submission to TETFund for funding (this page must be signed by the Chairman of the Committee before the proposal can be considered by TETFund for funding)
· 	Five copies of the approved research proposal in the prescribed format (including the budget and work plan indicating the expected date of commencement and completion)
· 	Detailed profile (CV) of researcher(s)
· 	All documents must be neatly bound and paginated for ease of reference and filing and to avoid loss of loose documents.

2.4.2    Submission to TETFund

· 	Here, the proposals will first of all be screened to ensure that the format has been followed, the required documentations are provided; the content and quality of the proposal. This will be done by an ad-hoc  Committee in TETFund
Ø  Submission must be accompanied by the full complement of required documents as indicated under the checklist above. Submissions that are not accompanied by the required documents shall not be considered

Ø  Proposal should not exceed the funding limit of Two million Naira (N2,000,000.00)
maximum for each project
Ø  Cost of approved proposals not exceeding the maximum allocation to the institution
(where  the  institution’s  submissions  exceeds  their  allocation,  the  checklist becomes a critical factor that determines which proposal is funded)

2.5 	Submission of Reports

Two types of reports will be submitted:

2.5.1    Progress Report

Progress report will be submitted as follows:
· 	For a project  whose  duration  is 3 months,  a  progress  report  must  be submitted midway into the period (i.e. six weeks from the commencement of the project).
· 	For a project that will last 6 months, a progress report must be submitted midway into the period (i.e. 3 months after the commencement of the project)
· 	For  a  project  that  will  last  up  to  or  two  years,,  two  progress  reports  would  be submitted  – First one at 6 months  after commencement;  the second  at 10 or 16 months after commencement of one year or two years research respectively
· 	These reports with covering letters from the researcher(s)  should be submitted to TETFund through his/her head of department, the Chairman of ICR and the Head of Institution
· 	Progress reports will be submitted using the format provided in Annex 2.

2.5.2    Final Report

· 	At the completion of the research, a final report using the attached template (Annex
3) will be used to write the final report
· 	For the final report to be accepted by TETFund, it must be submitted by the principal researcher to the institution’s Research Committee. This final report must contain the certification page which will indicate that the project has been completed by the researcher(s) to the satisfaction of the following:
Ø  Head of Department
Ø  ICR (Chairman)
These will now append their signatures on this page. The researcher will also sign the final report
· 	The submission of the final report shall be accompanied  by a covering letter duly
signed by the Researcher, the Head of Department, the Chairman of ICR and the Head of Institution
· 	Five copies of the final report, bound should be submitted to TETFund

Institution Based Research (IBR) Research Proposal Template/Format

Principal Researcher/Investigator	
Name:	
Institution:	
Department:	
Telephone no:	
E-mail Address:	
Co- Researcher (s) (if any)	
1.   Name:
2.   Name:	
Project Title:	
	
Executive Summary:	
	
Introduction	
	
Problem Statement/Justification	
	
Objective(s) of the Study	
	
Literature Review	

Methodology (Should include description of study area/site/subjects, data collection and data analysis	
	
Results (Expected outputs/Results	
	
Work Plan/Time Frame (Provide activity by activity in the form of a GANTT Chart)	
	
Budget (Provide a budget break-down  by activity/line item	
	
References	

Signature of Principal Researcher: 	Signature of Chairman ICR:

Signature of Head of Department: 	Signature of Head of Institution:

Institution Based Research (IBR) Progress Report Template/Format

Progress Report No:	
	
TeTfund Reference No:	
	
Period of Reporting:	
	
Title of Research Project:	
	
Name of Principal Researcher:	
	
Department:	
	
Institution:	
	
Effective Date of Starting the Project:	
	
Expected date of completion:	
	
Grants approved and expenditure incurred during the period of the report	
Total Amount Approved:	
Total Expenditure incurred so far:	
Balance:	
Report of the Work done (please attach a separate sheet):	
Brief Objective of the Project:	
Work done so far and results achieved:	
Challenges/difficulties if any, experienced in implementing the project:	
Estimated time of completion:	
Status of Activities in the Work Plan (completed; on-going; yet to start):	

Signature of Principal Researcher: 		Signature of Chairman ICR: Signature of Head of Department: 	Signature of Head of Institution:

Institution Based Research (IBR) Final Report Template/Format

Title of Research Project:	
	
Name and Address of Institution:	
	
TeTfund Reference No:	
	
Name and Address of Principal Researcher:	
	
Tenure of the Project:	
	
Total Amount Approved:	
	
Total Amount Received:	
	
Final Expenditure (give details on a separate sheet):	
	
Objective(s) of the Project and whether objectives achieved (give details):	
	
Summary of the findings of the study (Use separate sheet):	
	
Value added to knowledge	
	
Challenges/difficulties if any, experienced in implementing the project:	

etc; presentation in conferences & seminars, etc)

Signature of Principal Researcher: 	Signature of Chairman ICR:

Signature of Head of Department: 	Signature of Head of Institution: