Grooming Centre Opens 2025 N20 Million Grant for Nigerian University Students to Drive Research and Development

Grooming Centre has officially launched the 2025 edition of its University Grant Award, offering ₦20 million in funding to support postgraduate and undergraduate students across Nigerian universities. Now in its seventh year, the initiative aims to advance academic research in key areas critical to Nigeria’s development.

Announcing the grant at a press briefing, Mr. Chikezie Egbulefu, Head of Special Projects at Grooming Centre, reaffirmed the organization’s strong commitment to education through its flagship initiatives—the Lady Kate Okafor Scholarship Scheme and the Grooming Centre University Grant Scheme.

Since inception, Grooming Centre has invested over ₦850 million in bursaries and grant-related projects.

The 2025 application portal officially opened on Monday, July 21, and will close on Friday, October 10. Interested students are to submit their research projects via www.groominggrant.org/apply.

According to Egbulefu, the grant supports research in areas such as microfinance, social enterprise, rural development, digital finance, poverty reduction, and related fields. “It was created as a catalyst for innovation and knowledge-building among Nigerian students,” he noted.

In 2024, the program saw a record 150 awardees selected from 550 entries—comprising 100 undergraduates and 50 postgraduates, including four PhD candidates. Since its launch in 2019, a total of 543 students from over 55 institutions have benefited.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be an undergraduate or postgraduate student in a Nigerian public or private university
• Research topics should align with themes like MSMEs, youth and women empowerment, technological innovation, or financial inclusion
• Applications must include a recommendation letter from a supervisor or Head of Department
• Proposals (10–20 pages) should feature clear sections such as: introduction, problem statement, objectives, literature review, and theoretical framework, with sources dated between 2019 and 2025
• Final submissions must be in Microsoft Word format

Mrs. Lydia Aromolaran, Deputy Manager, HR & Admin at CREM Consulting, and Mr. Clifford Onyeike, COO at CREM, added that a dedicated technical committee will continue to monitor the progress of awardees to evaluate impact and ensure accountability.

This year’s grant opportunity once again encourages Nigerian students to lead research in areas crucial to inclusive economic growth, national development, and innovation-driven change.