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National Innovation Capacity Assessment (RICC Initiative)

Commissioned By: Federal Ministry of Education and TETFund
Active Period: 2025 – 2026

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Initiative Overview

The National Innovation Capacity Assessment is a strategic national initiative led by the Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Committee (RICC) to build Nigeria’s first comprehensive and continuously updated innovation data system.

This platform will track who funds innovation, at what stage funding occurs, through which mechanisms, and the outcomes achieved.

The goal is to create a coordinated National Policy and Framework that transforms research outputs into market-ready products and services, driving sustainable economic growth.

Core Objectives

• Strengthen the Academia–Industry–Government Nexus
• Develop a National Innovation Policy Framework
• Promote Market-Ready Innovation Outputs
• Enable data-driven decision-making for funding and policy

Key Frameworks

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)

• TRL 1–3: Basic Research
• TRL 4–6: Prototype and Validation (critical gap)
• TRL 7–9: Market Deployment

Innovation Capacity Ecosystem Matrix
A structured model for mapping institutions, funding flows, and innovation outputs across Nigeria.

The Valley of Death (TRL 4–6)

Nigeria’s innovation system faces a major funding gap at the mid-stage development level.

• Requires between ₦10 million and ₦100 million
• Too large for typical academic grants
• Too risky for private investors

This gap prevents many promising innovations from reaching the market.

Proposed Solution

The initiative will inform the creation of the National Innovation Commercialisation Fund (NICF), designed to bridge the TRL 4–6 funding gap, support prototype development and pilot testing, and accelerate commercialization.

Why Participation Matters

By registering and contributing data, participants will help shape Nigeria’s innovation policy for the next decade, influence public funding allocation, and support the development of a sustainable innovation financing system.

Insights from this platform will inform government decisions and partnerships with development organizations.

Who Should Participate

• Universities and research institutions
• Startups and innovators
• Private sector organizations
• Development partners
• Government agencies
• Investors and funders

Call to Action

Register now and contribute to building a strong, data-driven innovation ecosystem