President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to consider and approve the National Research and Development Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2026.

The President’s request was contained in a letter read by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, during plenary on Monday following the Senate’s resumption from its nine-week recess.

Tinubu said the proposed fund would bring together the various Research and Development funds currently spread across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

He explained that the initiative would create a central funding system through which research institutions and academic organisations could access financial support.

According to him, the fund would also promote cooperation among research agencies, universities and the private sector, while supporting innovation and the development of home-grown technology.

The President said the proposed fund would help ensure better use of available resources, improve transparency in funding decisions and support the commercialisation of locally developed technologies.

Under the bill, the National Research and Development Fund would operate as an agency under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.

Tinubu noted that the increasing number of research institutions and agencies, each with separate mandates and budgets, had made it necessary to adopt a more coordinated approach to funding research and innovation in the country.

He added that the bill had been reviewed by relevant stakeholders, including the Ministries of Education, Innovation, Science and Technology, and Justice.

The Senate subsequently referred the bill to its Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.