BIG STORY
Digital Transformation Series
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has invited proposals from academics in tertiary institutions in Nigeria on telecommunications-based innovations.
The nation’s telecoms regulator says its objective is to support innovations, inventions and research from tertiary institutions in Nigeria “that are practical, locally realizable and have clear potential of developing the telecommunications industry.”
According to NCC, researchers who wish to submit their proposals are required by the telecoms regulator to come from teaching background in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions,
They are also required to have a one-page executive summary of the research proposal to include relevance of the research to the telecommunication industry.
The Commission also requires the following criteria for evaluation in the research submission:
- Adherence of proposal to stated requirements above.
- Clear statement and explanation of the problem.
- Proposed solution to the problem.
- Novelty of the research proposal (comprehensive literature review to bring out clearly the novelty of the research).
- Proposed approach and methodology.
- Proof of concept (feasibility of idea with diagram, algorithm, etc)
- Clear relevance to the telecommunications industry.
- Evidence of local realization up to prototype
- Cost reasonableness (cost of actualizing the idea excluding furniture and allowances)
- Schedule of project organization.
- Coherent presentation/packaging of concept.
- Integration of research with education (capacity building of students via the implementation of the project in the institution)
- Evidence of competence of team in executing the project (include past work and CVs of team members)
According to NCC, submissions will undergo preliminary assessment while proposals that are adjudged and capable of developing the telecommunications industry will be further evaluated by another level of assessors.
Sponsors/authors of research submissions may be invited for defense of their proposals before a decision is taken on whether the commission will fund their project(s) or not, according to NCC.
Interested researchers are however invited to submit both hard and soft copies of their research proposals on or before 30th April, 2016 and address it to the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission.
