The Federal Government has activated the application portal for the Student Venture Capital Grant, a new national programme aimed at boosting student-led innovation with equity-free funding of up to ₦50 million for groundbreaking ideas.
The Ministry of Education confirmed the commencement of applications in a statement issued on Monday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the initiative forms a major pillar of the administration’s innovation agenda. He noted that President Bola Tinubu has tasked the ministry with identifying transformative ideas emerging from Nigerian tertiary institutions.
“The President has challenged us to discover the next moonshot from our universities,” Alausa said. “We are not simply funding student projects, we are searching for future Nigerian unicorns whose beginnings will be nurtured within our campuses. This grant is an equity-free seed investment in Nigeria’s future.”
The ministry explained that the scheme is specifically designed for students building solutions in STEMM fields—Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medical Sciences. It said the goal is to support ventures addressing real-world problems with strong potential for growth and commercialisation.
Beyond funding, successful applicants will gain access to incubation programmes, mentorship opportunities, and essential digital tools to help refine their innovations.
To further strengthen the programme, the ministry announced a partnership with Google. Through this collaboration, Google’s Gemini AI will support automated evaluation on the application portal, while every applicant will receive a free one-year Gemini Pro licence alongside premium learning materials.
The application portal — svcg.education.gov.ng — is now open to students enrolled in accredited tertiary institutions across the country.
The ministry encouraged interested applicants to submit proposals that demonstrate scalability, market relevance, and the capacity to address pressing national or global challenges.
