The Federal Ministry of Education has officially invited stakeholders, student innovators, partners, and media professionals to attend the public launch of the Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG), a national programme described as a major investment in student-led innovation and entrepreneurship across Nigeria.
According to the Ministry, the Federal Government has opened the application portal for the N50 million Student Venture Capital Grant, which has been tagged as a transformative national programme designed to discover and fund high-impact innovations led by students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
Announcing the initiative, the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, FAMedS, CON, stated that the programme is “designed to identify the next groundbreaking innovation emerging from Nigerian campuses.” The S-VCG will offer equity-free funding, incubation, mentorship, and access to world-class innovation resources to student founders working on scalable ideas.
The official public launch is scheduled for 8th December 2025 at the TETFund Auditorium in Abuja. The Ministry said the S-VCG aims to support high-impact ventures connected to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM), while deepening innovation culture across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The core goals include providing up to N50 million in non-refundable equity-free funding to selected innovators, strengthening student entrepreneurship through structured incubation and mentorship, and promoting Nigeria’s shift towards a knowledge-driven economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda. Every applicant is expected to receive a one-year Google Gemini Pro licence alongside other digital learning tools, a step aimed at improving access to technology and productivity resources.
The Ministry described the initiative as a flagship effort by the Federal Government to stimulate innovation-driven growth and develop a globally competitive youth workforce. The programme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCRF belief that “the youth are the heartbeat of the nation.”
Its national impact, according to officials, includes strengthening Nigeria’s innovation pipeline in higher institutions, helping early-stage innovators convert their ideas into market-ready enterprises, and positioning the country as a future hub for deep tech solutions, entrepreneurship, and startup growth. Stakeholders are expected to engage further on these outcomes at the launch event.
The Ministry also confirmed that all interested attendees are encouraged to register ahead of time and confirm their participation through a provided online form.
“You are cordially invited to the official unveiling of this landmark initiative,” the statement noted while sharing the event details.
The launch will take place on 8th December 2025 at 10:00 AM at the TETFund Auditorium. Innovators, policymakers, partners, and media representatives are encouraged to register via the link shared by the Ministry. The Ministry stated that it looks forward to hosting guests as it formally unveils what it describes as the nation’s Next Moonshot Initiative.
