By Azeez Quadri 
Nigeria through its Federal Ministry of Education Saturday, September 5, 2026, in Abuja opened the application portal for Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG). Each student could get up to N50,000,000 grant equity-free funding for brilliant innovation.
Requirements are: must be an undergraduate in Nigeria’s higher institution, name of your institution, course of study/department, your current level at the time of applying, means of ID which should be any of the following school ID card or admission letter or school fees receipt, and your NIN card.
S-VCG is designed for undergraduates in Nigerian higher institutions, regardless of status of ownership. This means students in private universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education can apply for the funding.
The National Coordinator of the Special Programme Operations and Implementation Unit (SPOI) at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Adebayo Onigbanjo, tagged it, “Next Moonshot Initiative”.
Crucial information to note
Are you an undergraduate Nigerian student whose ideas have led to innovation or are about to produce something that will be essentially useful to mankind or solve societal problems?
Here are the things to note about the second cohort of Nigeria’s Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG).
1) The maiden edition of the government-funded grant for students began in November 2025.
2) S-VCG aimed to identify and fund student innovation and student entrepreneurs in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM)-related fields.
3) The second cohort will select 50 unique innovators, each student could get up to N50,000,000 grant equity-free.
4) At least N2.5 billion is set aside for innovators, depending on the core uniqueness and cost of innovations.
5) The FG-led funding is targeting five sub-theme areas known as STEMM.
They are:
- tangible solutions from scientific research, biotechnology and agricultural innovation (Science);
- technology-driven innovation using software, hardware or AI capable of solving challenges and build Nigeria’s digital economy (Technology);
- projects built around engineering to optimize machinery, sustainable infrastructure and industrial systems (Engineering);
- innovations built around advanced analysis, financial modeling and data driven solutions (Mathematics), and
- healthcare, medi-tech, medical devices that will enhance public health (Medicine).
6) Application portal which is live at https://svcg.education.gov.ng/ has started accepting applications.
7) Applications will close on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
8) S-VCG fully supported by the Federal Ministry of Education, Bank of Industry (BoI), and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Lafarge, Powerhouse, LifeBank, Future Africa, GetEquity and OneHealth.
9) The grant is designed to drastically reduce funding challenges confronting undergraduate Nigerian innovators and enable their ideas into viable and scalable businesses.
10) The selection process will begin with Artificial Intelligence-assisted screening and then assessment will be carried out by 10 human evaluators.
11) Shortlisted applicants would make a presentation virtually before an Evaluation Committee, while finalists would proceed to a bootcamp and in-person pitch session.
12) In addition to the N50 million grant, successful beneficiaries would also receive six months of mentorship from experienced organisations and business leaders across different sectors from within Nigeria.
13) Campus awareness and mobilization campaign for the initiative will begin on September 6 through September 30 across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
14) The mobilization campaign will take place in the University of Abuja, Nile University, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bayero University Kano, Kano University of Science and Technology, Federal Polytechnic Kaduna, Ambrose Alli University, University of Lagos and Covenant University.
15) Campus Ambassador Programme will start in 20 more tertiary institutions for awareness purposes.
16) Applicants must be at least in 300 level or its equivalent. Below 300 level students can also apply, but must have at least one 300 level student in their team.
17) Applicants must have registered a business or company with certificate from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
18) Qualified projects must have progressed beyond proof of concept and demonstrate potential for real-world application.
Building on the success of first cohort
Speaking on the success recording during the first cohort, which attracted 17,914 registrations across 404 tertiary institutions, Onigbanjo stated that 3,014 completed applications underwent AI-assisted screening.
According to him, after an assessment by 10 human evaluators, 65 finalists advanced to a three-day bootcamp which was held in March 2026.
“A total of 45 beneficiaries were eventually selected under the inaugural cohort,” he said
He admonished Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Provosts, lecturers and student leaders to encourage innovative students to apply, stating that many Nigerian with brilliant innovative ideas “lack is the opportunity and capital to take these ideas further.”
How to apply
Go to the Student Venture Capital Grant portal at https://svcg.education.gov.ng/ to sign up with your email address
Choose “Student” as your role and click on continue
Enter your first name and last name (surname) followed by your email address to get an OTP.
On the next page enter your phone number and your National Identification Number (NIN)
Set up a password for your account, using at least 8 characters, including an uppercase, a number, and a symbol.
Check your inbox for the OTP sent to you, enter it in the space provided. Endevour to enter use the OTP before 10 minutes elapses and proceed to fill your details.
Other requirements are:
Select institution type: University, Polytechnic, Colleges of Education , Others
Choose your institution from the drop-down menu. If you can’t find your institution, send a request for it to be added.
Course of study/ department
Current level at the time of applying
Means of ID: school ID card or admission letter or school fees receipt NIN cardFrom there you can continue or proceed to your dashboard for other details.