A Lecturer at the University of Ilesa has been selected as one of 45 recipients of the 2025 African German Network of Excellence in Science (AGNES) grants, in a development that marks a notable international recognition for the relatively young Institution.
Bunmi Bankole, an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, was named among the awardees of the AGNES Intra Africa Mobility Grant under its General Category. The grant, which runs alongside the AGNES BAYER Research Grant, is designed to support early career researchers through mobility opportunities that promote research exchange and strengthen partnerships between African Universities and research Institutions.
Vice Chancellor Professor Taiwo Asaolu congratulated Bankole on her selection, describing her as hardworking and committed to academic excellence, and expressing confidence that she would make full use of the opportunity to deepen her research capacity. He also used the occasion to encourage younger academics at the Institution to pursue International research collaborations and grants as a means of developing both personally and raising the University's profile.
The University of Ilesa, which has been building its research identity since its establishment, described the selection as a reflection of growing recognition for its academic programmes in national and international circles.
For early career Nigerian academics, the AGNES Intra Africa Mobility Grant represents one of the more accessible International funding opportunities available, specifically targeting researchers at the stage of their careers when institutional support and mobility funding are most likely to shape long term trajectories. Bankole's selection from a competitive pool of applicants across Africa is a reminder that Nigerian University staff at newer Institutions are increasingly competitive on the continental stage when they actively pursue such opportunities.
