Tinubu’s $1trn economy: FG plans 41 UniPods to commercialise university research
Tunji Alausa, minister of education, says the federal government plans to establish 41 university innovation pods, known as UniPods, across tertiary institutions as part of efforts to transform research and innovation into jobs, investment and economic opportunities.
Alausa spoke in Abuja at a meeting with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and seven vice-chancellors on the UNDP innovation hub.
The minister said the initiative was aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of using education, technology, research and innovation to move Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy and support the administration’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.
He said eight UniPods had either been commissioned or were ready for commissioning, while three were already operational at the University of Lagos, Nasarawa State University and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
The minister said other specialised UniPods include a Blue Economy centre in Akwa Ibom, AgroTech at Benue State University, Resilience Tech in Borno state, GovTech at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Industrial Tech in Plateau state.
He said the success of the initiative would not be measured by the buildings or equipment installed but by the solutions, businesses, jobs and economic value generated from the centres.
He said Nigeria needed to move beyond a system where research was conducted largely for academic promotion and instead establish a pathway for taking innovations from laboratories to the market.
The minister cited the MineTech UniPod at Nasarawa State University as an example, saying researchers at the centre had developed geospatial maps showing deposits of lithium, gold and bauxite, including information on their locations and depths.
According to him, such research could create significant economic opportunities if investors were connected with researchers and given appropriate pathways to commercialise their discoveries.
Alausa said the government had already reduced some of the initial risks by providing infrastructure, equipment and technical capacity, making private investment and commercialisation the next major step.
He added that the federal ministry of education, in partnership with UNDP and Tech4Dev, was working towards establishing about 41 UniPods over the coming years.
The minister said the centres should not remain dependent on grants but must develop sustainable revenue models capable of supporting their operations, host universities and attracting talent.
He said the ministry and UNDP are developing an appropriate governance framework for the UniPods, adding that eligible centres would be able to establish commercial accounts in line with existing government guidelines for university research centres.
Alausa said part of the revenue generated by the centres could be retained to sustain their operations, while another portion could support targeted technological development in their host universities.
