From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to establish 41 University Innovation Pods, UniPods, across tertiary institutions as part of efforts to transform research and innovation into jobs, investment and sustainable economic growth.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja, while speaking on the future and sustainability of the UniPods during a meeting with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and seven vice chancellors on the UNDP Innovation Hub initiative.
Alausa said the initiative was in line 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 ultimately build 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 explained that the initiative included specialised innovation centres such as the Blue Economy UniPod in Akwa Ibom, AgroTech in Benue State University, Resilience Tech in Borno State, GovTech at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Industrial Tech in Plateau State.
He stressed that the success of the UniPods would not be determined by the buildings, laboratories and equipment provided, but by their ability to generate solutions, create businesses and deliver measurable economic value.
Alausa said Nigeria must move away from a system in which research was conducted mainly for academic promotion to one that takes discoveries from laboratories to the marketplace.
He cited the MineTech UniPod at Nasarawa State University, where researchers had developed geospatial maps identifying deposits of minerals including lithium, gold and bauxite, as well as information on their locations and depths.
The Minister such discoveries could create significant economic opportunities if investors were connected with researchers and given the necessary pathways to commercialise their innovations.
He noted that government had already reduced some of the risks associated with innovation by providing infrastructure, equipment and technical capacity, stressing that the next critical step was to attract private investment and facilitate commercialisation.
“The success of the UniPods will not be about the buildings and equipment. It will be about the solutions and economic value they generate,” Alausa said.
The Minister said the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with UNDP and Tech4Dev, was working towards establishing about 41 UniPods in the coming years.
He suggested that the centres must be financially sustainable and should not remain dependent on grants, but evolve into enterprises capable of generating revenue, supporting their host universities and attracting skilled personnel.
Alausa explained that the UniPods would operate under a governance framework being developed by the Ministry and UNDP, adding that eligible centres would be able to establish commercial accounts in accordance with existing government guidelines for university research centres.
He said part of the revenue generated could be retained by the UniPods to sustain their operations, while another portion would support targeted technological development in their host institutions.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, in her submission, also suggested that the UniPods should be viewed beyond their academic functions and positioned as instruments for accelerating Nigeria’s industrialisation.
Ahmad said the focus should shift from measuring only the amount of knowledge generated through research to determining the value and economic opportunities created from such knowledge.
She urged universities to expose students and researchers to industrialisation and commercialisation, saying innovative ideas should be transformed into products, services and businesses capable of contributing to national development.
The Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, commended Alausa for positioning education as a driver of jobs, competitiveness and innovation.
Attafuah said the changing global development landscape required countries to generate wealth and competitiveness from within, describing the UniPods as important instruments for advancing Nigeria’s reform agenda, creating jobs and helping citizens realise their potential.
She pledged UNDP’s readiness to facilitate South-South cooperation, including possible collaboration with India, while strengthening the emerging network of UniPods and supporting their governance, financing and sustainability.
(The Sun)