The University of Liberia ((UL) with support from multiple partners, is finalizing plans to dedicate a state-of-the-art Center of Innovation called UNIPoDs for students and faculty alike. 

The University is undertaking the initiative with support from UNDP in partnership with Orange GSM Liberia and iCampus, a capacity building expert group.

The meeting was held in the conference room on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 on the top floor of the Nathaniel B. Cassell Building, Capitol Hill.

UNiPoDs is the University Innovation  PoDs that is a dedicated online platform which will be developed and set up on the UL campus.

It aims to attract students and faculty to design, tinker, invent, imagine, make, and prototype innovations for development.

A delegation from the UNDP, Orange GSM Liberia, and iCampus presented a blueprint for the immediate implementation of the project.

The Center of Innovation will include high tech computer hardware, applications, a digital center, equipped computer laboratory, a corp of qualified and competent trainers and personnel to transfer the requisite skills to students and enhance faculty knowledge of the platform.

The project is put at a cost of at least five hundred thousand United States Dollars, according to the UNDP spokesperson.

Accordingly, the innovation center will also comprise a Maker Space, a Collabo Space and  a Businesses module will be added as an additional package to explore ways of attracting sources of funding for sustaining the center.

The set up and completion of this  Center of Innovation for students and faculty is expected at the end of 2023..

Commenting on behalf of the UL Administration, UL President Prof. Dr. Julius J.S. Nelson, Jr. expressed  happiness and willingness to work with the UNDP and partners to meet the timeline for the realization of the project.

“Thank you UNDP, Orange Liberia, and iCampus for this huge support and I can assure you that we will do our part to make it work”, Dr. Nelson assured.