UNDP Malawi has partnered with the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), providing both technical expertise and financial support to establish a University Innovation Pod (UniPod) in Malawi.

The timbuktoo UniPod, stands as a distinctive venture situated at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences. Its primary objective is to provide essential support to youthful innovators by providing them with cutting-edge infrastructure that caters to innovation prototyping, experimentation, and small-scale manufacturing. The UniPod aims to foster the creation of prototypes that hold significant potential for transforming into commercially viable products hence provides an alternative for export substitution.

The UniPod goes beyond a mere provision of equipment and programs within the university environment; it adopts a comprehensive strategy which involves enhancing the entrepreneurial mindset among innovators through the Business Nursery programs but also reinforcing the university's Technology Transfer Office (TTO). Additionally, it involves establishing the capability to implement Intellectual Property registration and royalty programs. 

At the core of the UniPod's conceptual foundation is the establishment of a symbiotic interplay among Ideation, Design, Fabrication, and Collaboration, all working in harmony to propel impactful innovations. The UniPod encompasses various key spaces, including a collaborative ideation space, Design Lab and a Makerspace featuring five specialized labs: electronics fabrication, mechanical fabrication, Computer Numerical Control Fabrication, wood workshop, digital creative arts lab. Furthermore, the UniPod encompasses a business nursery and a dedicated technology transfer office, further enriching its offerings.