University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) has announced that it’s organizing National Innovation Summit tagged “Venture Cup Nigeria” aimed to stimulate students of tertiary institutions to start thinking of innovation and entrepreneurship as the way to go in the wake of the fourth industrial revolution.
Dr. Jude Chukwu, Director of Innovation, University of Nigeria, stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday, in Lagos.
According to the statement, “University of Nigeria Nsukka has become a model university in setting the pace in technological innovation in Nigeria having established the first university-based Science Park ‘Lion Science Park’; the first university-based incubator hub, ‘Roar Nigeria Hub’ and the first university-based laptop assembly line, ‘Lion Gadgets and Technologies Ltd’”.
The National Innovation Summit which will hold at the campus of University of Nigeria Nsukka from 6th to 8th of June, 2019, is first-ever university-led competition for start-ups.
The start-up competition will guarantee seed funding of various amounts to be won as prizes at regional and national levels.
Winner at the Grand finale takes home an equity free funding of One Million Naira (N1,000,000); while the first runner-up and second runner-up will win Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000) and Three Hundred Naira (N300,000) respectively.
At the (six) geopolitical zonal levels: winners, first runners-up and second runners-up will go home with Three Hundred Thousand Naira (N300,000), One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150,000) and One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000) respectively.
Professor Benjamin C. Ozumba, Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria Nsukka and Chairman Board of Directors, Lion Science Park, stated that the major goal of the Venture Cup Nigeria competition is to stimulate students of tertiary institutions to begin to think innovation and entrepreneurship as the way to go and to be competitive in the wake of the fourth industrial revolution.
He added that the prizes are to support student-led innovative ideas to takeoff. This will aid easy identification of promising startups for innovation across the tertiary institutions in Nigeria”, he stated.
Chinwe Okoli, Manager, Lion Science Park, announced that “the competition is open to innovative ideas from all sectors and for students from all higher institutions in Nigeria.
“However, the best ideas for this competition need to be technology-enabled. This is to encourage the use of technology in providing innovative solutions.
Commenting on the Lion Science Park Marathon, she stated that Run to innovate is a symbolic exercise to clear our heads and unleash the energy for big innovative ideas. It will hold in Nsukka.
“Join the race for the future! The Run to Innovate Marathon also have prizes to be won – fifty thousand naira (N50,000); Thirty Thousand naira (N30,000) and Twenty thousand naira (N20,000) for the first, second and third positions respectively. There will be lots of consolation prizes as well”.
Dr. Jude Chukwu, Director of Innovation, University of Nigeria, further revealed that the 2019 UNN-National Innovation Summit theme is‘Catching-up with the Fourth Industrial Revolution:
The Role of Innovation’ aims to inspire and facilitate dialogue on the smart, safe, sustainable and innovative ways of ensuring a paradigm shift to a knowledge-based, collaborative and entrepreneurial economy as the country prepares for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The Innovation Summit will play host to policy makers, top entrepreneurs, student entrepreneurs, government representatives, MDAs, innovation hubs and accelerators, innovation networks, business moguls, angel investors, international organizations, donor agencies, researchers/academics, innovators, inventors, start-ups etc.
The application for the first ever Venture Cup Competition closes on 15th May, 2019. To apply, visithttp://bit.ly/VentureCupNg
For Lion Science Park Marathon, apply via the link http://bit.ly/LionScienceParkMarathon
Register to attend the summit: http://bit.ly/UNNInnovationSummit