UDI is one of four ASU units serving as key implementation partners to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program e-Learning Initiative. The initiative was launched in September 2020 to address the disruption to learning at higher education institutions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Presented with the goal of building a comprehensive system for higher education institutions to foster pathways for youth employment, UDI supported the establishment and activation of a unique alliance of 7 universities and 7 Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) centers in Ethiopia.