The Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development (ICOPED), an academic unit under the College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, provides a strong focus on the development of cooperatives as viable economic and social business enterprises through its instruction, research, extension and training, networking, and policy advocacy programs. This is consistent with the United Nations’ framework that emphasizes “the contribution of cooperatives to socio-economic development particularly in poverty reduction, employment generation, and social integration”. ICOPED’s strength is rooted in decades of relevant experience in implementing academic and training programs and networking with the cooperative sector, government agencies and NGOs involved in cooperative development work.​