The roles of academic institution in technology generation and transfer on cowpea have become a salient aspect of technology transfer process in Nigeria. The study therefore assessed cowpea innovations generated by academic institutions in the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. The study randomly selected 112 respondents from academic staff members in Agricultural Sciences and Engineering Faculties with few students inclusive. Descriptive statistics include: frequency counts and percentages while the inferential statistic was Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The mean annual income of the respondents’ was N2, 578,125. The mean age of respondents was 47.43years. Specilized bagging and improved cowpea varieties (optimal plant population) were the most available cowpea innovations. High cost of innovation was the major constraint limiting generation of innovation. The result of Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between selected socio-economic characteristics; age(r= 0.407, p=0.001), years of experience (r=0.352, p=0.006), income (r= 0.443, p=0.000) and level of generation of cowpea innovations. Funding of research by university stakeholders was the greatest challenge militating against technology generation and therefore recommended that the Government should adequately fund academic institution in Nigeria for the uninterrupted generation and subsequently transfer of cowpea technologies to the farmers in order to combat the prevailing treats of food insecurity.