Application Deadline: midnight on 30 June 2016.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation aims to stimulate and reward engineering entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa. The Africa Prize will encourage ambitious and talented sub-Saharan African engineers from all disciplines to apply their skills to develop scalable solutions to local challenges, highlighting the importance of engineering as an enabler of improved quality of life and economic development.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is an initiative of the Royal Academy of Engineering. It is generously supported by the Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Consolidated Contractors Company, ConocoPhillips, and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is designed to:
- support the commercial development of engineering innovations that have a positive impact on social and economic development in the region
- inspire and enthuse young people in Africa about engineering
- raise the profile of engineering in Africa
- highlight the role of engineering in tackling development challenges to an international audience ranging from school children to policymakers
- bring together stakeholders from the UK and African business and innovation communities to establish a closer dialogue on African and global engineering issues.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Applicants must be individuals or groups of no more than three people.
- Applicants must be citizens of a country within sub-Saharan Africa and currently reside there. For teams of two or three, the lead applicant must be a citizen of a country within sub-Saharan Africa and currently reside there.
- Applicants must be engineers who can provide a letter of support from a university of research institution.
- Applicants should have achieved the development of, and be in the early stages of commercialising an engineering innovation that:
- will bring social and/or environmental benefits to country/countries in sub-Saharan Africa
- has strong potential to be replicated and scaled up
- is accompanied by an ambitious but realistic business plan which has strong commercial viability.
- Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible.·
- The applicant’s innovation can be any new product, technology or service, based on research in engineering defined in its broadest sense to encompass a wide range of fields, including: agricultural technology, biotechnology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, design engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, ICT, materials science, mechanical engineering, and medical engineering. If you are in any doubt that your area of expertise would be considered engineering then please contact the Academy to discuss your application.
For the purposes of the competition, sub-Saharan countries include:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Benefits:
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Crucial commercialisation support is awarded to a shortlist of innovative applicants, through a six month period of training and mentoring.
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Following the prize-giving the finalists will be invited to attend an exhibition in the UK attended by a wide range of relevant stakeholders. This event will profile the innovations of the finalists, sharing their work with a wider audience.
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The overall winner will receive £25,000 (or local currency equivalent). Runners-up will also receive a cash prize.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation