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Innovation Prize for Africa 2015 ($150,000 prize for Innovative African Solutions to African Challenges)

by lanredahunsi August 5, 2014

written by lanredahunsi

Deadline for Applications: 31 October 2014, 23.59h GMT

The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) is delighted to announce the call for the 2015 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) applications. The IPA honours and encourages innovative achievements that contribute toward developing new products, increasing efficiency or saving cost in Africa. The prize also promotes among young African men and women the pursuit of science, technology and engineering careers as well as business opportunities with potential of contributing to sustainable development in Africa.

It is important to note that:

The IPA is differentiated from other prizes by assessing both hi-tech versus low-tech innovations and tangible products versus intangible social processes on the same plane. This provides an opportunity for innovators from a wide spectrum of educational and social backgrounds to compete at the same level and the only determining success factor in all instances is how the innovations are assessed on the key indicators set out in the Selection Criteria below.

All innovations are evaluated based on the following criteria:

(1) originality,

(2) marketability,

(3) scalability,

(4) social impact and Scientific/technical aspects.

The IPA is focused on:

Mobilizing leaders from all sectors to fuel African innovation
Promoting innovation across Africa in key sectors through the competition
Promoting science, technology and engineering as a rewarding career path among African youth
Encouraging entrepreneurs, innovators, funding bodies and business development service providers to exchange ideas and explore innovative business opportunities.

The IPA anticipates contributing to the following outcomes:

Increased commercialization of research and development (R&D) outputs in Africa
Increased funding of start-ups, adoption of new and emerging technologies and accelerated growth of an innovative and dynamic private sector; and

Increased economic activity and African led development that results in lasting impact.

IPA 2015 PRIORITY AREAS

The 2015 IPA recognizes innovative breakthroughs that unlock new African potential in the following five priority areas:

agriculture and agribusiness;
environment, energy and water;
health and well-being;
ICTs and
manufacturing and service industry.

Prizes

The 2015 IPA will consist of three Prizes, which will be given following the criteria outlined above:

First Prize (USD 100.000):
This prize will be awarded to the innovator with the overall best innovation that meets all the above mentioned IPA criteria and has clear business potential.
Second Prize (USD 25,000):
This prize will be given to the selected innovator with a commercially driven innovation. Beyond the aforementioned five criteria, this category of Award will be carefully assessed on its marketability potential and will be awarded to the innovation with the best commercial/business potential.
Special Prize for Social Impact Innovation (USD 25,000):This category of award will be assessed carefully on its particular social impact in the community/country and will be awarded to the innovation with the best social impact.
Finalists:The top-10 finalists shall be invited for face-to-face interviews and to the award ceremony. All finalists will receive certificates. In addition, the AIF will also provide in-kind support to each finalist up to a maximum of USD 5,000 in post-prize technical support to assist in moving the innovation to the next step. Media coverage and additional support might also be mobilized for the finalists.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

You should consider submitting your application if you are an African entrepreneur, academic or inventor with an innovation that could potentially provide an African solution to some of the continent’s every day challenges. Below are specific guidelines on who can apply and how to apply:

Eligible innovations MUST be by Africans for Africa. Africans in the Diaspora can also apply if their innovations are of significance for Africa.
A fully completed application form with a full description of the innovation must accompany each submission; otherwise the entry will be disqualified.
The innovation description should clearly illustrate the social and/or economic outcome and impact with regard to African development and the priority area chosen, and should be in line with the IPA assessment and selection criteria.
Application forms and description of the innovation should be in English, French or Portuguese. While the innovations can be conducted in any language including local languages, the submissions should be translated into English, French or Portuguese.
Applicants are required to attach a letter of support/endorsement from an institution or an authority with knowledge of their innovation. This will serve as a testimony of how important the innovation is in addressing development challenges faced by Africans.
Each mandatory question on the application form MUST be answered or the application will be deemed incomplete and disqualified.
There is no application fee.

Download Application Form for the 2015 Innovation Prize for Africa

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Innovation Prize for Africa

August 5, 2014 0 comments

Call for Applications

2014 Innovation Prize for Africa (USD 150 000 Prize for Innovative African Solutions to African Challenges).

by lanredahunsi July 30, 2013

written by lanredahunsi

Deadline for Applications:31 October 2013, 24h00 GMT

The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) is delighted to announce the

call for the 2014 Innovation Prize for Africa(IPA).The prize honours and encourages innovative achievements that contribute toward developing new products, increasing efficiency or saving cost in Africa.

The prize also promotes among young African men and women the pursuit of science, technology and engineering careers as well as business opportunities with potentials of contributing to sustainable development in Africa.

The Innovation Prize for Africa is an initiative of the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) started in 2011. IPA honours and encourages innovative achievements that contribute toward developing new products, increasing efficiency or saving cost in Africa.

Specifically, the award targets technological breakthroughs in such main concern areas as manufacturing and service industry, health and well-being,agriculture and agribusiness, environment, energy and water and ICTs.

The IPA 2014 competition focuses on five priority areas, namely manufacturing and service industry, health and well-being, agriculture and agribusiness, environment, energy and water and ICTs.

In an effort to drive African-led development, the IPA invites African entrepreneurs and innovators to propose projects that unlock new African potential under one of five categories which include:

1) agriculture and agribusiness;

2) environment, energy and water;

3) health and wellbeing;

4) ICT applications; and

5) manufacturing and services industries.

IPA 2014 consists of three prizes:

USD 100,000 for the winner with the best innovation based on marketability, originality, scalability, social impact, utility/technical aspect and clear business potentials
USD 25,000 for the runner-up with the best commercial/business potential and
USD 25,000 for the Special Prize for Social Innovation with the highest social impact in the community/country.

The registration deadline for the 2014 prize has been set for 31 October 2013. For detailed information of competition categories, conditions of entry, and submission procedures, please visit innovationprizeforafrica.org and review the detailed call for application prior to applying.

Application Guidelines

The IPA is focused on recognizing innovative breakthroughs to unlock new African potential. If you are an entrepreneur, academic or inventor with an innovation that could potentially provide an African solution to some of the continent’s every day challenges, apply now!

DEADLINE: 31 October 2013 at 24h00 GMT

Eligible innovations must be by Africans for Africa. Africans in the Diaspora can also apply if their innovations are of significance for Africa. The innovation or associated business must be registered in Africa.
A fully completed application form with a full description of the innovation must accompany each submission; otherwise the entry will be disqualified.
The innovation description should clearly illustrate the social and/or economic outcome and impact with regard to African development and the priority area chosen, and should be in line with the IPA assessment and selection criteria.
Application forms and description of the innovation should be in English or French. While the innovations can be conducted in any language including local languages, the submissions should be translated into English or French.
Applicants are required to attach a letter of support/endorsement from an institution or an authority with knowledge of their innovation. This will serve as a testimony of how important the innovation is in addressing development challenges faced by Africans.
Each question on the application form must be answered or the application will be deemed incomplete and disqualified.
There is no application fee.

You can either:
1. Submit your application online by downloading the APP below and following the instructions.
– WINDOWS / MAC / LINUX

2. Download the application form in English or in French and send the completed form and all the required attachments by email.
– DOC

3. Send your application to the following mailing address:

African Innovation Foundation
Attn. Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA)
Strehlgasse 4
CH 8001 Zurich
Switzerland
Website: innovationprizeforafrica

For additional instructions and details, please download PDF

For any questions regarding the IPA application process, please check first the website and if you still have questions then contact the IPA Secretariat:

Ms. Pauline Mujawamariya, Program Director
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +41 44 515 54 66 or +41 44 515 54 60

Note: We highly recommend submitting your application online. However, we also accept applications by mail. Applicants sending their applications by mail are responsible for ensuring that their applications have been received by 31 October 2013.

Closing Date: The closing date for IPA 2014 is 31 October 2013 at 24:00 GMT. Any application received after the closing date will not be considered.

For More Information:

Official Webpage of the Innovation Prize for Africa

The 2014 Innovation Prize for Africa Screening Process

The 2014 Innovation Prize for Africa Criteria for Selection

Apply Now for the 2014 Innovation Prize for Africa

July 30, 2013 0 comments

Innovation Prize for Africa 2013

by lanredahunsi September 24, 2012

written by lanredahunsi

Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA is a joint initiative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) started in 2011. IPA honours and encourages innovative achievements that contribute toward developing new products, increasing efficiency or saving cost in Africa.

The prize also promotes among young African men and women the pursuit of science, technology and engineering careers and business applications. Specifically, the award targets technological breakthroughs in such main concern areas as manufacturing and service industry, health and well-being, agriculture and agribusiness, environment, energy and water and ICTs.

September 24, 2012 0 comments