Deadline: May 30, 2014
Applications are invited from engineers affiliated with a university or research institute who have developed innovations that can provide scalable solutions to local challenges. The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation aims to stimulate, celebrate and reward innovation and entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa and opens for applications on Thursday 6 March 2014.
The Africa Prize encourages 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. Crucial commercialization support will be awarded to a shortlist of innovative applicants, through a six month period of training and mentoring. Following this period of mentorship, finalists will be invited to present at an event held in Africa and a winner will be selected to receive £25,000.
The Africa Prize is generously supported by The Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund, Consolidated Contractors Company, ConocoPhillips and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
Benefits:
- The overall winner will receive £25,000 (or local currency equivalent)
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be individuals or groups of no more than three people.
- Individual applicants must be citizens of a country within sub-Saharan Africa and currently reside there,
- For teams of two, the lead applicant must be a citizen of a country within sub-Saharan Africa and currently reside there.
- For teams of three, the lead applicant and one other team member must be citizens of a country within sub-Saharan Africa and currently reside there.
- Applicants must be engineering researchers (in any discipline) who are affiliated with a research institute or university.
- Engineering is defined in its broadest sense, encompassing a wide range of diverse fields, including but not limited to mechanical, civil, environmental, electrical & electronic, chemical, process, mining, materials, computing, software, biomedical, energy & power, transportation and manufacturing 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.
- Applicants should have achieved the development of, and be in the early stages of commercializing 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.
- Evidence of previous attempts at commercialization is not a prerequisite, but any such information is welcome and should be stated in the application.
Criteria:
- A complete application will contain:
- this application form;
- a letter of support from an affiliated university /research institute;
- CV of the applicant(s) (maximum two pages per applicant);
- a link to a video pitch from the lead applicant about their innovation (maximum two minutes). This is optional.
For more information click here.
