Deadline: January 31, 2019
Applications are open for the Nigeria Energy Forum (NEF) Africa Energy Innovation Challenge 2019. The 4th Energy Innovation Challenge is set to upscale the development of early-stage energy firms across Africa.
Across Africa, the main energy challenge is to rapidly deliver modern energy services to millions of households and businesses using sustainable and affordable energy technologies. This competition challenges early-stage energy entrepreneurs from Africa to collaborate with local research institutions or industries to develop practical and sustainable energy products/services/prototype models for a social enterprise or energy management system using local resources.
Prizes
The finalists and winners will be selected by a panel of academics and experienced development professionals from public and private sector institutions. Winners of the competition get the opportunity to:
- Pitch their proposed solution/service/prototype model at the 2019 Nigeria Energy Forum, in Lagos, Nigeria, using a poster and short 2-minute video
- Benefit from unique networking opportunities with other young leaders as well as some of the most senior decision makers in government, international development, academia, and the private sector
- Attend business development workshops, receive support from start-up incubators and cash investment prize of up to USD 5000 to demonstrate the proposed solution in the host community determined in collaboration with organizers.
Eligibility
- Young professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 years from Africa are invited to participate in the competition and nominate a relevant local research institution or organization;
- Applications may be submitted by a team of up to three people;
- At least 1 member of the team must be from the local research institution or industry;
- Teams may be formed across different schools, institutions, companies, countries etc.;
- Individuals or teams may submit multiple applications.
Evaluation Criteria
The first round of submissions will be evaluated using the following attributes:
- Local Content: utilize local resources, demonstrate use of local expertise, alternative energy services or efficient solutions for powering agriculture, education, healthcare, industries etc.; and be significant enough to impact large numbers of people, households and/or businesses
- Originality and creativity: present solutions that are original, creative in areas that are either underdeveloped or severely underdeveloped in research and literature
- Commercial Viability: proposed prototype model should be realistic, practical rather than just theory, cost efficient and outline commercial arrangements that address obvious roadblocks, using a specific prototype model
- Clarity: ideas should be presented in a clear and concise manner with realistic completion timeline.
Application
- Project title
- Your Solution (250 words)
- Partner Institution or Industry
- Expected Impact (50 words)
- Short abstract (50 words)
- Design tools and method (50 words)
- Problem Statement (50 words)
- Estimated costs and timeline (50 words)
Submissions must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format by email to [email protected]. The subject line of the email should follow the format: [Country] Title of the Project. Submissions that exceed the word count may be disqualified. Shortlisted submissions would be invited to participate in the final round by submitting a 1-page poster to summarize their design, with a detailed budget, 2-page Design Brief, and a Short 2-minute video to describe a prototype model of the proposed solution.
For more information, visit NEF Competition.
