About the prize
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 commercialisation support is awarded to a shortlist of innovative applicants through a six-month period of training and mentoring.
Following this period of mentorship, finalists are invited to present at an event held in Africa and a winner is selected to receive £25,000 along with runners-up, who are each awarded £10,000.
Introduction
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation encourages ambitious and talented sub- Saharan African engineers 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 aim of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is to stimulate, celebrate and reward innovation and entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa.
Applications are invited from engineers in sub-Saharan Africa who have developed an innovation that can provide scalable solutions to local challenges. Engineers from all engineering disciplines are invited to enter.
Shortlisted applicants will receive a six-month package of tailored support to help them achieve commercial success from their innovation, consisting of two-week long immersion sessions, supplemented by remote support. The overall winner of the GBP 25,000 prize will be announced at a high-profile event in May/June 2018.
The Process
Following the closing date, a shortlist of applicants will be identified to receive a six- month period of mentoring and training. The mentoring and training will be structured to give participants the skills and knowledge to:
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develop their technology further, with a view towards successful commercialisation;
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strengthen and develop their existing business plans and prepare them for pitching;
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forge links with potential partners, investors and customers.
The training will take a number of forms but will require that during the six months you are able to commit time to these activities.
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The training period will run from Monday 2 October 2017 to Friday 30 March 2018. During this time, two week-long immersion sessions will be arranged (taking place in the UK and Africa), training and mentoring outside of these times will take place remotely via skype, telephone calls and an online course.
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Shortlisted applicants will be expected to submit a full business plan, from a provided template, for the consideration of the Judging Panel by Friday 30 March 2018.
The Judging Panel will then identify four finalists, who will be invited to present their work in person at an event taking place in Africa in May/June 2018. The Prize will be awarded following an assessment of these presentations by the Judging Panel. Finalists will also be invited to an exhibition taking place in London, England.
Please note that all training will be conducted in English.
Location
For the training and mentoring portion of the Prize, location will vary dependent on the spread of the shortlisted candidates across Africa. International flights, airport transfers, hotel accommodation, breakfast and visa fees will be paid for by the Academy. The Academy will provide guidelines to shortlisted applicants regarding expenses which are eligible and how claims can be submitted.
However, please note that successful applicants will be responsible for arranging, and paying for their travel insurance, as required.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must have developed (or co-developed), or be in the process of developing (or co-developing) a new technological innovation. Applicants should have the ambition to take a leading role in creating a new business to commercialise this innovation.
Submission Deadline
Applications will be accepted from Monday 20 March 2017. The closing date for
applications is midnight GMT on Monday 24 July 2017. Monitoring and Reporting
The Academy will continue to monitor and evaluate the success of the Africa Prize shortlist against its objectives. After the
programme, all shortlisted candidates will be expected to provide brief progress reports to The Academy about the progress of their business six months and 18 months after the final event.
How to Apply
All applications must be submitted via the online Grant System. You must register though the system before you are able to apply. The application form has six sections to complete. A CV and letter of support is also required.
Completing the Application Form
After logging in to the online Grant System and selecting the relevant scheme “Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2017/2018” you should be presented with the ‘Instructions’ screen.
For more information click "Further official information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.raeng.org.uk/grants-and-prizes/international-research-and-collaborations/africa-prize