Applications for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2023 are now open.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation.
Entrepreneurs with innovation from any engineering discipline that can provide scalable solutions to local challenges are welcome to apply. Applicants should be in the early stages of commercializing an engineering innovation that:
- is accompanied by an ambitious but realistic business plan that has strong commercial viability
- has strong potential to be replicated and scaled up
- will bring social and/or environmental benefits to a country or countries in sub-Saharan Africa
- is based in, and will benefit, a country in sub-Saharan Africa.
The innovation can be any new product, technology, or service, based on research in any field of engineering, including agricultural technology, biotechnology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, design engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, and medical engineering. If you have questions about whether your innovation would be considered engineering, please contact the Africa Prize team to discuss your application at africaprize@raeng.org.uk
Benefits
The Africa Prize offers a unique benefits package including:
- Prize money of up to £25,000
- Access to business and technical expertise and sector-specific engineering mentoring
- Bespoke press coverage and communications support
- Seven months tailored training program
- Access to the Academy’s network of high-profile engineers and business experts in the UK and Africa.
- Opportunity for finalists to present their innovation to a judging panel at the Africa prize showcase event
Eligibility
- The application must be written in English.
- Applicants must have a high level of English language proficiency in order to participate fully in the program.
- The lead applicant must be over the age of 18 when applications close on 19 July 2022. There is no upper age limit.
- Applicants can apply as an individual or as part of a team.
- The lead applicant must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa. For teams of two or more, the lead applicant (the person participating in training) must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa.
- They must be ordinarily based in sub-Saharan Africa; if based overseas, this must be temporary for studies or otherwise.
- The innovation must be based in a country in sub-Saharan Africa.
- The lead applicant must have an engineering innovation.
- They must provide a letter of support from a university, research institution, innovation hub, or previous incubator programme.
Selection
The shortlisting process will consider:
- the relevance and viability of the engineering innovation
- the potential social, economic, or environmental benefit of the innovation
- adherence to all entry and eligibility requirements
- the extent to which the innovation can be replicated and scaled-up
- the individual, or team’s, entrepreneurial potential
Deadline: July 19, 2022.
For more information, visit the official site.
