The Royal Academy of Engineering calls application for Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation aims to stimulate, celebrate, and reward engineering entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. It awards crucial commercialization support to ambitious African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges, demonstrating the importance of engineering as an enabler of improved quality of life and economic development. An eight-month period of tailored training and mentoring culminates in a showcase event where a winner is selected to receive £25,000 along with three runners-up, who are each awarded £10,000.

Objectives 

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is designed to:

• Support the commercial development of engineering innovations that have a positive impact on social and economic development in the region.
• Highlight the role of engineering in promoting socio-economic development and tackling global challenges to an international audience ranging from school children to policymakers.
• Raise the profile of engineering and innovation in Africa through telling success stories and creating inspiring engineering role models and champions
• Inspire and enthuse young people in Africa and the UK about engineering.
• Bring together stakeholders from the UK and African business and innovation communities to establish a closer dialogue on African and global engineering issues.

Benefits

• Regular online group and one-on-one business and entrepreneurship training from experts, covering topics such as: business model canvas; sales and marketing; revenue models; human resourcing; access to investment; impact measurement; legal considerations for innovators.
• Mentorship from Fellows of the Academy and its network, tailored to the individual’s needs.
• Opportunities to travel to London and/or African cities for in-person training or events; this is dependent on the COVID-19 situation and it is likely that most training and events will be online.
• Opportunities to pitch your innovation at events attended by high-profile guests including entrepreneurs, investors, dignitaries, and media (to note in Africa Prize 2021 these events may be virtual).
• Communications support, including pitching your innovations to local, national, and international media.
• Networking opportunities with the Africa Prize shortlist alumni and wider networks at events.
• The final prize of GBP £25,000 for the winner and £10,000 each for three runners-up.
• At the end of the training, the shortlist become part of the Africa Prize alumni community, which continues to receive support from the Academy through invitations to further events, small grant funding, and follow-on training.

Eligibilities

• Applicants must be individuals or small teams.
• Individual applicants must be citizens of a country within sub-Saharan Africa. For teams of two or more, the lead applicant (the person who usually participates in most training and other activities) must be a citizen of a country within sub-Saharan Africa.
• Applicants must have an engineering innovation, though you do not need to be an engineer to apply.
• The lead applicant should be over the age of 18 at the time the applications close. There is no upper age limit.
  Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible.

More information available here