The Royal Academy of Engineering is accepting applications for its Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2022 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.
Sponsoring Agency: Royal Academy of Engineering
Type of Fund: Challenges, Competitions or Prizes
Deadline Available: Available
Deadline Date (mm/dd/yyyy): 07/20/2021
Size of the Fund: Less than USD $50,000
The Royal Academy of Engineering is accepting applications for its Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2022 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.
The Prize has a track record of identifying engineering entrepreneurs with significant potential, many of whom have gone on to achieve greater commercial success and social impact.
In the seventh year, the Africa Prize is supporting 6 female and 10 male entrepreneurs from 9 different countries through their first ever fully digital training programme.
This year, the Africa Prize is funded by The Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund.
Africa Prize Training Process
A shortlist of 16 applicants will be selected to receive a seven-month package of mentoring and training. The programme will be structured to give entrepreneurs the skills and knowledge to:
• strengthen and develop their existing business plans
• successfully communicate their innovations through pitching
• forge links with potential partners, investors and customers
• further develop their innovation
• move towards commercialisation or scale up.
The training
The training will take various formats and will require a significant time commitment over the seven months. All reasonable costs are covered to attend and participate in these activities.
The training period will run from late 2021 to mid 2022. This includes:
• remote group and one-on-one training and mentoring, taking place on a regular basis via video conference, telephone calls and webinars
• the potential of a residential training week in Africa and/or the UK.
Stage two applications
The shortlist will be asked to submit a full business plan and updates on their businesses on the online system, following the first period of training in May 2022. The judging panel will review these and identify four finalists.
The final event
All shortlisted applicants will display their innovations at an exhibition at the final event in July 2022. The four finalists will pitch in front of an audience and the Africa Prize judges. The prizes will be awarded following an assessment by the judging panel.
• The winner will receive £25,000
• Three runners-up will receive £10,000 each.
Eligibility Criteria
• Applicants must have developed, or be in the process of developing, a new technological innovation. Applicants should have the ambition to take a leading role in creating a new business to commercialise this innovation.
• Innovations must:
o aim to promote the welfare and economic development of a country or countries in sub-Saharan Africa
o be designed to address a development need or specific challenge facing that country.
• For the purposes of the programme, the definition of sub-Saharan Africa includes all countries defined by the African Union within Central, East, Southern, and West Africa (mentioned below).
• The application must be written in English.
• The lead applicant must be over the age of 18 when applications close on
• 20 July 2021. 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.
• The lead applicant 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, although they are not required to be an engineering graduate or student to apply.
• The lead applicant must provide a letter of support from a university, research institution, innovation hub or previous incubator programme. This can be as simple as stating that an individual studied at or was involved with that institution. If applicants are not affiliated with any organisation, another document proving the status of their organisation or innovation, such as a document of incorporation or patent certificate, may be used.
• Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible.
• The innovation can be any new product, technology or service, based on research in engineering defined in its broadest sense to encompass a wide range of fields. This includes but is not limited to: agricultural technology, biotechnology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, design engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, ICT, materials science, mechanical engineering, and medical engineering.
• The innovation must be at technology readiness level 3 or above. Evidence of a prototype should be provided in the application.
• The lead applicant must provide a letter of consent from the originators/collaborators of the IP to this innovation, where relevant.
• The lead applicant must provide a technical diagram and photo that showcases the technical aspects of the innovation as part of their application.
• Applicants should have developed, and be in the early stages of commercialising, an engineering innovation that:
o will bring social and/or environmental benefits to a country/countries in sub-Saharan Africa
o has strong potential to be replicated and scaled-up
o is accompanied by an ambitious but realistic business plan that has strong commercial viability.
More information at: https://www.raeng.org.uk/global/sustainable-development/africa-prize
Eligible Countries:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Congo, Republic of the, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
