The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2024 (up to £25,000 Prize)

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The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. The Prize awards commercialisation support to African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges. These innovations show the importance of engineering in improving quality of life and economic development.

The Africa Prize is looking for engineers and entrepreneurs who have developed or are 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 commercialize this innovation. Innovations must aim to promote the welfare and economic development of a country or countries in sub–Saharan Africa and be designed to address a development need or specific challenge facing that country.

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
Medical engineering.

Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation Benefits

The Africa Prize offers a unique benefits package for up to 16 shortlisted participants to help accelerate their business including:

Access to business and technical expertise and sector-specific engineering mentoring.
Bespoke press coverage and communications support.
Eight-month tailored training program.
Access to the Academy’s network of high-profile engineers and business experts in the UK and Africa.
The opportunity for finalists to present their innovation to a judging panel at the Africa Prize showcase event.
Prize money of up to £25,000.