The Royal Academy of Engineering has opened applications for the 2024 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation as the programme approaches its 10th anniversary. The Africa Prize supports ambitious entrepreneurs and innovators developing local and scalable solutions to everyday challenges on the continent.
The Africa Prize will welcome its tenth cohort in November 2023. Since 2014, the programme has supported more than 130 entrepreneurs across 20 African countries with a rigorous business training programme and lifelong support through the Africa Prize alumni network. More than 70% of the alumni’s engineering and technology businesses now generate revenue. Between them the Africa Prize alumni have raised more than USD 14 million in grants and equity funding, and created more than 3,600 jobs, almost half of them for women.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa,
- Applicants must be individuals or groups of no more than three people.
- Individual applicants must be citizens of a country within sub-Saharan Africa and currently reside there. For teams of two or three, the lead applicant must be a citizen of a country within sub-Saharan Africa and currently reside there.
- Applicants must have an engineering innovation and provide a letter of support from a university of research institution.
- Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible.
- The applicant’s 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, including: agricultural technology, biotechnology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, design engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, ICT, materials science, mechanical engineering, and medical engineering. If you are in any doubt that your area of expertise would be considered engineering then please contact the Academy to discuss your application.
- Applicants should have achieved the development of, and be in the early stages of commercialising, an engineering innovation that:
- will bring social and/or environmental benefits to country/countries in sub-Saharan Africa;
- has strong potential to be replicated and scaled up;
- is accompanied by an ambitious but realistic business plan which has strong commercial viability.
Offered Benefits
Finalists will be invited to present at an event held in Africa and a winner will be selected to receive £25,000 along with runners-up, who will each be awarded £10,000
Duration of Program: Crucial commercialisation support is awarded to a shortlist of innovative applicants, through a six month period of training and mentoring.
Application Process
Go to Royal Academy of Engineering on raeng.org.uk to apply
- Register and create a profile via the grant system below
- Read the Applicant Guidance notes below these are necessary to complete your online application
All applications must be submitted via the online grants system. Applicants should ensure they read the guidance notes as well as the FAQ and eligibility pages before submitting their application.
