Call For Applications: Innovation Prize for Africa 2013

 


 Deadline : 31st, October,2012 at 24:00 GMT


The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) are delighted to announce the call for applications for the 2013 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA). Too often, innovators and entrepreneurs are not highly profiled on the African development agenda. It is IPA’s mission to elevate attention around innovative work and help support the vision of entrepreneurs. The prize honours and encourages innovative achievements that contribute towards the development of new products, increased efficiency or cost savings in Africa. The prize also promotes the efforts of young African men and women pursuing science, technology and engineering careers as well as business opportunities that aim to contribute to sustainable development in Africa.
The goals of the 2013 Prize and expected outcomes can be found HERE.

The priority areas for the 2013 prize are :

1.Agriculture/agribusiness
 This priority recognizes innovations that have demonstrated a lead in the agricultural sector, particularly, value-added at specific points of the agricultural value-chain: production, distribution, marketing, branding, certification etc. This might include development and/or adoption of yield increasing technologies, promotion of high-value products (food staple crops, high-value crops, livestock, plant variety, fertilizers, breeds, pesticides); marketing practices (pre-production contracts, collective marketing), natural resource management techniques (conservation tillage, soil erosion controls, water harvesting), trial and introduction of new products or process production systems for non tradable and/or tradable food staples; diversification of the production systems etc. This might be applied to commercial and market oriented farmers as well as small-scale and, subsistence farmers etc.
2.Environment, Energy and Water
This priority recognizes innovative applications that have demonstrated a lead in developing or applying cost-effective, smart renewable energy generation processes, cleaner water supply systems etc. Devices, particles, methods, filter systems that can bind, crack down, remove or mitigate pollutants and/or improve environmental pollution control would be highly appreciated. Other expected outcomes include: water desalination, gas emission control, reduced dependence on fossil fuels, eco-efficient processes that abate the impact of industrial processes and products, optimization of the use of resources while minimizing waste.
3.Health and Wellbeing
This priority recognizes innovations that have demonstrated high impact or potential in improving the physical, mental, and social well-being of individuals or communities, through prevention, treatment etc. This might include the development and use of traditional and modern medicines, improved sanitation, hygiene, treating or preventing TB, Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Hepatitis, High blood-pressure, Diarrhea, Cholera, infirmity, depression or other physical and mental illnesses.     
4.Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) Manufacturing and Service Industry
 This priority recognizes innovative ICTs applications that have demonstrated their potential in addressing key development challenges in African societies (e.g. in communities) or economy, including:
- Software (application development, software design and development, enterprise application development, or platform development) and may include new development, or any other activities that result in software products for addressing a key development challenge.
- Mobile/Wireless Technologies that demonstrate how underprivileged people can use devices for social and economic benefits with the possibility to spawn micro-enterprises and generate employment.
- Local Language Software known as "localisation" requires definition and implementation of standards. These standards include character set encoding, keyboard (and keypad) layouts, collation/sorting sequence, locale and ICT terminology. In addition to definition of standards, applications also need to be developed for local language computing to support access and generation of local language content.
5.Manufacturing and Service Industry
This priority calls for applications that have demonstrated a lead on addressing the key pillars of innovation in production technology/industry: creating high added-value, greener, more customer-focused and/or high quality products; manufacturing more with less input materials, using lowest energy and creating fewest or zero waste. Innovations that promote the adoption of cleaner, sustainable practices, changing from a resource-intensive to a knowledge-based approach, best ever turnaround times, smooth relationship with suppliers and customers, and which demonstrate greater potential for wider product range would be highly regarded. 

Further information about How To Apply and the Criteria For Entry can be found on the original post of the website   at  http://innovationprizeforafrica.org/