The InnovaACTION Program is now recruiting the first cohort of African Innovators to the 2020 Innovation Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Program will be for the period 1st September – 15th December 2020.
About the Innovation Program
The InnocACTION Post-COVID Readiness Program is a 4-month program for innovators and entrepreneurs in Africa to support the development, deployment and diffusion of home-grown innovations. It offers African entrepreneurs and innovators the much-needed support in accelerating their products/services, ameliorating existing technologies and redesigning business models for the post-COVID-19 period.
The InnovACTION Program provides existing African entrepreneurs and innovators with an opportunity to re-think their products and technologies in readiness for the post-COVID-19 market environment.
The program is offered by experienced, passionate and committed Global Network of Innovation Experts for Africa. The diverse backgrounds of instructors, mentors and coaches ensures that participants receive a multi-level and multi-disciplinary support for innovation development.
Who Should Apply
The Program is open to all young innovators and entrepreneurs with proven record of working on existing projects in any of the following sectors/industries:
- Education Technology (EdTECH and/or content providers, professional training and informal training
- Agricultural technologies (AgriTEch), Farming and Production, Food processing, storage and food distribution
- Health Technologies (Health Tech), Public Health, Drug Discovery, Diagnostics and Testing
- Financial Technology (FinTech), Payment Systems and Security
- eCommerce, Industryao Process Design, Manufacturing
- Irrigation, Water Treatment, General sanitation
- Environmental Technologies (CleanTech), Solar and other forms of renewable energy, Energy Efficiency and/or Waste Management
- Tourism and transportation
- Robotics, 3D Printing, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Block Chain
Admission Criteria
All applicants to the Program must have a clearly defined need in any of the following areas:
- Product/Technology development
- Market Development;
- Commercialization and Technology Transfer; and/or
- International Expansion
Applicants must have one of the following requirements:
- A High School Diploma with a minimum of 3 years practical experience in innovation or entrepreneurship
-
A Bachelors Degree or equivalent with 1 year practical experience in innovation or entrepreneurship.
Why Apply
- You will get an opportunity to work and develop your project idea with a high level group of seasoned experts from Africa and globally, with substantive experience in innovation development.
- You will become part of a pan-African network of innovators working in the same industry/sector.
- You will benefit from a transdisciplinary approach guaranteeing an innovative combination of scientific and industry knowledge
- You will get an opportunity to join an “innovation factory” to finalize your product and technology for market entry/expansion.
- You will enhance the investor-readiness of your product/technology. You will gain access to technology, industry and market data.
Registration and Submission Requirement
Participants must submit proposals of their projects to be vetted by members of the Global Network of Innovation Experts. The proposal should not exceed 1000 words and should cover the following main areas:
Format
- Description of technology/product or service;
- Value proposition (application of the technology. Product/service);
- Target Market/Segments and identified opportunities;
- Stage of development;
- Description of challenges and how you plan to solve them;
- Description of efforts made to date to address challenges.
Fees and Certification
The Program is free for all participants. Upon completion of the Program, participants will receive a certificate of participation and Digital Badges for all the components of the program.
