The 2022 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation for Sub-Saharan Africans organized by The Royal Academy of Engineering and sponsored by shell has opened applications for interested young innovators.

Launched in 2014 by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation awards crucial commercialisation support 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 develop Africa.

IN A NUTSHELL:
Host: The Royal Academy of Engineering
Tagged: Innovation
Eligible Countries: Sub-Saharan African Countries
Reward: Winner - £25,000 | Runners-up - £10,000 each.
Deadline: July 19, 2022

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.

Each year, up to 16 shortlisted African innovators receive a unique package of support over eight months to help them accelerate their businesses.

The benefits of selection include comprehensive and tailored business training, sector specific engineering mentoring, communications support, pitching opportunities and access to the Academy’s network of high profile, experienced engineers and business experts in the UK and across Africa.

Details:

The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.

In collaboration with Fellows and partners such as Shell, they are growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.

Since the start of the Africa Prize eight years ago, the Academy has supported 118 businesses from 18 countries through the programme. In our eighth year, the Africa Prize is supporting 8 women entrepreneurs and 8 men entrepreneurs from 9 different countries.

This year the Africa Prize is generously funded by The Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund.

Requirements:

To be considered for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, you must:

have developed, or be in the process of developing, a new technological innovation.
should have the ambition to take a leading role in creating a new business to commercialise this innovation.

Be from sub-Saharan Africa.

Innovations must:

• aim to promote the welfare and economic development of a country or countries in sub-Saharan Africa

• be designed to address a development need or specific challenge facing that country.

The application must be written in English.

The applicant must have a high level of English language proficiency in order to participate fully in the programme as this is conducted entirely in English.

The lead applicant must be over the age of 18 when applications close on 19 July 2022. There is no upper age limit.

Previous shortlist members or winners are not eligible to participate in the programme again, nor is anyone who was involved in their team or innovation.

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.

If you are in any doubt that your area of expertise would be considered as engineering, then please contact the Academy to discuss your application.

Duration and Reward

A shortlist of 16 applicants will be selected to receive an eight-month package of mentoring and training.

The training will take various formats and will require a significant time commitment over the eight months. All reasonable costs are covered to attend and participate in these activities.

The training period will run from late 2022 to mid 2023. 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

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.

Method of Application

Interested and qualified innovators should click the button below to commence.

APPLY HERE

Deadline:

July 19, 2022

An exceptional 27-year-old American Lady, Charlyne Smith has set an outstanding record at the University of Florida, United States after emerging as first-ever black person to earn a PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the institution.

Charlyne Smith who is now a Senior Nuclear Energy Analyst on the Nuclear Energy Innovation team at the Breakthrough Institute described her achievement as a feat that will open doors for marginalized groups.

“It means more options, more open doors for marginalized groups, including Black women and men, to create and innovate in the nuclear energy space to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, including climate change,” Smith said.

Charlyne Smith was originally from St. Catherine, Jamaica, North America. She moved to the United States in 2012 to pursue a career in science and technology.

On getting to the United States, Charlyne Smith proceed to study at the Coppin State University in Baltimore and in 2017, she graduated from the institution with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Mathematics.

According to Black Enterprise, Charlyne Smith discovered her interest in Nuclear Engineering after speaking with nuclear scientist Dr Nickie Peters at a Coppin State University (CSU) alumni event. She felt pursuing Nuclear Engineering could help bring immediate change to the countries that needed it.

She thereafter proceeded to the University of Florida and finally became the first black woman to earn a PhD from the university. According to Smith, she plans to help displace fossil fuel energy sources in the Caribbean and replace them with clean energy sources like nuclear energy.

“In doing so, we not only solve energy instability, especially during extreme weather events, but we’ll also get closer to global carbon neutrality goals,” she explained.

“My strategy is to start with Jamaica because it houses the only nuclear reactor in the Caribbean. Although it is a research reactor, its existence demonstrates experience and technical competence in the nuclear engineering space,” she added.

Charlyne is a co-founder of a non-profit organization called Empowering Garrison Girls (EGGs) whose mission is to fill the need for a global transformation to reduce gender and economic inequalities by targeting young girls living in Jamaican garrison communities.

“Early exposure to a wide range of STEM disciplines is essential for solving current and future world problems. I plan to help diversify the engineering disciplines by first developing a summer engineering pilot program for high school students in Jamaica. The hope is that the success of these types of educational programs will help to create a blueprint for designing STEM-based secondary institutions,” she explained.