Apply for the Co-Creation Hub/GIZ Make-IT in Africa Uni:nnovators Startup-in-Residence Program for student-led innovators.
The Co-Creation Hub/GIZ Make-IT in Africa Uni:nnovators Startup-in-Residence Program will assist 30 student-led inventions in Nigeria, Namibia, and Kenya in an effort to deepen and expedite academic institutions’ participation in Africa’s developing innovation ecosystem. Capacity-building sessions will be provided to the selected startup teams in order to develop their research-based innovations and build prototypes focused on Greentech and smart city solutions in specific areas such as Agriculture, Energy, Circular Economy, Water, and Healthcare.
Following the pitch display, eighteen of these student-led teams will participate in a knowledge exchange with prominent researchers in their fields, as well as the option to fly to Germany for physical training to assist strengthen their prototypes. They will subsequently get funding and consultancy services to help them construct and implement their MVPs in the market, as well as in collaboration with industry partners when applicable.
The initiative will culminate in a two-day summit in Nairobi, Kenya, where companies will pitch to an international audience of investors and stakeholders in an effort to highlight the essential role that Higher Education Institutions play in the continent’s broader innovation ecosystem.
The Co-Creation Hub will collaborate with six higher education institutions from the three countries. University of Ibadan (Nigeria), University of Lagos (Nigeria), University of Namibia (Namibia), Namibia University of Science and Technology (Namibia), Riara University (Kenya), and University of Nairobi (Kenya) are the institutions.
Eligibility
Student: You must be a student at one of the universities listed above.
Degree: You must specify whether you are pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate degree.
Travel: You must be able to travel both within and outside of your nation, and you must have a valid passport by the date of travel.
Creativity and Innovation: Your proposal must be innovative and one-of-a-kind, ideally based on research.
Viable and Feasible: Your proposal must be realistic and reasonable, i.e. it must solve a specific need for a small group of clients in a large market.
Scope: Your idea must fit within the parameters of the challenge as outlined in the program summary.
Team: The ability or skill set required to implement the proposed solution.
Timeline:
Design Sprint (6Weeks): Participants will attend three workshops separated every two weeks over the course of six weeks. These courses will concentrate on concept generation, design thinking, and human-centered methods to designing solutions and prototyping.
Each team will get the opportunity to showcase their solutions and prototypes to a panel of industry professionals, including investors, industry stakeholders, and members of the university community, on Demo Day. Only 18 of the 30 startup teams will advance to the next stage of the program.
Knowledge Exchange & Trip to Germany: In collaboration with Make-IT in Africa, CcHUB will identify renowned research institutes and HEIs in Germany that are interested in providing research mentorship for the startup teams’ fields of concentration.
Industry Deployment Sprint (8 Weeks): The 18 selected businesses will have the opportunity to work and live in innovation hubs on their campuses for two months, during which we will work directly with them to deploy their solutions to the market for actual clients.
Finally, a great demo day and summit will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, where all 18 startups from all three countries will pitch a demonstration of their product or service, the momentum they have garnered in the marketplace, and projections for their startups. For More Information: Visit the Official Webpage of the Co-Creation Hub/GIZ Make-IT in Africa Uni:nnovators Startup-in-Residence Program Deadline: 4th of August, 2023
