I. Background

The Pan African University PAU (www.pau-au.africa) is steadily committed to offer high-end courses and trainings and support its students in activities to develop market-oriented competences. The objective of organizing the PAU Innovation Challenge is raising awareness about Innovation & Entrepreneurship among PAU students and alumni beside shedding the light on the opportunities of starting own business upon own ideas in order to enable them to successfully address current technological and societal challenges on the African continent. Thus, the ability to utilize academic knowledge proposing new solutions and contributing to the economic, cultural, environmental and social development of Africa is vital to fulfil the social responsibilities of PAU.

PAU Institutes in four of Africa’s five regions are embedded within existing universities of excellence in those regions. The host universities have been selected after a long and meticulous process by an independent technical team relying mainly on the scientific excellence of the host universities related to the thematic domains for each institute.

II. Goal:

The PAU Innovation Challenge is aiming to raise the awareness of PAU students and alumni on innovation, to promote entrepreneurship mindset and the creation of innovative startups at the continental level. The ability to utilize academic knowledge proposing new solutions and contributing to the economic, cultural, environmental and social development of Africa is vital to fulfil the social responsibilities of PAU.

III. Overview:

The Pan African University PAU (www.pau-au.africa) is steadily committed to offer high-end courses and trainings and support its students in activities to develop market-oriented competences. The objective is to enable them to successfully address current technological and societal challenges on the African continent.

PAU Entrepreneurship Hubs are providing PAU students with necessary skills, incubation, mentoring and seed funding through a panel of events in collaboration with different partners. PAU students get entrepreneurial support in the hubs to create innovative projects contributing to the entire continent, as they make knowledge applicable to serve the goal of transforming Africa as envisaged by the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.

The PAU Entrepreneurship Hub aims at providing PAU students with necessary skills, incubation, mentoring and seed funding through a panel of events in collaboration with different partners. PAU students get entrepreneurial support in the hub to create innovative projects contributing to the entire continent, as they make knowledge applicable to serve the goal of transforming Africa as envisaged by the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.

Innovation is the translation of an idea into a good product, service or project with an added value for the customer.  In this spirit, PAU invited last year all current PAU students and alumni to submit proposals for the 1^st PAU Innovation Challenge.

For this new edition, beside PAU Students and Alumni’s, PAU also invites Institute’s Host University Students to submit innovative projects for Africa.

Would you like to contribute to build a sustainable and innovative Africa ?

With a team composed of at least two persons and up to five persons, mixed teams (PAU institute - Host University) with at least two persons from a PAU institute, jump into this continental challenge and put forward your ideas.

IV. Scope of the competition

All subjects related to the Pan African University’s research fields in alignment with the AU Agenda 2063.

V. Application process

To apply, you will need to fill out an online form with the questions below.

The application must be submitted 2 times. See further explanation below.

The link to the online form is : https://s2survey.net/pau_ic_2nd_edition/

Moreover, you need to send us a video of maximum 1 minute explaining your idea.

The video can be uploaded through the following link:

cloud01.conoscope.de/index.php/s/6Fy9AmbtQjeJfiM

Password: pau12345

(Please name your video file before uploading it as the following: “PAU Institute_name of team member” e.g. “PAUSTI_Jane Doe”) otherwise, we may not be able to match the video to your application).

You will be asked to fill a form authorizing the use of the Team candidates’ image by PAU.

The questions that you will have to answer are:

Team presentation:

• Applicant’s Name (team coordinator): / Gender:
• Applicant’s PAU Institute/ PAU Institute Host University:
• Applicant’s Degree Program:
• Applicant’s Email:
• Applicant’s WhatsApp Number:
• Studying statues:  
  • Student
  • Alumni
• Name and affiliation of team members: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. / Gender:
• CVs of team members (less than 4 MB):

Technical Questions: (Always give your reason)

1. What is the name of your idea?
2. Please provide a short summary of your idea (max. 250 characters including spaces).
3. As a business which problem does your idea solve for Africa’s sustainable development (max. 2,500 characters)? Please describe the problem and its effects on the potential customer.
4. How do your potential customers currently solve the described problem (max. 2,000 characters)? Please describe which solutions are currently available.
5. What is your solution of the problem (max. 2,500 characters)? Please describe your own solution and how it differentiates from the other ones.
6. What is your target market (max. 2,000 characters)?
7. What is your model of marketing and distribution? (max. 1,500 characters)
8. What kind of profiles and skills do you need in your team? (max. 1,000 characters)
9. What costs do you expect for investment and running costs during the next 5 years? (max. 1,000 characters)

VI. Who can apply?

As the previous edition, all current PAU students and alumni.

Contrary to the first edition, students from the host universities are also eligible to apply in the second edition of the PAU Innovation challenge. Thus, creating the opportunity to have mixed teams comprised of PAU institute and Host University provided that at least two of the participants are from a PAU institute.

To summarize :

The teams should be composed of at least two persons and up to five persons, mixed teams (PAU institute - Host University students) are allowed with at least two persons from a PAU institute.

VII. Award’s Process

VIII. Selection Process :

A committee from diverse backgrounds and disciplines will screen the applications and develop a shortlist of approximately 8 teams, 02 teams per institute, who will be invited to pitch their idea in Nairobi, Kenya / Online.

IX. What do we offer?

1. All participants of the competition will gain access to online training videos to guide them to develop a coherent business model. Additionally, they will get a chance to receive direct coaching from experienced business coaches.
2. Selected teams will be invited to pitch their ideas in an international online event (Pitch Event).
3. Selected teams will obtain a certification from PAU.
4. Selected teams will receive individual feedback to their final business model, in order to elaborate it to a decent business plan, which will facilitate the business establishment.
5. In addition to that, the winners will receive an incubation and financial package[1] (prize money and incubation fees depending on sponsors).

X. Application Deadline

• You may start applying from 03.03.2022
• Review Deadline for all applications is 30.04.2022 at 00:00 UCT.
• Final deadline for all applications is 15.06.2022 at 00:00 UCT.

XI. Jury Team members

Four members of the jury will be selected and will evaluate the projects for the final, and will be composed as follows

• one from the private sector.
• one from the innovation field.
• one from the field of finance (Business Angels, Venture capitalists).
• one from the field of incubation

XII. Important information

• Each person can be part of only one application. Double mentions of names will lead to automatic disqualification and non-consideration of applications.
• Team members must be PAU students, PAU alumni or students from host universities (at least two team members should be from PAU).
• Only one person of the team must submit the application, who will be the coordinator of the team.
• All teams must submit their applications 2 times (mandatory), first time before the review deadline on 30.04.2022. The second time is the final version, after revising their applications according to the coaching, before the final deadline on 15.06.2022.
• It would be favorable to have a team with mixed gender (not mandatory)

XIII. PAU Innovation Challenge 1st Edition 

69 teams with 241 team members from all over Africa submitted their applications and were coached and trained online by experts of the German Consultancy company Conoscope in collaboration with GIZ and PAU.

These teams proposed projects that cover a wide range of areas of expertise.

Results of the Grand Final of the 1st PAU Innovation Challenge

Under the patronage of H.E. Prof Sarah Anyang Agbor, former AUC Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI), the Grand Final of the 1^st PAU Innovation Challenge went on successfully.

Due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19, the event took place on Zoom today, 7th June from 14:00 to 17:00 O’clock EAT.

Since the beginning of the Innovation Challenge on 27th April 2020, various activities have been carried on, prior to this awards ceremony. 

The winners were the following: 

• 1st place: PAUWES Team: SoCool: USD5,000
• 2nd place: PAUSTI Team: DISHASILI: USD3,000
• 3rd place/Audience selection: PAUSTI Team: DISHASILI: USD1,000

The winners were offered three-month incubation in an adequate centre.

Please visit the Pau Innovation Youtube Channel to watch the entire grand final event : https://bit.ly/34w15dI

Event By Numbers

Zoom

• 1.209 Total registered on zoom
• 681 Total number of attendees 330 Maximum concurrent attendees
• 56% Attendance rate

Youtube

• 203 Total number of views
• 94 Total number of suscribers

Facebook

• 1.300 Total number of views

Poll Stats

• 279 Audience vote for the first 4 teams
• 288 Audience vote for the second 4 teams
• 245 Audience vote fort the winner of the first batch and the second batch

[1] The event will offer 3 money prizes as a seeding capital: 1^st Prize, 2^nd Prize and Audience Prize. Beside the seeding capital, the winning teams will receive an incubation fund (per winning Team – cannot be cumulated in the case of a Team having the 1^st or 2^nd prize and also the Audience Prize) that will allow them to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and to enrol at an African incubator of their choice. Winners must provide an official incubation offer from the selected incubator to be able to receive the money by no later than 3 months after the Pitch event.