Call for Applications: Establishment of Incubation Centers under the ACE II AF Project

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS:

ESTABLISHMENT OF INCUBATION CENTERS BY aces IN MALAWI AND MOZAMBIQUE

AUGUST 2024

Background

1.1 Background of Project

The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) has received a grant from the World Bank for the continued support of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) II Project. This project has received additional financing (ACEII AF) to extend the implementation of select activities through 2025. The ACE II AF will finance additional ACEs in Agriculture in Malawi and Mozambique, with a focus on strengthening agricultural initiatives in higher education and research in the region. These activities will be based on the lessons learned from the implementation experience of the overall ACE II project and similar initiatives across the continent, including the first ACE Project in West and Central Africa.

The ACE II AF will focus on the agriculture sector due to high demand from participating countries to enhance technical capacity in key thematic areas within the agriculture sector. The project will expand the existing three components in the parent project to strengthen a more significant number of Agriculture ACEs in Malawi and Mozambique and provide technical support at the regional level.

1.2 Background to the Call

IUCEA has allocated $1,000,000 of additional financing to be competitively disbursed as a seed grant for the establishment and/or support of four incubation centers among the 6 Agriculture ACEs. The goal is to translate research outputs into agricultural product innovations. ACEs under the ACE II AF project are invited to compete for co-financing to develop incubation centers focused on Agriculture. The objective is to develop the region’s four best ACEs into regional innovation hubs.

1.3 Justification

The countries in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) are actively emphasizing the importance of knowledge production, scientific innovation, and integrating research with sustainable development. This signals a positive trend towards progress and collaboration in these areas.

The region’s research and innovation performance needs to focus on utilizing research for tangible product innovations to drive economic development.

The overall goal of the ACE II AF Project is to turn research findings and innovation outputs into impactful products and services for society’s socio-economic development. This includes promoting entrepreneurship and facilitating the commercialization of trademarks, copyrights, and patents.

Streamlining partnerships between businesses, universities, and research institutions is needed to ensure that science translates into innovative technologies, products, and services for the marketplace.

Establishing incubation centers in universities will bring academia and industry closer, providing opportunities for collaborative work to accelerate the commercialization of market-fit innovations.

2.0 Guidelines or criteria for selecting ACEs to host incubation centers

An ACE that is desirous to host an incubation Center will typically meet the following criteria:

S/N	Element	Mark Assigned
1	Appropriate Infrastructure Space: Provide information about the available physical space (existing or proposed) intended for the incubation Center, including a modern working space, laboratory, meeting room, and training/seminar room. If modifications are required to utilize the available facilities, please specify them in the proposal along with an estimated lump sum cost for the modifications. Equipment and connectivity: Provide details about proposed or existing equipment for the incubation Center, including hardware, internet, lab equipment, secretarial services, and any furniture. If some items need to be acquired, lump-sum cost estimates should be provided in the proposal. (List how the proposed equipment relates to the incubation Center services expected) Describe the waste or environmental management plans that will be implemented.	25
2	Essential services and key personnel at the Incubation Center include: Ability to provide free laboratory and equipment access for any idea that meets minimum criteria at the initial stage. Describe the plans that will ensure that incubatees have open access to and utilize the proposed or existing laboratory and equipment. Ability to review proposals and offer guidance to help startup founders develop their ideas into products. This includes, but is not limited to, conducting market surveys, analyzing and mapping the market, understanding the regulatory requirements for products in the country, providing guidance on patents and intellectual property, connecting with investors and industry, preparing business plans, exploring financing options including financial institutions, and developing basic business management skills. Proposed organization structure at the Incubation Center. Ability to recruit, retain, and support at least three non-academic professionals who will assist the IC during its initial stages for at least three years. (Indicate plan and key roles and how they will support IC functionality of its core roles). Plans for grievance redress mechanisms.	20
3	Support by Host Institution Clarity on how the incubation center fits in the host institution’s corporate mission, plans, and/or strategies. Demonstrated commitment and co-financing from the host university for funding and sustainability of the Incubation center during and beyond the seed funds from this call. Existence of an approved and operational intellectual property policy at the host institution. (Proof to be provided)	15
4	Performance Measures for the Incubation Center Demonstrated strong networks and linkages with industry and research community at center level. (Applicant to provide proof of strength of linkages and how they will be leveraged at center level) Proposed methodology for establishing or enhancing partnerships and networks for a minimum of one year. Proposed marketing strategies or tactics that will ensure that the Incubator Center is attractive within the university, immediate community, and wider country for nurturing ideas into marketable products. This should include targets of incubatees for at least three years and products and patents to be achieved over the same period. Strategies and mechanisms should be proposed to ensure that the Incubator center produces the targeted number of products, IPs, and spin-offs. This could include quality assurance mechanisms to polish and sieve through identified ideas.	20
5	Sustainability Outline the plans and strategies for sustaining the achievements of the Incubation Center and growing it further. To include plans to engage with the public sector or appropriate government units/departments.	05
6	Financial aspect Applicant to specify the financial proposal for operating the Incubation Center for at least three years from the time of award. This proposal should cover all mentioned or projected costs and be comprehensive and based on realistic estimates. Each center must list the equipment or infrastructure it needs, with costs not exceeding USD 250,000. The costs should be feasible and cover all necessary expenses. The centers will be involved in the procurement process and will manage the implementation and contracts. In proposing some items, each center should take into consideration the impact on the environment and the timeframe it may take to obtain necessary local authority approvals in their proposals.	10
7	Experience in Incubation Center Applicants should specify whether the center has experience in establishing an incubation center, or if any team members have such experience. Proof in the form of patents, registered IPs, products, company shareholdings, or faculty affiliations can be provided.	05
	Total	100