OBJECTIVES OF THE PRIZE

• Mobilize leaders from all sectors to fuel African innovation;
• Promote innovation across Africa in key sectors of interest through the competition;
• Promote science, technology and engineering as rewarding, exciting and noble career options among the youth in Africa by profiling success applicants; and
• Encourage entrepreneurs, innovators, funding bodies and business development service providers to exchange ideas and explore innovative business opportunities.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

• Increased commercialization of research and development (R&D) outputs in Africa;
• Increased funding of start-ups, adoption of new and emerging technologies and accelerated growth of an innovative and dynamic private sector; and
• Increased economic activity and African led development that results in lasting impact.

SELECTION CRITERIA
The selection criteria include market potential, impact, scalability, originality, utility and technical aspects. The winning proposal would be awarded a cash prize of US$ 100,000, with two runner-ups receiving each US$ 25,000.

INFORMATION
The registration deadline for the 2013 prize has been set for 31^st October 2012 with no possibility for extensions. For detailed information of competition categories, conditions of entry, and submission procedures, please visit:

InnovationPrizeForAfrica.org
Issued by:
ECA Information and Communication Service
P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Tel:  251 11 5445098 Fax: +251-11-551 03 65
E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org 
Web: www.uneca.org

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1. Drugs and Disease Control – innovations that will boost disease control and cures through pharmaceutical innovations, breakthrough innovations and incremental innovations.
2. Food Security and Value Addition – Development of innovative Food Processing Technologies; value addition technologies, development of high quality seeds, planting materials and other inputs for farmers. Development of seed banks, permaculture (designing land to take advantage of natural ecological processes by integrating a variety of crops, animals, and pests into one farming system), promoting traditional and low rainfall foods that secure food security e.g. millet, sorghum, cassava and traditional vegetables etc, breeding crops that are resistant to pests and diseases.
3. Infrastructure Development- the diffusion of new products and services of a technological nature such as water, construction materials, energy, transport, electric power etc. This theme also includes non-technological forms of innovation, such as “organization” innovations e.g. marketing techniques, the adoption of new supply or logistic arrangements, and improved approaches to internal and external communications and positioning.
4. Development of Machinery- Development of production and processing equipment and technologies for agricultural and food products.
5. Technology Transfer- skills transferring, knowledge, technologies, methods of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing and facilities among others.
6. ICT- Computer software development, hardware engineering, telecommunications and other latest developments in computer science.
7. Biodiversity Conservation – Plant, animal and microbial biodiversity, sustainable exploitation, unexploited biodiversity, ex situ and in situ conservation

BUDGET AND FUNDS ALLOCATION
The proposal budget should not exceed Kshs. 1.5 Million per year. Each proposal will be funded for a maximum period of 3 years based on progress reports, intellectual property audit reports and recommendations from Monitoring and Evaluation sub-committee. The successful applicants are expected to adhere to their approved budget, work plan and expected project completion date.
ELIGIBILITY:

Eligible applicants will be individuals or innovation teams comprising;

• Project Coordinator; who MUST be a JKUAT staff member.
• Project Collaborators; who may be JKUAT staff members or any other person from industry or any other relevant institution.
• The Innovation Team where applicable should be multidisciplinary, demonstrating an integrated pool of talents and capabilities; with social and business actors to turn knowledge into value for development of innovations that can be commercialized. The proposal must be signed /endorsed by all the innovation team members.
• Staff members with on-going JKUAT funded innovation projects need not apply.
• Proposals for Research should not be submitted under this call.

SUBMISSION
This announcement and proposal application forms can be obtained from the Directorate of Research and Production or click here to download. Applicants should submit three hard copies and a soft copy of the Application form for the innovation fund to the office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (RPE) on or before Friday 17^th August 2012. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be accepted.

Contact Address:

Further information and guidance can be obtained from: Director, Research and Production; RPE Building, Research Production and Extension Division; +254-67-52711, 52181 Ext. 6213

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FORM

People are simply hungry for agricultural knowledge and information! Dr. Kagima, the JKUAT coordinator for the program and also the Director, Extension & Technology Transfer is busy with his team trying to solicit for funding to grow this important dissemination tool. “Donors, we are looking for funding and partnerships.”

Catch the Episodes on Sundays 4:30 pm

According to Dr. Kagima, Chairman CHE Organizing Committee, JKUAT is planning to send 35 exhibitors from the Academic Programs, 28 exhibitors for technology & innovations, and 9 students from the JKUAT Tech Expo. This exhibition greatly helps prospective young scholars to know JKUAT.

The team will travel to Kansas in April 2012 through the Academic Excellence grant from K-State. The visit would be comprised of several guest lectures on campus (in classrooms and larger forums,) tours of campus facilities, and strategic planning meetings to explore the future of a JKUAT and K-State partnership. (JKUAT team = Dr. Kagima – Extension & Technology Transfer, Dr. Maina – Food Science, Dr. Mwaura – Business, Dr. Mukundi – Horticulture).

A daylong meeting was held at JKUAT where the two teams deliberated on JKUAT’s Directorate of Extension & Technology Transfer, Food Science and Horticulture Departments. Tours were also made to the departments and the newly established 6-acre Extension Demonstration farm at JKUAT. The two teams decided on the way forward to come up with a collaboration memorandum with the Directorate of Extension & Technology Transfer, Foods and Nutrition. Penn State Team will come up with the document once they get back to Pennsylvania and upon review the memorandum will be signed by the two teams.

The collaboration will focus on community based outreach programs on street children rehabilitation through gardening, Youth Programs, community food security, nutrition, food safety and aflatoxin poisoning, postharvest losses, value addition, and community health issues. The Penn State team was very impressed and interested in boosting the Mkulima Television Program and the Farmer Voice Radio. It was also agreed that exchange programs for Staff and Students will be put in place. On their part, Penn State team will engage their Ag2Africa – Extension Africa Program, Deans and Heads of Departments.

The teams also agreed to share materials, publications, websites, FAQ sheets, and link up with horticulture. Penn State will take the lead and write grant proposals in their Grant Cycles for Extension and Food Science partnerships. There is a good chance to write and win a grant proposal for Extension, Health and Nutrition.

Penn State Cooperative Extension has 67 Extension Offices in 67 Counties based on the Land Grant model. They offer services in Agriculture Extension, Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) (Home Science), 4-H Youth Programs, child care, parenting, grandparents raising children and health education. JKUAT needs to adopt this model in order to reach and meet the needs of many more communities in rural Kenya. It is recommended that the College of Agriculture begins to offer FCS as a degree program. 4-H Youth Club is a great idea to be initiated by the College of Agriculture and the Directorate of Extension & Technology Transfer.

Mr. and Mrs. Gichomo on their farm

Lucy and Bernard Gichomo, small -scale farmers from Central Kenya, have benefitted in multiple ways from implementing various agricultural practices that they learned about on Farmer Voice Radio (FVR) programming.

Bernard (a retired chief in the area) and his wife, Lucy, first became interested in FVR programming after Lucy shared what she had heard on Coro FM, about treating and recycling waste water from the kitchen, and clothes washing, with her husband. The agricultural tip (AgTip) promoted the proper use of waste water from washing and kitchen sinks, treated with wood ash from the fireplace, to supplement fresh water, used in home vegetable gardens. Wood ash neutralizes acidic soils as well as improves nutrient content of the soil. The Gichomos implemented this practice and with adequate and appropriate application methods, applying “gray water” on the soil below the plant, were able to produce sukuma wiki (kale) vegetable in their kitchen garden throughout the dry season.

Bernard Gichomo at the Michuki Technical Institute garden

Subsequent AgTips on double digging (a technique whereby soil in a seedbed is loosened into two layers and organic material, such as manure and ashes, is added) prompted the Gichomos to implement this practice. They had not adopted it, even after Mr. Gichomo had received face-to-face training on double digging two years previously. It was after hearing the AgTip on FVR that they applied the technique to their kitchen garden seedbed in which they grow their kale crop, thereby ensuring that the crop received necessary air, water and nutrients. Thanks to the adoption of these two practices, Mr. and Mrs. Gichomo were able to grow their kale crop during the dry season, harvest their crop at a time when this vegetable was not available in the region, and sell their kale at an average profit of Ksh1,000 per week.

The Gichomos’ story drew the attention of FVR radio personnel through reports from the area’s FVR Radio Extension Officer (REO). Journalists from Coro FM interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Gichomo and broadcast their testimonial on FVR. When asked to reveal the magic behind their success, Mr. Gichomo, a member of the Gender Advisory Panel in his community, replied, “We do it together, sharing roles and responsibilities equitably among ourselves”. Mr. and Mrs. Gichomo believe that their relationship has improved since they started appreciating each others’ efforts and sharing the labor more equitably. “We now save more money from agricultural activities and the family diet has improved. We benefit from the work of our hands,” says Mr. Gichomo. Mrs. Gichomo reports that she has attended seminars on agriculture and women’s issues and her husband has always been supportive. “He never complains [as] I always share what I learn with him. Many husbands would not allow their wives to do that. [However], they end up losing, for lack of information will always hold the family back,” says Mrs. Gichomo.

During the interview with Coro FM, Mr. Gichomo discussed both the management of kale and simple techniques to maintain kitchen gardens. After the program went on air, the Michuki Technical Training Institute contacted Mr. Gichomo and asked him to help them establish a kitchen garden on the college farm grounds. The head of catering, Mrs. Muya, states that the Institute has made a lot of savings since the garden was established. “It is a great lesson to the students to see what a simple method of farming can achieve”, she reports.

Mr. Gichomo advises farmers to adopt kitchen gardens to save them the cost of purchasing vegetables, and to ensure that they have a proper, nutritious diet.

Mrs. Gichomo feeding her cows

“It is unacceptable that farmers should buy small things like onions, vegetables and carrots for home consumption when they can grow them on a small plot. They should save the money for other necessities”, he states.

Mr. and Mrs. Gichomo have benefitted from FVR programming in other ways. After adopting practices promulgated by the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) project on FVR, the Gichomos have managed to upgrade one of their cows to intermediate level, and have obtained certification for the cow. They also followed EADD advice on providing salt licks to their cattle continuously, and now report a drastic improvement in feed consumption.

The Gichomos have had a positive influence on their community, who have learnt from them and are applying this knowledge to their own farming practices.