2026 Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
The Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is Africa’s largest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. It provides commercialization support to African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges, showcasing the importance of engineering in improving quality of life and economic development.
📅 Key Dates
- Date Published: July 14, 2025
- Application Deadline: September 23, 2025
🌟 About the Prize
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, awards up to £50,000 in prize money and offers a comprehensive support package to help African innovators accelerate their businesses. The program emphasizes the role of engineering in addressing societal and environmental challenges while fostering economic growth.
🎁 Benefits
Shortlisted participants (up to 16) will receive the following benefits:
- Eight-month tailored training program.
- Two fully-funded training weeks: one in the UK and one in a major African city.
- Access to business and technical expertise and sector-specific engineering mentoring.
- Bespoke press coverage and communications support.
- Networking opportunities with the Academy’s high-profile engineers and business experts in the UK and Africa.
- Opportunity for finalists to present their innovation to a judging panel at the Africa Prize showcase event.
- Prize money of up to £50,000.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
Applicant Requirements
- Applicants can apply as an individual or on behalf of a team.
- The lead applicant must:
- Be a citizen of a sub-Saharan African country.
- Be ordinarily based in sub-Saharan Africa (temporary overseas stays for studies or other reasons are acceptable).
- Be over 18 years old by the application deadline (no upper age limit).
- Have a high level of English proficiency (the application must be written in English).
- Applicants cannot:
- Be alumni of the Africa Prize or part of the same team, business, or innovation that has previously participated.
- Be industrial researchers or establishments.
- Be alumni of the Academy’s Advance program or the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship (LIF) program after June 2024 (exceptions apply for LIF alumni before June 2024 with justification).
Innovation Requirements
- The innovation must:
- Be based in a sub-Saharan African country.
- Be an innovative product, technology, or service in any engineering field (e.g., agri-tech, biotechnology, ICT, mechanical engineering, etc.).
- Be beyond the ideation stage and in the early stages of commercialization.
- Bring social and/or environmental benefits to sub-Saharan Africa.
- Have strong potential for scalability and replication.
- Be accompanied by a realistic business plan with strong commercial viability.
- Additional requirements:
- Provide a letter of consent from originators/collaborators of the intellectual property (if applicable).
- Submit a technical diagram and photo showcasing the innovation.
🔍 What Does "Early Stage of Commercialization" Mean?
For Hardware-Based Innovations:
- Must have one or more working prototypes proving the technical concept.
- Design should be ready for initial commercial production.
- Provide realistic cost and schedule estimates for manufacturing.
- Show evidence of traction with prospective customers to support initial revenues and profitability.
For Software-Based Innovations:
- Must have a minimum viable product with demonstrable functionality.
- Show evidence of traction with prospective customers to support forecasts for initial revenues and profitability.
📝 Application Process
The application process consists of two stages:
Stage One
- Focuses on the applicant’s technical innovation, team details, and basic eligibility.
- Takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.
- Applications are reviewed by two technical experts from the Academy’s network.
- A longlist of candidates will be invited to complete Stage Two by the end of October 2025.
Stage Two
- Covers the applicant’s business plan, market analysis, financial projections, and commercialization strategy.
- Only long-listed applicants will be invited to complete this stage.
- Applications will be reviewed by a panel of expert judges.
- Successful candidates will be shortlisted and selected to join the eight-month program.
🌍 Eligible Locations
The program is open to citizens of sub-Saharan African countries, as defined by the African Union. Eligible countries include:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
📖 Guidance Notes
Applicants are encouraged to read the Africa Prize 2026 Application Guidance Notes for detailed information on eligibility and advice on completing the application.
📌 How to Apply
- Register and create a profile via the grant system.
- Read the Applicant Guidance Notes thoroughly.
- Submit your application via the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize Application Portal.
📅 Application Deadline
September 23, 2025
For more details, visit the Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize Website.
- Eight month tailored training programme.
- Two fully-funded training weeks: one in the UK and one in a major African city.
- Access to business and technical expertise and sector-specific engineering mentoring.
- Bespoke press coverage and communications support.
- Access to the Academy’s network of high-profile engineers and business experts in the UK and Africa.
- The opportunity for finalists to present their innovation to a judging panel at the Africa Prize showcase event.
- Prize money of up to £50,000.
