Innovate UK KTN’s Global Alliance Africa project is calling for applications for its innovation exchange program.
Winning applicants will receive Ksh. 3.8 million (25,000 GBP) seed funding and a chance to collaborate on developing a solution for specific challenges. These challenges will be identified by three companies; the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre, Unilever, and Flamingo Horticulture.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Centre (WEEE Centre) is on the hunt for an innovative solution for recycling problematic fractions of electronic waste. As new technologies become rapidly available, recycling and re-use is crucial to reduce environmental impact. The Centre, which is currently processing the CRTs into different fractions, is looking for innovative solutions for the recycling and reuse of lead embedded screens and steering coils, and are seeking alternative uses of the CRTs.
Unilever is looking for innovative approaches both to recycling plastic and to introducing a refill-reuse system. Unilever packs most of its consumer products with plastic, which has the lowest carbon footprint compared to other materials, but most plastic currently stays within our environment, rather than being reused or recycled. Unilever’s challenge is in two-folds, the first, to identify innovative approaches towards new circular business models for informal trades such as dukas, the second, to look for solutions for refill-reuse models for online customers.
Flamingo Horticulture has presented the third challenge to find innovative ways to tackle an economically damaging pest that destroys a wide variety of crops in sub-Saharan Africa, the False Codling Moth. Flamingo is seeking a supplier to respond to two challenges, first to detect the insect effectively and then to eradicate the False Codling Moth.
Eligibility to apply
- Applicants must be registered businesses.
- Applicants must be able to commit time and resources to collaborate with the company (if selected).
- Applicants must commit to demonstrating impact and achievements in line with seed funding milestone requirements.
Speaking at the KIW2021, Sheilah Birgen, Innovate UK KTN’s Global Alliance Kenya Country lead noted, “There are currently very few or inaccessible mechanisms for collaboration across sectors, supply chains, and international borders. We want to create more ways for our Kenyan innovators to access procurement opportunities otherwise closed to them, identifying untapped opportunities between industry players in the UK, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.”