Deadline: July 26, 2018
Calling African Innovators! Applications are open for the 2018 Emerging African Innovation Leaders G7 Exchange & Empowerment Program for enabling innovation within the next production revolution. The African Innovation Brokers learning activity is part of the Emerging African Innovation Leaders Program which addresses a group of African innovation leaders who are expected to spur the transition to the Next Production Revolution (NPR) in their countries.
The general objective of the project is to promote Africa embracement of the NPR while enforcing the EUAU cooperation on the matter and achieving the mutual benefits and socio-economic innovation that may come when coping this approach with Sustainable Development Goals to promote an equitable and longlasting prosperity in Africa. Priority target countries are Tunisia, Niger, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
Details
The programme is organised in different sessions with different teaching mix. The sessions are distributed along 12 months, comprising:
- learning activities such as in-presence training in Milan (Italy) and online training (via MOOCs), covering several topics ranging from digitalization, to sustainable energy solutions and smart mobility;
- exposure to Italian and European innovation system (experts and innovative firms and institutions);
- hands-on project activities and project works focused on designing local NPR innovation action, supported by expert mentors from different backgrounds.
Work Plan
- In-presence training and exposure: September 26th– October 26th
- Project work | Online workgroup: October – December 2018
- Project work | In-presence training (2 weeks): December 2018 (indicative period)
- Training of National Innovation Leaders: Spring 2019 (indicative period)
- Online training (MOOCs) November 2018 – September 2019 (indicative period)
The in-presence training courses (5 weeks) and the revision and refinement of the project work (2 weeks) will be held at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4, A – 20156 Milan, Italy. The project is sponsored by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation AICS.
Benefits
- Scholarship for covering the costs of the in-presence activities (fees, travels, accommodation and food) is provided by the Emerging African Innovation Leaders project.
- Participants will receive a certificate of attendance from Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino at the end of the project. To receive this certificate, participants have to be present at almost all of the sessions over the training courses.
Eligibility
The professional or academic experiences of potential trainees are used to help determine their potential to meet the requirements of the project. To be eligible for admission it is required that trainees:
- are involved in the Innovation field
- preferably with business or engineering education background
- should have proven experience in Innovation
- should have proven experience in leadership and team working
- should have excellent communication skills
- are willing to extend their knowledge about the Next Production Revolution
- are able to understand English effectively and are able to communicate clearly and accurately in spoken and written English
- are committed to train other colleagues after their return from the trainings
- priority selection will be given to national citizens of Tunisia, Niger, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and Mozambique
Selection Criteria
Selected trainees should show:
- Sufficient English language skills
- A well-developed ability to break down knowledge
- Comprehend the basic NPR and Innovation principles
- Interest for application of innovative solutions for Africa prosperity
- Spirit and motivation
Application
An early bird deadline for application will be the 20th of July 2018 before 3:00 PM (CET) with priority selection. A final deadline for application will be 26th of July 2018 before 12:00 PM (CET).
The following documents should be handed in to support the application that must compulsorily be sent to [email protected] :
- Motivation letter (in English) highlighting reasons to participate and commitment of the candidate to the project (MAX 1 page)
- Curriculum Vitae (in English, including section specifying points listed in section 5, academic background and professional experiences, including personal contacts such as Skype, e-mail, LinkedIn, Telephone)
- Additional Document containing other information that may highlight experiences in innovation or experiences as trainer (Max 2 pages)
Kindly refer to Terms of Reference for more details of the programme and the application procedure. Prepare the required documents and send to [email protected]. All qualified and interested applicants are invited to send their application with the requested information as soon as possible.
For more information, visit African Innovation Leaders Network.