GRAND CHALLENGES AFRICA PROGRAM
DEADLINE: 30 JUNE 2020
The vision of Grand Challenges Africa is to support the creation of extraordinary innovations that address health and developmental challenges in Africa. In order to foster African-led scientific innovations, the initiative awards seed and full grants to the continent’s most impressive solutions. GC Africa operates under the African Academy of Sciences’ Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA) platform and will build on the previous successes of local Grand Challenges programmes and a strong base of African Grand Challenges grantees.
Grand Challenges Africa is honored to extend an invitation to ALL groups that meet the eligibility criteria and have proof of concept results for science-based innovations to participate in the Transition to Scale grants call for proposals. Eligible innovators can apply for this competitive follow-on transition to scale or scale up grant which will run for a term of up to thirty-six (36) months. We will fund an amount which is commensurate with the scope of work proposed. Grantees will automatically be eligible for technical and business development support through the period of the grant by the partners. They will also have an opportunity to showcase their innovations, interact with fellow innovators and other stakeholders as well as learn from experts in various areas of interest through the GC Africa Innovation Network (GCAiN).
Grand Challenges Africa has a three-tier model for supporting innovation projects in Africa. These are;
Proof of Concept grants: (Also called Phase 1 grants or seed grants) Here, we provide ‘seed’ capital to test the intellectual concept behind an innovation and gain an early, real-world assessment of its potential technical, organizational and financial viability by piloting it in an African/developing country context.
Transition to Scale grants: When we provide ‘catalytic’ capital and other support to help innovations that have demonstrated success at a small scale develop their business model and attract partners who can assist in filling gaps (technical, financial) in their capacity to scale. Transition to scale innovations are divided into 4 categories; Transition to scale 1 up to 4, based on their development stage, with Transition to scale 1 being post seed stage whereas transition to scale four is typically innovations that are ready for scale. Selection and grant amounts are tailored to the unique needs of each category.
Scaling grants: When we provide ‘growth’ capital to support the widespread replication and/or adaptation of an innovation across large geographies and populations for transformational impact. This also forms part of Phase 2 calls.
Please refer to the downloads section for the Call for Applications, FAQS and the calls Rules and guidelines