Register before 29th January … OPEN CALL FOR STARTUPS IN AFRICA AND EUROPE by AEDIB|NET

The European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program launched AEDIB|NET: Bridging Digital Innovation Ecosystems across Africa and Europe under the broader political initiative AEDIB. The program is initiated by EU Member States (France, Belgium, and Germany) and the European Commission to the EC’s Digital 4 Development process (D4D). AEDIB|NET is coordinated by GIZ in Germany as the first step of a broader approach to the African–European collaboration on digitalization and innovation.

AEDIB|NET brings together a network of strong partners from the African and European innovation ecosystem to inspire the ecosystem actors by developing a supportive innovation policy framework for innovation, building the capacity of marginalized groups and enhancing digital and entrepreneurship skills via a ‘Digital Entrepreneur Skills Academy’. It also plans to establish African Digital Innovation Hubs (ADIHs), a Digital Hub Lab, and online marketplaces with virtual communities and investor networks. The ADIHs will focus on four topics: Climate Smart Agriculture, Smart Cities, Digital Trade and Clean Tech.

THE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

The European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN) is looking for 100 start–up (50 in Africa and 50 in Europe) to participate in one of the two Virtual Partnership Programs managed by two innovation centers (1 in Africa and 1 in Europe) within the framework of AEDIB|NET project.

The virtual partnership program will be 6 months and will offer core shared elements for all the 50 startups in each area, and tailor-made components meeting specific needs detected in the companies within each group.

The common sessions will focus on business development, startup management, strategic planning, access to finance/credit and fundraising, networking sessions, sustainability, internationalization, EU funding, and culture training.

There will be specific sessions dedicated to small groups focused on Sector specific topics, trends, best practices, main stakeholders and sessions with DIHs specialized in each of the AEDIB|NET sectors.

The final aim of the programs will be to allow start-ups to engage in learning and knowledge exchange exercises. Moreover, linking and matchmaking of tech entrepreneurs, innovation partners and intermediaries (i.e., hubs, entrepreneurship supporters, networks, academia) will be fostered to raise the capacity of tech start-ups and to support the linkages between the Digital Innovation Ecosystems in Europe and Africa.

Program Participation

The first online boot camp will be open for 100 participants and will coincide with the Kick-off session of the Partnership Program.

30 participants will also have the chance to participate in the face-to-face boot camps as 15 participants will be invited to participate in the boot camp to be organized in Africa and 15 to the one in Europe. Each face-to-face boot camp will be organized in conjunction with a major investment event and will be divided into three days, during which they will receive training on investment readiness and will have the chance to pitch in front of a jury and investors.

Participation criteria

* The startups should be legally established in accordance with their country’s current legislation and have the capacity to prove it, if necessary.

* The startups must be associated with one of the project's areas of specialization or be in the process of creating a good or service that may be used in any of these industries:

• Climate Smart Agriculture
• Smart Cities
• Digital Trade
• Clean Tech 

* All startups based in EU countries are eligible to apply.

* African startups have to be based in one of the following countries:

• Cameroon
• Côte D’Ivoire
• Egypt
• Kenya
• Morocco
• Rwanda
• Senegal
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tunisia
• Uganda

* Good command of the English language, as All the contents in the Partnership Program and in the Boot camps will be in English.

SELECTION PROCESS

You can register Here to participate. You have to complete the application in as much detail as possible before the 29th of January 2023 at 23:59h.

A committee will evaluate the proposals and on the week of the 13th of February, those selected to participate in the program will be announced. The first session will be a kick-off meeting, on the 1^st of March, where all the details of the program that will run for 6 months will be explained.

EVALUATION PROCESS

In the following figure, you can find the timetable about how is going to be developed the program.

CONTACT

If you have any questions or doubts about the process, please get in touch with us in the Partnership Program community at our Digital Innovation. Portal.