Press and News AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge: Call for Applications now Open
The CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform and partners seek innovative agri-tech solutions for sustainable agriculture in Egypt.
Cairo, 27 March 2024 – The CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP), in collaboration with project partners, has announced the AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge: a global call for innovators developing agri-tech solutions for a more sustainable, efficient, and climate-resilient agricultural system in Egypt.
AgriTech4Egypt is a program designed to connect, accelerate, and upscale agri-tech ventures that align with the objectives of the country’s 2030 Sustainable Agricultural Development Strategy and the Agenda 2023 Sustainable Development Goals through the modernization of the agriculture sector, improved resource efficiency, application of cutting-edge technologies, and promotion of agri-industrialization.
Who Can Apply?
The AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge welcomes national (Egyptian) and international innovation teams with pioneering solutions that address a proven market demand in Egypt, offer deployable and affordable alternatives to end users, and address at least one of the 5 priority areas: digital agriculture and precision farming, agri-finance solutions, sustainable value chain development, capacity building tools, and efficient irrigation water management.
While the challenge is open to solutions of all maturity stages, only those with a minimum-viable-product (MVP) or proof-of-concept (POC) will qualify for the bootcamp and acceleration program. Selected innovations at the growth stage or later with a sustainable business model and clear linkages to CGIAR science will receive invitations to pitch at the final demo day to investors, industry experts, and agribusinesses, but will not compete for the awards.
Applicants may include purpose-driven practitioners, entrepreneurs, PhD/post-doctoral students, researchers, or CGIAR scientists with a demonstrated willingness to adopt an entrepreneurial approach to their innovations. Teams must be registered companies or affiliated with a research institute or university.
Read more about the timeline and eligibility criteria here.
What’s in Store?
This program equips teams will the necessary tools and step-by-step support to build a solid go-to-market strategy through technical validation and access to market. Twenty teams and five CGIAR-led innovations will be invited to a fully funded, four-day immersive bootcamp in Cairo, featuring an on-farm field trip, networking opportunities with project partners and agribusinesses, and expert guidance from CGIAR scientists and industry experts.
Teams admitted to the acceleration program will receive up to 300,000 EGP as an equity-free grant to test and validate their solutions directly with end users for up to 6 months, connect with potential investors and agribusinesses to explore market opportunities, and gain exposure through national and international media.
Launching the AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge
On 27 March, the online Launch Event gathered 100 participants from 52 countries, representing both the public and private sectors. The global attendance was a testament to Egypt’s efforts in regional leadership for promoting start-ups and strategically developing its innovation ecosystem. The event highlighted the importance of fostering connections between pioneering research, technology, and entrepreneurship to support the development, adoption, and scaling of agri-tech innovations in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Speakers included Prof. Gina El-Feky and Prof. Amr Farouk from the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology of Egypt, Gianpiero Menza and Claudia Zaccari from the CGIAR Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Mohamed Wageih from PRIMA, Sherief Kesseba from the Climate Resilient Africa Fund, Sunil Hemdev from the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, and Hassan ElSaghir from ALEX BANK. The event was moderated by Reem Al-Saffar from the CGIAR Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.
The AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge is organized as part of CGIAR Regional Integrated Initiative Fragility to Resilience in Central and West Asia and North Africa (F2R-CWANA). It is powered by the CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) and co-organized with CGIAR Centers – the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, ICARDA, IWMI, and IFPRI – and the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) of Egypt. This project is endorsed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Egypt (MOHESR) and supported by PRIMA, Climate Resilient Africa Fund (CRAF), ALEXBANK, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), and CGIAR Initiatives and units operating in the Middle East and North Africa.
To rewatch the event
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