Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP)

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"Combining scientific creativity, technological ingenuity, and entrepreneurship for transformative solutions"

The Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) is a venture space that builds on CGIAR’s legacy of Research and Innovation to support both incremental and transformational innovation to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges at the nexus of agriculture, environment, and health. A4IP bridges science and entrepreneurship to incubate and accelerate scientific ventures for spin-offs, such as start-ups, that directly respond to market demand and generate both impact and the resources needed to support continued research in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The A4IP aims to connect scientific products to the market and excite demand for CGIAR science. A4IP strives to play a catalytic role between research and development entrepreneurs who want to be the drivers of transformative change by developing high-impact, multi-disciplinary, science-based technologies, solutions, and enterprises that will make our food systems healthier, equitable, and sustainable. 

The platform is structured around three pillars:

  1. Valorize dormant know-how by incubating and accelerating existing science-based innovations stuck in the precommercial or conceptual stage and connecting them with the innovation ecosystem. Promote an Open Innovation culture by facilitating productive collaborations between scientists and science-driven companies.
  2. Co-design and launch novel transformative innovations, and de-risk pioneer research by funding the most visionary teams and their scientific creativity to create breakthrough solutions in neglected areas of opportunity with potential to be cornerstones of the future of innovation and tomorrow's industry.
  3. Nurture and institutionalize an entrepreneurial mindset and market-oriented culture by creating a space for tech transfer activities including intellectual property management. Offer training, mentoring opportunities, and digital hangouts to meet and exchange ideas with other innovators while attracting the future generation of entrepreneurial scientists.

Background

The importance of scientific innovation has never been greater as the world looks to resolve complex, interconnected, and urgent challenges related to agriculture, such as food and nutrition security, climate change, biodiversity loss, and deforestation. The persistence of the coronavirus pandemic, the hastening of climate crises, and conflicts are spotlighting and exacerbating these threats: massive forced migration, commodity shortages, and input price spikes are already rearing their heads and having the most concentrated harm on the world’s most-at-risk populations. The increasing appetite for science-driven innovations to combat these vulnerabilities is confirmed by the sentiment of investors: according to the Agfunder AgriFoodTech Investment Report, venture capital investment into agri-food technologies increased 85% in the year 2021, and funders poured a record $51.7 billion into innovative ag-tech and food-tech startups offering more profitable, accessible, efficient, safer, and greener solutions. Also, since 2015, global food companies have been establishing venture funds and startup incubator programs, reflecting the shift away from traditional Research and Development models.

The Technology Executive Committee of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change indicates that technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation will play a vital role in tackling these challenges and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (Brief #12). Research institutions will play a crucial role here to deliver the solutions needed. CGIAR is keeping up to speed in this fast-evolving environment by rethinking the business-as-usual and investigating visionary models to support the scaling and co-design of new and existing high-impact, multi-disciplinary, science-based technologies, solutions, and enterprises.

The Alliance/CGIAR is navigating the opportunities offered by the evolving funding landscape and the need to work more closely with the private sector to capitalize on the emerging opportunities and build on CGIAR’s legacy of Research and Innovation through the launch of the Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP).  The overall program is made possible thanks to generous offerings of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the continued support of Alliance and CGIAR colleagues.

Impact

Mission-oriented science-based startups fill the crucial need for innovation and market disruption; which in turn drives systems transformation, spurs economic growth, creates employment, and delivers concrete solutions for rural communities, youth and women, while contributing to the SDGs in the long and short term.

The innovative technologies that A4IP supports have tremendous potential to radically transform food and agriculture systems and the livelihoods of those who depend on them. Technologies that harness the power of genetics, automation and robotics, and precision agriculture through the use of big data and remote sensing arm growers with the tools to optimize productivity through improving yields and environmental health. Novel production and processing systems utilizing biologicals and renewables reduce the use of unsustainable inputs and minimize waste across the value chain. Fintech, blockchain, and other platforms harnessing artificial intelligence equip growers with the agency to access complete information and better connect to inputs, expertise, and support.

Explore the Accelerate for Impact Platform's engagement with innovations

Learn more: The Initiatives

A4IP’s Innovation Challenges develop a methodology to scout science-based innovations in the pre-commercial or conceptual stage addressing sustainable agriculture and climate action and connect them with CGIAR to maximize delivery and impact.

  • 2023 AI for Climate Resilience in Rural Areas: Powered by the Moonshot for Development Alliance, the initiative focuses on agriculture, natural resource management, and disaster risk reduction. It encourages a responsible and ethical use of AI and fosters collaboration between innovators, development practitioners, and local people to nurture long-term climate resilience.

  • 2023 Sustainable Cocoa Innovation Challenge: It aims to scout, accelerate and fund innovative ventures - including products, services, or technologies - that operate along the cocoa value chain in Colombia and promote sustainable land use systems toward climate change mitigation and peacebuilding.

  • 2023 AgriTech4Uzbekistan Innovation Challenge: Launched in Spring 2023, it aims to scout and support impact-driven entrepreneurs with science-based agri-food and climate-tech innovations that can make agriculture in Uzbekistan more climate-resilient, sustainable, and efficient. Selected teams will have access to a fully sponsored acceleration program, on-the-ground experimentation, up to 30˙000 USD equity-free grant, and more.

  • 2023 Youth4Climate: A global initiative, co-led by the Government of Italy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with A4IP and other strategic organizations with a long-term strategic vision oriented to sustain meaningful and long-term engagement with and for youth, and boost youth-led and youth-inclusive climate action on the ground.

  • 2023 AG 4 Future Food: Sella Group and dpixel, in partnership with A4IP and other valuable organizations, supported the growth of startups operating in the agriculture field and bringing disruptive innovations to the market through innovative technologies, in order to reduce costs, manage complexity and increase capabilities, designing the entire food chain of the future: sustainable, accessible, efficient, climate-proof and adaptable to change.

  • 2022 Agritech4Morocco Innovation Challenge: Launched in Spring 2022, aimed at improving the efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability of the agriculture sector in Morocco with the support of the World Bank and IMPACT Lab, a leading domain focused accelerator. The program awards the top 20 teams with a three-day intensive bootcamp, following which finalists receive a tailored three-month acceleration program.

  • 2021 Agrobiodiversity Innovation Challenge: Part of the 2nd International Agrobiodiversity Congress in November 2021, receiving almost 350 submissions and involving 1050 start uppers representing 76 countries. A total of 16 awards were on offer for winning pitches, including enrollment in the CGIAR x Investor Readiness Program offered in partnership with Rockstart.

Collaborative Events are increasing the exposure and cross pollination of knowledge across science and venture divides

Strengthening and institutionalizing innovation activities and entrepreneurial spirit at CGIAR through Ecosystem Building

  • 2023 San Francisco World AgriTech Innovation Forum: A4IP participated in this Summit that brings together founders, corporates, investors and experts from the agri-food community to think about the challenges in agriculture and food in new and innovative ways. In its eleventh year, the summit gathered a global audience of 2500 in San Francisco and online for a unique, two-day event aimed at moving transformational agricultural technologies out of the lab and into the field. 
  • 2023 MACS G20:  During the G20 Agricultural Chief Scientists Meeting (G20 MACS), CGIAR and A4IP delivered a statement about the pivotal role technological innovations and public-private partnerships play in agriculture and their importance towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • 2022 A4IP’s VentureSpace Community : a virtual innovation ecosystem for entrepreneurs, scientists, experts, investors, and beyond – this portal will provide a community for like-minded innovators to identify and collaborate with one another, increase visibility to accelerate their solutions, and even participate in programming like capacity building events and innovation challenges.
  • 2022 Orientation to Backcasting: developing Pathways-to-Impact a collaborations for capacity building with the Innovative Food Systems Solutions (IFSS) Portal. Aa self-guided acceleration program and resources to explore innovative solutions, connect with funding, learn about upcoming events and opportunities, and access resources and tools that move solutions towards uptake and impact.

Partners

A4IP has worked with / is currently partnering with:

The World Bank, GIZ, Rockstart, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), CIHEAM Bari, Italian Institute of Technology, the Lexicon, IMPACT Lab, the Innovative Food Systems Solutions (IFSS) Portal, Seedstars, the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests (MAPMDREF) of Morocco, Moonshots for Development (M4D) Working Group, GoMicro, Stenon, Banca Sella, Dpixel, Startlife, Rethink, Planet, Corteva, Impact Lab, World Food Forum, Valoral, Ginkgo Bioworks, StartLife, Change for Planet, Stenon Startup Factory, and more.

The progress of the Accelerate for Impact Platform is thanks to the contribution and collaboration of our funding and implementing partners, collaborators, participating innovators, and especially thanks to generous offerings of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the continued support of Alliance and CGIAR colleagues and all who have made our work possible.

Meet the Team

To get in touch with the team, contact: [email protected]

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