With the German-African Innovation Promotion Award ( GAIIA ), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) honors outstanding achievements by African scientists. The prize promotes the further development of research results into innovative solutions that address the social and ecological challenges on the African continent and benefit the population. It was awarded for the first time in 2018.

So far, 10 scientists from 8 African countries have been honored with their German cooperation partners. They all received funding of up to 150,000 euros for the realization of a joint research project with high exploitation potential.

Furthermore, the Award gives special visibility to the researchers receiving it and to the funded German-African cooperation projects.

The Award is oriented towards the strategic cooperation priorities of the Federal Government’s Future Strategy and the Africa Strategy of the BMBF. Funding will be provided for collaborative projects which involve international cooperation and preferably deal with one or more of the following priority areas in line with the funding purpose described above:

• Environmental sciences
• Health research
• Bioeconomy
• Societal development and social sciences (in particular socially responsible business
  practices, social innovations, sustainability strategies)
• Resource management (in particular valorization of locally available resources, resource
  efficiency and sustainability)
• Information and communication technologies.
  The project plan is expected to include joint work phases in the African and German partner
  countries.

German-African Innovation Incentive Award (GAIIA)

• Category Entrepreneurs
• Organisation German Government
• Country to study–
• School to study–
• Course to study Not specified
• Application Deadline November 7, 2023

Aim and Benefits of German-African Innovation Incentive Award (GAIIA)

The Award will take the form of a grant paid for implementing a German-African cooperation project and is thus to be used for this specific purpose (see section 5 Type, scope and rates of funding). Supplementary to this, African award winners will be provided with individual qualification opportunities that support the transfer of their research results. These will be adapted to their individual needs and take the form of advice, training and networking measures during the project period and beyond. German cooperation partners will be involved in the measures and learn about new applications for (part of) their research results in Africa.

Accompanying measures will include, for example:

• Individual advice and coaching to acquire methodical and transfer skills
• Supporting analyses regarding relevant potential for value creation and, where applicable, tapping into new markets
• Support in region- and target group-specific communication of the results to potential users and/or partners in the African target regions
• If applicable, support in business plan development, for example to prepare the establishment of a spin-off company or start-up
• Identification of opportunities for follow-up funding, for example from European initiatives.
  The results from the funded project may only be used in the Federal Republic of Germany or the European Economic Area (EEA) and in Switzerland as well as in the countries of the African Union (AU).

Requirements for German-African Innovation Incentive Award (GAIIA) Qualification

• Applications may be submitted by universities, non-university research institutions and other institutions contributing to research as well as commercial companies.
• Applicants are required to have a plant or branch (company) or another entity in Germany serving the non-commercial activity of the funding recipient (universities, non-university research institutions and other institutions contributing to research) at the time of payment of the grant.
• Research institutions which receive basic funding from the Federal Government and/or the Länder can only be granted project funding supplementary to their institutional funding to cover additional project-related expenditure or costs under certain conditions.
• Concerning the conditions for when state aid is or is not deemed to be involved and the extent to which funding can be provided without constituting aid, please consult the Community Framework for State Aid for R&D&I.2
• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the meaning of these funding regulations are companies that meet the requirements of the EU definition of SMEs.
• The funding recipient will declare its classification according to Annex I of the GBER to the granting authority in its written application for funding

Interview date, Process and Venue for German-African Innovation Incentive Award (GAIIA)

Selection

The success of the individual funded activities will be measured by looking, for example, at their contribution to

• Increasing African and German project partners’ know-how about the respective thematic areas and/or their further development
• International networking with stakeholders in politics, business or society
• Support for early-career researchers in both countries.

Application Deadline

November 7, 2023