Ugandan innovators selected for coveted Africa innovation award.

By Christopher Bendana

Three Ugandan innovators are some of the 25 finalists in this year’s Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Challenge of Invention to Innovation competition (Ci2i). The competition attracts sciencepreneur of under 45 from across Africa.

NEF says it received 260 applications in its five-category completions that include agriculture, integration and logistics, personalized and precision health, power and energy

The three Ugandans are Nsereko Mike of MiNi Money whose innovation is a peer to peer mobile/blockchain technology organization.

Others are Menyo Innocent of M-SCAN whose innovation is a portable affordable power-efficient ultrasound devices that are compatible with laptops, tablets and mobile phones, and Philippa Ngaju Makobore of ECGF whose innovation is an affordable Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion Set (ECGF) that regulates and delivers intravenous fluids or medication to patients.

“The third cohort of Ci2i finalists, selected from 260 applications, are ambitious African innovators developing scalable solutions to local challenges in agriculture, integration and logistics, personalized and precision health, power and energy. They will pitch for a $25,000 prize in each category but also be connected to investors in a one-of-a-kind ‘Sciencepreneur Investor Meetup’, said Nathalie Munyampenda, Managing Director of the Next Einstein Forum.

The 25 finalists will attend a boot camp in Nairobi during the NEF meeting that runs from 10-13 March 2020.
A statement by NEF says they will be provided with training sessions in pitch preparation, and investment readiness

“At the end of the boot camp, the young sciencepreneurs will gain knowledge of how to create and deliver value through their solutions as well as understanding funding options & valuations,” the statement released on Monday says.

Launched in 2013, the forum is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with Robert Bosch Stiftung. It is geared to connecting science, society and policy in Africa to the world.

It sets to create a bunch of scientists on the level of Einstein. Einstein was the great German scientist praised for his works of gravity.