Categories

Cultivate Research Excellence: Encourage students and innovators to embark on impactful research ventures. Showcase academic excellence. Bridge the gap between academia and policy, fostering meaningful contributions to Africa's prosperity.

Ignite Entrepreneurial Solutions: Foster entrepreneurial projects that catalyse economic growth. Through projects that tackle Africa's greatest challenges such as the adverse impact of climate change, increasing water scarcity, low resilience to natural disasters, potential non- achievement of the SDGs, energy crisis and food crisis. We want to create opportunities for collaboration with industry leaders, emphasizing the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in addressing pressing challenges.

Empower Development through Social Enterprise: Support impactful projects initiated by social enterprises, including both for-prof- it and non-profit non-governmental initiatives. Amplify grassroots initiatives, recognizing and promoting the vital role of social entrepreneurship in driving positive change at the community and national level.

Eligibility

General
Submissions must be focused on making meaningful contributions to Africa’s prosperity.
Individuals may apply to the ISF, either as part of a team or on their own.
Teams must consist of no more than three members.
For Oxford students
Applicants must be current students (either undergraduate or postgraduate) at the University of Oxford. If submitting as a team, at least one team member must be a student of the University of Oxford.
For students at African universities
Applicants must be African nationals.
Applicants must be current (either undergraduate or postgraduate) or recently graduated students (within 1 year of graduation) of universities primarily based on the African continent. If submitting as a team, all team members must also meet this criterion.

Innovation: This refers to the uniqueness or originality of the submission.
Impact: The potential to have a significant positive influence on African communities. This should be heralded by demonstrated impact at a smaller scale in the case of the development and entrepreneurship categories or by a sound, evidence-based rationale in the case of a research submission
Scalability: The likelihood of the submission’s impact growing to a larger population, especially with funding from the ISF.
Sustainability: the long-term viability of the solution.
Relevance: The alignment of the submission to the selected conference themes.
Time-bound: The objectives of the ISF must be achieved within one year of receiving the funding.

Finalist selections will be made by a panel consisting of members of the organising committee, experts within the AfriSoc community, and Oxford University Innovation.
The final judging panel will consist of workshop and panel speakers and identified world leaders in research, entrepreneurship, and development.

Each category winner will receive a total of £5,000. Funds will be released in installments based on the achievement of pre-specified milestones.
There will be a special category for the best African finalist that isn’t a category winner, which will be a total of £5,000.
Consolation prizes will be awarded to all the finalists. These may include AfriSoc merchandise and small gadgets.

For individual applicants, the finalists will be flown to Oxford to pitch at the conference. In the case of group applications, one member, preferably the designated pitcher, from the finalist group will be brought to Oxford for the pitch. AfriSoc will cover all travel and living expenses incurred during this period.
Winners will be offered technical support and mentorship through the Oxford University Innovation Incubator for 6 months post-award reception.
Winners and finalists will also be introduced to the wider innovation and entrepreneurship community at the University of Oxford.

Applications Open: 3rd March
Applications Close: 24th March
Review of Applications: 25th March - 14th April
Announcement of Finalists: 15th April
Pitch preparation webinar: April 25th
Pre-Pitch Preparation: April 16th – May 23rd, including arrangements for travel, visa, and accommodation logistics for African submissions.
Final Pitch: May 24th. On Conference Day 1, finalists will present their submissions to a diverse panel of judges.
Awards Ceremony: May 25th. On Conference Day 2, winners will be announced, and prizes will be awarded.