BRICS Young Innovators Prize Competition ($25,000 prize) 2023

The BRICS Young Innovator Prize is a special recognition of young talented entrepreneurs and researchers, whose outstanding innovations (inventions, products, applications, and services) will make a profound impact on the socio-economic, environment and condition of life in BRICS societies. The BRICS Young Innovator Prize is a platform for BRICS young scientists and entrepreneurs to share their best practices in innovation and venturing.

This initiative was introduced in 2018, during South Africa’s BRICS Chairship. A total of five instalments of the BRICS Young Innovator Prize have been held successfully and it has become an important stage for BRICS youths to display their innovation talents and strengthen exchanges and cooperation. The winner of the Young Innovator Prize will be granted through contests among the youths from BRICS countries. The upcoming 6th BRICS Young Innovator Prize will be convened in-person as part of the 7th BRICS Young Scientist Forum which will be held from July 31, until August 3, 2023 in South Africa.

About Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)

TIA is a national public entity that serves as the key institutional intervention to bridge the innovation chasm between research and development from higher education institutions, science councils, public entities, and private sector, and commercialisation. TIA’s focus is on technology development; from proof of concept to pre commercialisation. To achieve this, TIA established the following funds: the Seed Fund, the Technology Development Fund, and the Commercialisation Support Fund. In order to deal with the effective implementation of these funds, TIA implemented pre- and post... read more

TIA Young Innovators Prize Competition

Aim and Benefits of TIA Young Innovators Prize Competition

Prizes

• First Place – $25,000
• Second Place – $15,000
• Third Place – $10,000

Requirements for TIA Young Innovators Prize Competition Qualification

• The Innovations shall focus on the following 5 thematic areas:
  • Modernizing manufacturing;
  • Modernizing agriculture;
  • Modernizing mining;
  • Digital and Circular economies;
• The innovations should emanate from universities, research institutes or registered enterprises in line with a BRICS member country’s law;
• The project must be innovative and has been transformed from scientific and technological achievements;
• The innovation should be in a phase of limited product testing, discontinuous production, certification, or preparation of the product for market;
• The innovation should not infringe upon the intellectual property of any third party and the Intellectual Property Rights (including patent, standard, thesis, etc.) and must be owned by the project team members;
• The age of applicant must be under 40 years and a citizen of a BRICS country – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
• Each applicant can only choose to compete in one project field for the awards.

Interview date, Process and Venue for TIA Young Innovators Prize Competition

Assessment Criteria

• Social impact;
• Process Improvement;
• Contribution to Industry Competitiveness;
• Potential to replicate within BRICS member States and beyond; and
• Novelty

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• Click here to download the application form
• All applications are to be submitted by email to [email protected] by May 26, 2023 at Close of Business (16h00 CAT), with all supporting documents as per the application template.

For more details,visit TIA website