Apply to African Development Bank Capacity-Building Programme for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in African Higher Education Institutions

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African Development Bank Capacity-Building Programme for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in African Higher Education Institutions

The African Development Bank Group’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, in partnership with EyeCity Africa, is inviting applications from African higher education institutions and research centres for its Enterprise Support Capacity-Building Programme.

The programme aims to help institutions establish, strengthen and sustain Enterprise Support Organisations (ESOs), incubators, accelerators, innovation hubs and technology transfer offices that transform campus talent and research into viable businesses.

Programme Focus Areas

Participants will receive practical capacity building in:

1. Enterprise support models and organisational governance.
2. Innovation and entrepreneurship support operations.
3. Resource mobilisation, funding and financial sustainability.
4. Partnerships between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Enterprise Support Organisations (ESOs).
5. Innovation commercialisation and ecosystem integration.
6. Strategies for promoting youth entrepreneurship, innovation and job creation.

Benefits for Selected Institutions

1. Practical training in enterprise support governance, operations, funding and sustainability.
2. Ready-to-use frameworks and tools to strengthen institutional enterprise support activities.
3. Access to a growing African HEI community connecting over 200 institutions.
4. Peer learning, collaboration and ecosystem networking.
5. Tailored support for five selected institutions to develop an institutional strategy and a funding proposal ready for submission.

Who Can Apply?

The programme is open to:

1. African higher education institutions.
2. African research centres.
3. Enterprise support units operating within higher education institutions.

Institutions at every stage of development are welcome, including those planning to establish their first enterprise support organisation.

Institutional Requirements

Participating institutions should be able to:

1. Secure leadership support for the programme.
2. Dedicate staff time to programme activities.
3. Include women and young people in their enterprise support activities.
4. Demonstrate interest in strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship support.

Application Deadline: 9 November 2026

How to Apply

Interested institutions should complete the application form through the link below:

Application Link

Learn More

Note: This is an institutional capacity-building opportunity, not an individual scholarship or job application.