Introduction to UniBRAIN

Ralph von KaufmannFARA UniBRAIN Coordinator

Introduction to UniBRAIN

• UniBrain is a pan-African initiative of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Danida)

• The Development Objective of UniBRAIN is for innovation and entrepreneurship derived jobs in the agricultural sector to be created through partnerships between universities, research institutions and the private sector

Key UniBRAIN Partners• The African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural

Resources Education (ANAFE)• The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)• The Pan-African Agribusiness and Agro-industry Consortium (PanAAC)• The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) • The Sub-Regional Organisations (SROs)

– Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA)

– West and Central African council for agricultural research and development (CORAF/WECARD)

– Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)

Introduction to UniBRAIN

UniBRAIN:• Promotes innovation by supporting the start-up,

diversification and up-scaling of commercial ventures• Supports graduate training in entrepreneurial and business

skills• Advances graduate research-based knowledge that is

relevant to the development of African agriculture and agribusinesses

Introduction to UniBRAIN

Opportunities for investment in African agriculture are encouraged by:– Sound technical opportunities:• available land• rapidly growing markets• large yield gaps, high post harvest losses, opportunities

for improved processing and marketing– Plentiful sources of potentially skilled workers– More capital than can currently be absorbed

Introduction to UniBRAIN

What are we going to do to realise the potential for investment in African agriculture?– Break the barriers and foster collaboration between

universities, business and research to create cultures and environments that will value, encourage and enable innovation

– Produce graduates who are problem solvers, decision takers and successful entrepreneurs

UniBRAIN take-home messagesUniBRAIN will provide competitive grants to enable consortiums

of universities, business and research to establish agribusiness incubators that will:

– be centres of innovation and job creation– support improved teaching and research in agribusiness– inspire youths to become job-creating agri-entrepreneurs

Introduction to UniBRAINUniBRAIN will support consortia of universities, businesses and research institutions

to establish agribusiness innovation incubators– The mission of the incubator is to facilitate the creation

of competitive agribusiness enterprises through technology development and commercialization

– The incubator, helps new entrepreneurs / enterprises with handholding services starting from business conceptualization to implementation and scaling up

– It is up to the entrepreneurs / enterprises to choose the kind of service they want from the incubator

UniBRAIN take-home messagesThe incubators will provide institutional framework through

which the Agribusiness, Innovations Incubator Consortia (AIIC) can provide support for:• the realisation of business concepts from university

faculty and graduates, agricultural research and agribusinesses of all sizes• consultancy services to agribusiness• help in accessing financing for SMEs and start-ups– approaching impact investors and social capitalists

UniBRAIN take-home messagesThe incubator consortia will:

• be governed by boards comprised of representatives of university, business, research, farmers, consumers and policy makers

• will select a Lead Institution which will be the grantee• be managed by professional staff employed by the Lead Institution• be operated on business lines to become self sustaining• provide clear enforceable rules, procedures, IP, commercial

confidentiality and benefit sharing arrangements for institutions and individuals

• The incubators will have ‘brand names’ that will provide confidence between the parties so that they can readily access the assets they want from the other parties which they do not have in-house

UniBRAIN take-home messagesGrant making process:

• The prospective AIIC will complete and submit concept notes before 14th January 2011

• An Independent Grants Committee will select and recommend 12 prospective AIIC to the UniBRAIN Steering Committee which will confirm invitations to submit full business plans

• The UniBRAIN partners will be available to help in the development of the business plans with small grants to support meeting with stakeholders, visits to model incubators etc.

• It is expected that about 6 prospective AIIC will be funded to establish and run Agribusiness Innovation Incubators

For more information visitwww.fara-africa.org/our-projects/unibrain/

THANK YOU

Introduction to UniBRAIN

Wide scale investment in agribusiness and agro-industry is presently constrained by:– Insufficient high level human and institutional capacity• Entrepreneurs and problem solvers

– Leadership in identifying and exploiting socially responsible opportunities for investment in agriculture and the environment