EBN at AU-EU Innovation Agenda Stakeholder Event 2022 (Nairobi, Kenya)

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The AU-EU Innovation Agenda Innovation Agenda Stakeholder Event will take place in Nairobi, Kenya and Online from the 23rd to 24th of November 2022, convened by the European Commission and the African Union aiming to seek feedback and input from citizens and organisations on the draft version of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda.

How EBN is involved: ENRICH in Africa, BIC Africa and AEDIB|NET

Following the AU-EU Innovation Agenda Innovation Agenda Stakeholder event the ENRICH in Africa (EiA) project, funded by the EU H2020 and co-implemented by EBN, has organised its annual congress (EiA Congress 2022) conveniently taking place on the 25^th of November in the same location and streamed online. Under the motto From Roadmaps to Achievements, the EiA Congress 2022 will explore tangible actions and outcomes of current collaborative policy roadmaps for the business and innovation markets of Africa and Europe. In addition, EBN is present and joins both events to represent our work and that of the pan-European EU|BIC innovation community in the projects BIC Africa (African Business Incubator Communities) and AEDIB|NET (African European Digital Innovation Bridge – flagship project in the Team Europe Digital4Development Hub).

About the AU-EU Innovation Agenda

The AU-EU Innovation Agenda is a flagship of the EU’s Global Gateway Africa – Europe Investment Package that was also announced at the Summit, providing an outline of actions to be taken in partnership with Africa to “boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport and strengthen health, education and research systems across the world”. The joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda is an unprecedented initiative aiming to accelerate the translation of Research and Innovation into a tangible positive impact on the ground, to generate products, services, businesses and jobs, in Africa and Europe. It proposes four objectives, articulated into short-term, medium-term and long-term actions, for each of the four priority areas of the AU-EU cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation [namely (i) Public Health, (ii) Green Transition, (iii) Capacities for Science and (iv) Innovation and Technology], as well as for (v) Cross-cutting issues.

The two-day face-to-face and “hybrid” event, with plenary sessions, workshops and an AU-EU Innovation Fair. Brings together a high-level plenary that will serve to present the outcome of the public consultation and the up-to-date implementation plan of the Innovation Agenda for feedback by the audience (for more details, please refer to the table below). Workshops will provide a forum for discussion of specific stakeholder demands and ideas, as well as possible implementation pathways, while the Innovation Fair will showcase the innovation ecosystems of both sides. Training and information sessions will aim to equip participants with hands-on information that will help them make the most of and contribute to implementation actions of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, contributing to the maximisation of the Agenda’s positive impact.