THE PRICNAC PROJECT

PRICNAC is one of the twelve projects funded under the ACP Innovation Fund of the OEACP Research and Innovation Programme with the financial support of the European Union. PRICNAC aims to contribute to an inclusive R&I environment in Central African countries for sustainable development and poverty reduction. It specifically aims to :

1. Improve access to sustainable solutions generated by R&I and adapted to local realities.
2. Expand the activities of the PRICNAC network.

This project is executed by a consortium of five institutions: the AUF (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie) via its Regional Directorate for Central Africa and the Great Lakes based in Yaoundé (coordinator), OBREAL Global Observatory (Observatorio de Relaciones Unión Europea – América Latina), the AAU (Association of African Universities), CAMES ( African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education), and REIFAC (Network of Experts in Training Engineering for Central Africa and the Great Lakes).

PRICNAC is being implemented in eight countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe, for an implementation period of 4 years (January 2021-December 2024).

PRICNAC’S MICRO-PROJECTS

For its second phase, PRICNAC is about to launch a call for proposals with a view to selecting a maximum of 10 micro-projects for a minimum of 150,000 euros (98,393,550 FCFA) and a maximum of 180,000 euros (118,072,260 FCFA) in funding.

The 10 selected micro-projects will have the following specific objectives:

• Strengthen human capital in Central Africa through a regional platform for training, collaboration, and networking;
• Better connect the diverse stakeholders that are part of the innovation ecosystem and research in the region to generate sustainable cooperation;
• Contribute to regional integration by supporting Central African countries with greater needs and more constraining structural circumstances for research and innovation;
• Strengthen existing AUF, AAU, CAMES, and REIFAC programs in Central Africa that aim to improve entrepreneurship capacity and build new bottom-up initiatives, with a view to promoting the role of educational institutions in innovation ecosystems;
• Create synergies with/between programs and existing projects, also with the EU (in particular in the framework of the Africa-EU partnership) and other international institutions (World Bank, UN Economic Commission for Africa, UNCTAD …).

It should be stressed that these micro-projects should be inspired by the logic of the Smart Specialization Strategies (3S).^[1]

TARGET GROUPS

• Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)
• Secondary education institutions
• Research centers/research networks
• Multinational private companies
• SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises)
• National public administrations
• Local public administrations
• Chambers of Commerce
• NGOs and associationsDISTRIBUTION OF ACTIONS BY PRIORITY AREA

The implementation of the second phase of PRICNAC is based on 3 priority areas. Each priority area includes actions whose implementation will contribute to the achievement of PRICNAC’s objectives.

To be accepted, all project proposals must correspond to an action and highlight the gender approach, environmental preservation, and sustainable development. The projects selected under this Call for Proposals will have a duration of 14 months.

Download the full announcement here:  https://blog.aau.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Pre-Announcement-PRICNAC.pdf

CONTACT

For information on this call for proposals, please contact:

Agence universitaire de la Francophonie

Central Africa and Great Lakes Regional Directorate (DRACGL)

Yaoundé, Cameroon

Email: pricnac@auf.org