AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

PAN AFRICAN UNIVERSITY

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (FIRMS) FOR PROVISION OF INCUBATION LABORATORY

Recruitment of Firm to Support the Operationalization of Pan African University

Innovation Center of Excellence for Pan African University Institute of Life and Earth Sciences including Health and Agriculture (PAULESI), at the University of Ibadan (UI)

Ibadan, Nigeria.

Date :  October, 2019

Grant No : 2100155025266

1. This Invitation for EOI follows the General Procurement Notice (GPN) for this project that appeared in UNDB online AfDB238-04/14 of 2 April 2014 on-line and on the African Development Bank Group’s Internet Website ;
2. The Pan African University Institute of Life and Earth Sciences including Health and Agriculture (PAULESI), now Requests for Expression of Interest from eligible firms for the Operationalization of the Innovation Center at PAULESI, IBADAN, NIGERIA ;
3. PAU is seeking to hire a firm that will support the institution develop strategies and pilot activities which will be hosted in one of the “PAU innovation Centre of excellence” in Ibadan (Nigeria). Some of the expected activities to be established and/or piloted include technology transfer and prototyping support, incubation, and private sector-led/defined hackathons ;
4. Currently Sub-Saharan Africa has one of the highest rates of unemployment. It is predicted that only one third of graduates from the region gain access to formal employment. If the current trends continue, the region will be one of the most affected by fourth industrial revolution changes in the labour market. In order for Africa to therefore reap the benefits of its youth dividend it is important that academia also evolves in the delivery of curriculum and adapts to the changing demand of the labour market and private sector by training innovative and enterprising graduates ;
5. Increased demand for higher education; the internationalization of education and research; the need to develop effective and close co-operation between universities and industry; the interdisciplinary reorganization of knowledge; and the emergence of new expectations have led to universities facing an imperative need to adapt and adjust ;
6. The Pan African University understands first-hand the need to bridge the gap amongst academia, Africa’s labour market and the private sector in order for Africa to lead in the fourth industrial revolution ;
7. It is in this light that this Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) is calling on organizations to support the PAU in ensuring that beyond producing Africa’s scientists and policy makers, the institution enhances graduate innovation, entrepreneurship, and private sector linkage/responsiveness. PAU is seeking to hire a firm that will support the institution develop strategies and pilot activities which will be hosted in the “PAU innovation centres of excellence” in Ibadan (Nigeria),Yaoundé (Cameroon), ad Nairobi (Kenya). Some of the expected activities to be established and/or piloted include technology transfer and prototyping support, incubation, and private sector-led/defined hackathons ;
8. The objectives of this assignment include, but are not limited to the following :

• Develop a holistic strategy to support the operations of the PAU Innovation Centres of Excellence ;
• Develop and deliver academia relevant/complimentary business development support and training that is in line with the thematic focus of each PAU institution/campus ;
• Support the procurement of relevant goods required to operationalise the PAU Innovation Centres of Excellence (also taking into account the look and feel of the spaces to be brand consistent across the various campuses) ;
• Support the institutions in identifying and incubating/commercialising innovative student businesses and research ;
• Support the institutions in identifying and establishing partnerships with the private sector, for the purposes of research and development, product development and/or scaling prototypes; and
• Develop a commercial sustainability/income generation plan, whilst training relevant PAU staff in the operations of the innovation centres to ensure operational sustainability.

9. Currently PAULESI runs the following thematic areas :

10. The Pan African University invites executing agencies and consulting firms to indicate their interest in providing the above-described services. Interested eligible executing agencies or consulting firms shall provide information on their qualifications and experience demonstrating their ability to provide the services (documentation, references for similar services, experience in comparable Assignments, availability of qualified staff, etc.) ;
11. The main qualification criteria for this assignment are as follows (but not limited to) :

• Over 4 years of experience (with proven record of accomplishment) in delivering/running incubation programs in Africa ;
• Track record of BDS delivery to support start-up/MSME growth (market access, financing, survival rate, etc…) ;
• Extensive knowledge of and working with private sector (with an aim for securing partnerships for start-ups/MSMEs) in Africa and especially Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya ;
• In depth knowledge on patenting and intellectual property protection and capacity to advise; Strong procurement and financial management practices ;
• Existing monitoring, results measurement, and evaluation processes; Experience in working with Development Finance Institutions ;
• Strong linkages with an existing network of innovators and entrepreneurs ;
• Ability to provide a franchise package/service of an existing BDS delivery brand/incubator/Fab Lab will be an added advantage ;
• Staff composition with strong experience in the start-up and innovation ecosystem’ ;
• Strong analytical and business strategy design skills, as well as solid understandingof budget design ; and
• Ability to work in English and French will be an added advantage.

12. The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the African Development Bank AfDB Rules and Procedure for the Use of Consultants under projects financed by the Bank Group, May 2008 Edition, revised on July 2012 available on the Bank Website at http://www.afdb.org. Please, note that interest expressed by a Consulting Firm does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include it in the shortlist ;

13. The estimated duration of services is 18 MONTHS and the estimated starting date is February 2020 ;
14. Expressions of interest must be received at the address below no later than November 12^th, 2019 at 11:59 PM GMT and specifically mentioning “Expression of Interest for a firm to Support the Operationalization of Pan African University Innovation Center of Excellence at PAULESI” ;
15. Interested eligible firms may obtain further information at the office of Director, Pan African University Institute of Life and Earth Sciences including Health and Agriculture (PAULESI), along Abadina Road, at the back of Media Resource Centre, adjacent to UI Guest House. M.B 20. University of Ibadan (UI) Ibadan, Nigeria, Telephone:  +2349060973301, +2348096490598 from Monday to Friday 9:00 AM- 1:00 PM and 2:00PM-5:00PM.

You may check our website http://paulesi.ui.edu.ng/ and the following PAU websites : www.pau-au.org; http://www.jkuat.ac.ke/pausti/; http://pauwes.univ-tlemcen.dz and yde2-upau.org from date of publication of this advert.

 Director, Pan African Institute of Life and Earth Sciences including Health and Agriculture (PAULESI)

 Street Address : Abadina Road, adjacent to UI Guest House, Behind Media Resource Centre, University of Ibadan (UI) Ibadan

 City : Ibadan

 Country : Nigeria

 Telephone : +234 9060973301 or +2348096490598

 Email : paulifeandearth@gmail.com

 Website : http://paulesi.ui.edu.ng/