EDCTP Africa Office at AU-EU Innovation Festival

Hosted by the European Union, the African Union and the Republic of South Africa, the first AU-EU Innovation Festival took place on 15 June 2023 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa. The event aimed to gather views and aspirations on the imminent implementation phase of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda and of its short-term actions, foreseen to run within the first three years of the adoption (June 2023 – June 2026).

EDCTP’s Africa Office attended the festival and hosted a booth on EDCTP2 and the Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking. The day before the festival, Dr Thomas Nyirenda, EDCTP Strategic Partnerships & Capacity Development Manager and Head of Africa Office, attended the ENRICH in Africa Center inauguration. ENRICH in Africa is a Horizon 2020 project that aims to strengthen and connect innovation ecosystems in Africa and Europe.

The ENRICH in Africa virtual community platform includes 439 members, 293 of whom being companies (64% from Africa and 26% from Europe), 86 investors and 60 business support organisations, such as incubators and accelerators.