Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Inaugural conference of the Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation (UniBRAIN) initiative

19-20 April. Accra. The Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation (UniBRAIN) initiative's inaugural conference was held at FARA headquarters.
Its purpose was to bring together all the different institutions involved in UniBRAIN: the Steering Committee, the Independent Grants Committee, the implementing partners (FARA, ANAFE, ATPS, PanAAC, ASARECA, CORAF/WECARD and SADC/FANR) and  most importantly, the 12 Agribusiness Innovation Incubation Consortia (AIIC) selected from 51 concept notes to develop competitive business plans.

SM Karuppanchetty of ICRISAT’s Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) program was the key invitee to the program. ABI-ICRISAT will facilitate establishment of agribusiness incubation systems in the continent, which will nurture innovations in agriculture, develop and commercialize technologies impacting farmers and generate agri-preneurs. The partnership will also create value-chain opportunities in all verticals of agriculture and span 12 SSA countries.

In addition to providing an opportunity for the stakeholders to get to know each other, the main focus of the conference was on developing business models and business plans with a view to assisting the AIIC to make the best possible submissions of business plans for review by the Independent Grants Committee by the deadline of 14 May 2011
No:
Title
Lead Institution
Country
AIIC26
Forum for East African Community (EAC) Dairy Enterprises Development (FEDED)
University of Nairobi
Kenya
AIIC36
creating competitive livestock-based agribusiness enterprises
CSIR-Animal Research Institute.
Ghana
AIIC7
[Partnership for Agro-processing and entrepreneurship develop in Uganda
Department of Food Science & Technology
Makerere University
Uganda
AIIC41
Zambia Mango and Local Fruits Value Chain Consortium (“Zambia Mango Consortium”)
Frontier Development Associates
Zambia
AIIC38
Centre d’Innovation Agro-forestier du Mali, Projet CAF 
Agro Industrie Development SA (AID-SA)
Mali
AIIC21
Consortium de Création et de Renforcement des Capacités d’Entreprises Agro commerciales (CCRC-EA)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CNRST)
Burkina Faso
AIIC28
Chibuto School of Business and Entrepreneurship Incubator
Chibuto School of Business and Entrepreneurship (ESNEC) – Eduardo Mondlane University(UEM).
Mozambique
AIIC32
GRASS UP NOW CONSORTIUM
Egerton University
Kenya
AIIC14
Sorghum Value Chain Agribusiness Innovation Incubator Consortium
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
Kenya
AIIC30
Ghana agribusiness incubator and entrepreneurship centre (GAIEC)
Universty for Development Studies, Tamale
Ghana
AIIC8
Incubation and Diversification of Banana Products for Agribusiness (IDBPA)
Kyambogo, University
Uganda
AIIC4
Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development (CURD)
Makerere, University
Uganda


Related blog postThe Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Danida has provided funds to FARA to support the Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural INovation (UniBRAIN) Initiative.

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