The YIA program has two core aspects:
Stage 1: The Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research
The program sponsors a merit-based competition that provides research projects, developed by students in Egypt’s national universities, EGP 6,000 to implement their project. The evaluation of the projects is entrusted to experienced scientists and practitioners in the area of R&D, with possible parti
cipation from private sector donors’ representatives. Each year, YIA offers awards to 150graduation projects, which are meant to cover a portion of costs associated with graduation projects. Students are eligible to apply from the faculties of engineering, computer science, agriculture and sciences in all 19 national Egyptian universities. Educational component
YIA has determined that only providing awards is not enough; an additional element of education on practical related topics help students to move forward in careers of R&D. Thus, students who win the awards are required to attend 3 workshops:
Proposal writing for R&D competitions
Research tools & the role of intellectual property
Commercialization & venture capital
Stage 2: Prototype Design Awards and Commercialization
YIA-PD moves beyond graduation projects and ideas, awarding top-notch scientific prototypes and helping them turn their prototypes into products ready for the marketplace. This stage has two components which act simultaneously:
Prototype Design Awards
YIA-PD provides grant awards to graduates and student groups (each comprising 4 or 5 students on average) based on their actual prototypes. The funds are expected to be used to fund the commercialization of their projects. Funds may be used for purposes such as developing the prototype into a product that could be commercialized or seed funding for new business start-ups/
Commercialization Program
Simultaneous with the awards is a program that builds the capacity and enables innovators to commercialize their projects and, whenever possible, become small business entrepreneurs. The aim is to tie financial support with practical training, technical assistance, networks and linkages, and infrastructural support to help move their prototypes into the market. The program will also aim to enable these innovators to continue on their path, ensuring their contribution to the field of R&D is sustained through the long-term. Training and Capacity Building
All awardees will be required to participate in the YIA-PD training program. Aiming to empower young scientific innovators with the skills and knowledge to commercialize their products in the market, the program will combine knowledge-based courses with hands-on skills-based workshops. It will be structured so that projects can apply the learnings directly to their own projects during the program. The curriculum will involve 2 components: a) R&D and scientific commercialization; and b) entrepreneurship and small business management.
