Africa Knowledge Transfer Partnership (AKTP) Program was started by the British Council to help businesses/companies deal with challenges that hamper productivity of the company. The main aim of the AKTP Program is to increase productivity and competitiveness of the businesses with the help of scientific knowledge and technology. The Program also utilizes the skills available from Higher Education Institutions through collaborative projects in improving the productivity of the companies.
AKTP is based on a successful UK scheme which has seen thousands of partnerships working to bring innovation to the marketplace through higher education/private sector partnerships. The Program focuses on the core strategic needs of the private sector, supported by the British Council local and UK Universities.
The AKTP scheme has recently been introduced in South Africa, the first successful partnership has been established between the British Council, Shonaquip, Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Loughborough University in the UK. ” Shonaquip works to improve the quality of life of people living with mobility disabilities in under resourced regions. The partnership has been established to improve key company products, production, product transportation costs and affordability, and is assisting the company to expand its reach in to South Africa and Africa.”
Call for Proposals
The British Council is calling for proposals from South African companies in the fields of Agricultural, Tourism, Food Security and Green Industries that have opportunities or challenges that could be addressed through AKTP. A collaborative project is 2 years between the private sector and the education institutions, delivered by a recent high caliber graduate.
How to Apply
– Download the British Council Company Proposal ‘A’ Form. This proposal form is for the company to complete. The purpose of the outline (in Part A) of the form is to identify what areas the company would like to work on with a university. The proposal does not need to be submitted in detail; at this stage the British Council is looking for interest in the AKTP concept and the nucleus of an idea. Fuller partnership proposals can be developed at a later stage with British Council assistance.
If a company does not know which university it wants to partner with it can submit Part A alone; likewise if a University wants to express interest but does not yet have a partner company it can complete the form for Universities or Research bodies.
The British Council will collect all proposals and attempt to match the interests of companies and universities. All information given will be treated in confidence and matches will not be made before consent has been obtained from each party.
– Contact AKTP Adviser for any clarification or to discuss your options. The proposals will go through a selection process with the support of appropriate higher education institutions. All information provided will be treated in confidence.
Last date for submitting the proposals is October 9, 2011.
For more information and details, you can visit this link.
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