Africa Oxford Initiative Innovation Platform
The Africa Oxford (AfOx) Innovation Platform links African talent for innovation and entrepreneurship, based on the continent, with technical expertise from across the University of Oxford and with partners in industry, to co-develop solutions for Africa’s biggest challenges. Our innovation fellows work on science-led solutions that tackle pressing challenges in Africa.
Priority will be given to bioscience-led ideas that demonstrate strong potential for impact. Our focus on bioscience-led solutions is grounded in the understanding that the planet’s health depends on the integrity of renewable biological resources. Biosciences hold unparalleled potential to tackle Africa’s most critical and neglected challenges through regenerative approaches—restoring ecosystems while enabling communities to flourish by safeguarding their bio-resources.
Applications for the AfOx Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scheme 2026 are Now OPEN!
Addressing challenges through impact innovation & entrepreneurship
The Innovation Platform, as part of the Africa Oxford Initiative, promotes long-term, equitable collaborations between researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs based in Africa and at the University of Oxford. Together, we work to advance knowledge and innovation to tackle global challenges across the Sustainable Development Goals, improving livelihoods and safeguarding our future.
Across Africa, the innovation focus tends to be on market-place solutions such as e-commerce and fintech (areas with relatively quick turnarounds from idea to prototype, MVP/market traction and scaling). While such solutions are critical in creating and sustaining value, software alone cannot solve the challenge of structural transformation that is much needed in Africa. Deep-science based solutions to challenges in health, sustainable food systems, and renewable energy that are generated by African innovators have a critical role to play in driving Africa’s sustainable futures.
“While such solutions are critical in creating and sustaining value, software alone cannot solve the challenge of structural transformation that is much needed in Africa.” Dr Watu Wamae, Head of Innovation at AfOx
The Africa Oxford Health Innovation Programme (AfOx-HIP) is our flagship programme. It supports African innovators to develop solutions to Africa’s health challenges. AfOx-HIP helps ideas come to life as real solutions by upskilling African entrepreneurs and giving them the tools they need to address the Africa’s biggest healthcare challenges.
We link African talent with technical expertise across the University of Oxford and with partners in industry, to address high priority challenges in Africa. In doing so, we facilitate their interactions with partners across Oxford to help their ideas come to life, turning their ventures into high growth start-ups with real impact.
Africa has tremendous talent in innovation and entrepreneurship; there is no shortage of new ideas or technology-led solutions. However, many initiatives fail to progress because of the complex hurdles between prototype and the market, and the misalignment of focus between the technological solution and the problem. The growing talent in innovation and entrepreneurship has significant potential for transformative impact across Africa and the world.
AfOx identifies outstanding, emerging African researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators, who are proposing new solutions to tackle world-scale challenges to achieve a more equitable and prosperous future. We work across all 54 African countries and have connected over 80 African innovators from across the continent since 2021.
Learn more about their journeys and impact on our Innovation Platform Fellows page.
Vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship culture
We provide access to a vibrant innovation and entrepreneurship culture and resources at a world leading university in knowledge exchange, innovation, and entrepreneurship and in so doing contribute in unique and important ways to nurturing early-stage ventures. This approach is central to creating opportunities for pre-seed high growth start-ups and massively scalable, seed-stage science and technology ventures.
“Building a strong network of African entrepreneurial innovators in deep science is high priority. It is central to creating the momentum required for structural change, which cannot be achieved through unconnected individual innovators.” Dr Watu Wamae, Head of Innovation at AfOx
Our growing network of partners
AfOx Innovation platform is a collaboration with key partners including:
The Africa Oxford Health Innovation Platform (AfOx-HIP) is our flagship programme. It supports African innovators to develop solutions to Africa’s health challenges. Africa Oxford Health Innovation Platform (AfOx-HIP) helps ideas come to life as real solutions by upskilling African entrepreneurs and giving them the tools they need to address the Africa’s biggest healthcare challenges.
We work with African innovators who are developing solutions to prevent, diagnose and treat disease through innovation, creative problem solving, translational research, entrepreneurship, impact investment and venture acceleration. AfOx-HIP is open to work with any type of technology and in any discipline, including outside life sciences and engineering sciences. This includes vaccines, diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics and surgical devices.
Applications for the AfOx Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scheme 2026 are Now OPEN!
More details
To apply for this job please visit www.afox.ox.ac.uk.