Innovation Council

The AVMI coordinates the efforts of African vaccine manufacturers and other interested parties who have a vision to see Africa produce its own vaccines and biologicals for both routine and emergency situations. Working with governments, regional bodies, NGOs, the private sector, academic institutions, and relevant key opinion leaders, AVMI aims to create, through partnerships, an environment on the African continent, which is conducive to the emergence, development, and sustainability of vaccine and biological manufacturers that meet global quality standards.

Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in materials science, with a 169-year track record of life-changing inventions. Corning applies its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramics science, and optical physics, along with its deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities, to develop category-defining products that transform industries and enhance people’s lives.

In 1927, the Colombian coffee growers joined together to create the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia, an organization that would represent them nationally and internationally, work for their well-being, and improve their quality of life. The FNC guarantees coffee producers the permanent purchase of their coffee at the best base market price and promotes the consumption of Colombian coffee worldwide.

Ericsson is one of the leading providers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to service providers. We enable the full value of connectivity by creating game-changing technology and services that are easy to use, adopt, and scale, making our customers successful in a fully connected world. Ericsson is a leading innovator in telecommunications and has a strong commitment to R&D, with substantial contributions to various standards.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center is working around the world to champion innovation and creativity through intellectual property standards that create jobs, save lives, advance global economic and cultural prosperity, and generate breakthrough solutions to global challenges.

Established in 1905 as a modest medical school with 23 students, NUS is today widely known for its innovative and rigorous education, research, and entrepreneurship, which has nurtured generations of leaders and luminaries across industries, professions, and sectors in Singapore and beyond.

Biovac is a bio-pharmaceutical company based in Cape Town that is the result of a partnership formed with the South African government in 2003 to establish local vaccine manufacturing capability for the provision of vaccines for national health management and security. Biovac aims to ensure that the country has the required domestic capacity to respond to both local and regional vaccine needs.

Novartis is a global healthcare company based in Switzerland that provides solutions to address the evolving needs of patients worldwide.

Founded in Denmark in 1923 based on the invention of insulin, Novo Nordisk A/S is a global healthcare company with almost 100 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs more than 43,000 people in 80 countries and markets its products in 170 countries. Our treatments today are benefiting millions of people living with diabetes, obesity, and rare blood and endocrine diseases. From our labs to our factory floors, we are discovering and developing innovative biological medicines and making them accessible to patients throughout the world.

Qualcomm is the world’s leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly.

IFPMA represents the research-based pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe. The research-based pharmaceutical industry’s 2 million employees research, develop and provide medicines and vaccines that improve the life of patients worldwide. Based in Geneva, IFPMA has official relations with the United Nations and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community find solutions that improve global health.

Sawubona Mycelium is a South African based biotechnology company running a fermentation platform using traditional and precision fermentation for the production of biomolecules that are used to add value to foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products.

Shiok Meats is a cell-based clean meat company, the first of its kind in Singapore and South-East Asia. Our mission is to bring delicious, clean, and healthy seafood and meats by harvesting from cells instead of animals. Shiok Meats will bring cell-based crustacean meats (shrimp, crab, lobster) to your table. Our meats are animal-, health- and environment-friendly with the same taste, texture, more nutrients, and no cruelty.

TIA is a national public entity that serves as the key institutional intervention to bridge the innovation chasm between research and development from higher education institutions, science councils, public entities, and private sector, and commercialisation.

Fontis Skinfood is a premium high performance botanical skinfood brand.

Vanrell Intellectual Property is an IP boutique law firm located in Uruguay, with offices in Montevideo and Parque de las Ciencias (Canelones), rendering services in Uruguay and the rest of the Americas, particularly the Caribbean Islands.

MMV is a leading product development partnership (PDP) in antimalarial drug research and is in its 20th year. Its mission is to reduce the burden of malaria in disease-endemic countries by discovering, developing and delivering new, effective, and affordable antimalarial drugs.

BioLabs is a membership-based network of shared lab and office facilities located in key biotech innovation clusters. BioLabs are the premier co-working spaces for life science startups — unique places where entrepreneurs can test, develop and grow their game-changing ideas. Their goal is to change how scientific entrepreneurs do business by building an ecosystem that empowers bioinnovators to grow quickly, while maximizing capital efficiency.

Villgro Africa is pioneering social entrepreneurship and impact investment in innovative enterprises in Africa. The Villgro Africa team has over 30 years’ experience in R&D/academia and entrepreneurship in the region that is relevant to healthcare and life sciences technology commercialization.

Cultiv is a collective of interdependent companies working on a diverse set of activities related to innovation. The members of Cultiv include Innoventures, Ideaspace and GIE, among others, which have been operating in this field since 2011. The vision of this collective is based on cultivating people, ideas, knowledge and culture through innovation, and its goal is to empower innovators, entrepreneurs, technologists and designers in Egypt and the region. Cultiv achieves this through the combined offering of its members, which include investing in startups, capacity building, creating and running innovation spaces, and running nationwide and regional competitions and educational and networking programs.

Techinvention’s mission is to bring health equity to all – a challenge that is bigger than the sum of all its parts. They focus their expertise on tackling a specific problem – making essential vaccines and biopharmaceuticals acceptable, affordable, and accessible in the developing world.

NABDA was established under the aegis of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Science and Technology to implement the policy that is aimed at promoting, coordinating, and setting research and development priority in biotechnology for Nigeria. Based on this premise, the programmes of the agency are structured in line with international standards, bearing in mind the development of local technological content.

Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. Founded in 2006, Techstars began with three simple ideas—entrepreneurs create the future, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Today our mission is to make innovation accessible to everyone, everywhere. We do this by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to create a more sustainable and inclusive world – globally and with specific focus on Berlin, Germany. Since 2006, Techstars has invested in more than 2,200 companies and today has a market cap of $27 Billion.

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character.  Ethisphere also helps to advance business performance through data-driven assessments, benchmarking and guidance for topics including intellectual property management.

Start-Up Africa is a media communications and business development consultancy telling the stories of, and supporting Africa’s ‘missing middle’ entrepreneurs. Through an established network of organisations, institutions and eco-systems, Start-Up Africa leverages relationships to help these entrepreneurs overcome some of the challenging business pain-points they face, expand their network and facilitate end-to-end investment.

Ada Labs is based of a dynamic fusion model that allows the company to take up start-ups and scale while generating commercial value through services provided, partnerships and the incubations.

Renewables in Africa is a Clean Energy Engineering Consultancy providing services in Renewable energy and Energy Management to project developers and investors. RiA is primarily focusing in projects in Africa, but will also advice clients for projects in other emerging markets. RiA is also a Media platform which vision is to transform Africa and African Lives by leveraging the Power of Renewable Energy.

Wetility harnesses the sun’s power with purpose, introducing the world to a hybrid solution that works seamlessly and in tandem with current power options.

Medixus believes that quality patient care relies on smooth communication between healthcare professionals, and access to resources that will further their development. The founder Nicole Kayode created a communication, collaboration and learning platform for doctors aimed at improving case management and clinical practice.

Merck LS is a vibrant science and technology company. In Healthcare, Merck LS discovers unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and cancer. Their Life Science experts empower scientists by developing tools and solutions that help deliver breakthroughs more quickly. And in Electronics, they develop science that sits inside technologies and changes the way the world accesses, stores, processes, and display s information.

Mexican Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation’s (MISTI) focus is on the biotechnology sector in its initial phase, specifically structural biology and chemistry, mass spectroscopy and integrated computer models for intelligent drug design and the production of deeply innovative medicine. 

AVA is a Mexican leading firm with desk offices in Madrid, Washington DC and Havana, being one of the first firms to obtain authorization from the Cuban Government to represent clients in Cuba or Cuban companies in Mexico and abroad.

Bobab is an event streaming and networking platform where Africa-focused science, tech and business professionals can come together to learn, self-promote and build new connections.

AfriqInnov8 is a strategic consulting firm with a primary focus on International Trade facilitation and the commercialization of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). AfriqInnov8 works with governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) institutions, to develop capacity-building programs to empower entrepreneurs, techno-preneurs and SMMEs and to enable them to develop the skills to participate more effectively in the economy.

Kinnos pioneers color technology that revolutionizes how we use disinfectants. The company’s flagship product, Highlight, is a patented and award-winning color additive platform that improves disinfection technique and compliance. Highlight’s real-time color visualization has been reported in independent studies and whitepapers to consistently increase thoroughness of cleaning. Recognized by Harvard Innovations Lab, Forbes, Newsweek, USAID, the USPTO Humanity Award, the WHO and more, Highlight is used internationally by hospitals, first responders, and transit agencies. Kinnos is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY.

Hookpod Ltd; A Commercial Organisation, Driven by Conservation

Hookpod Ltd. is a UK private company which has been established by a small group of shareholders with the aim of eliminating seabird bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries.

Whilst we are a commercial operation, our philosophy is driven by conservation objectives. A proportion of any profits will be passed back into seabird conservation projects, and as take up and production are scaled up, this will be reflected in value for money for fishers and end users. With a small but expert Board of six Directors including the inventors of the Hookpod, our mission is to see a world without seabird bycatch.

Afya Rekod is a digital health data platform focusing on patients, allowing health facilities to capture, store, have real time access of the patients health data. Their mission is to promote access to healthcare services and rural areas. To achieve this mission, the company’s strategy is underpinned by partnerships and alliances in the health ecosystem. Afya Rekod also aim to promote ownership of health records for patients. Patients’ records can be accessed securely from anywhere. The platform creates an immutable and portable blockchain-based digital identity for each user.

All-Weather Roads Engineering (AWRE) is a South African born company based at The Innovation Hub in Pretoria. The company’s focus is on the manufacturing and supplying of AWRE Resilient Asphalt and construction of resilient roads (worldwide), that are climate proof.

A voluntary public health driven alliance of biopharmaceutical manufacturers from emerging economy countries with a common vision and mission. To achieve its mission, the Network aspires to become a recognized global platform for public private collaborations between emerging biopharmaceutical manufacturers in LMICs and WHO, regulatory agencies, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, biotech and service providers.

As a global advocate for the plant science industry, CropLife International champions innovative technologies that enable farmers to sustainably increase productivity while managing the critical challenges facing our climate and the environment.

The Colour Accounting Learning System, published by Wealthvox, is a new way of explaining how accounting and business finance work. The visual and plain-language methodology is used worldwide by schools, universities, and corporate trainers.