Climate-tech and Ecosystem lab is the first of its kind by the US State Department’s Office of Global Partnerships and Arm
Academic City University College and the US State Department’s Office of Global Partnership, in collaboration with Arm, have officially announced the creation of the inaugural ACity Sustainability Lab on the university’s campus.
This initiative is part of the Connecting Climate Entrepreneurs (CCE) program and aims to address the pressing issue of climate change, by incubating and accelerating innovators and entrepreneurs with local solutions and providing climate-tech tools and resources to stakeholders within the region.
By providing support to entrepreneurs who focus on combating the effects of climate change, the Lab will also convene Arm based technology tools and resources that will provide students and faculty with world class capabilities in the field.
The CCE-ACity Sustainability Lab, which is the first of its kind in Africa, will serve as a hub for research, teaching, and innovation at the intersection of climate change and entrepreneurship. The Lab will bring together experts from across the university and the private sector to speed up the development of sustainable technologies and business models and train the next generation of leaders in this important field.
Some of the innovative programs to be run within the Lab include:
- A Climate Entrepreneurship Incubator, which will provide funding, mentoring, and resources to students and researchers working on projects related to climate change and entrepreneurship.
- A Climate Entrepreneurship Curriculum, which will offer courses and workshops for students from across the university to learn about the latest trends and best practices in this field.
- A Climate Entrepreneurship Research Program, which will conduct cutting-edge research on the intersection of climate change and entrepreneurship, with a focus on identifying opportunities for innovation and economic growth.
The Lab will also hold lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and ecosystem networking events that convene local and international climate stakeholders. These convenings will showcase the leading climate-tech solutions in the region and allow experts from academia, business, and government to share their knowledge and ideas.
Prof. Fred McBagonluri, President of Academic City, remarked, “We are excited to launch CCE-ACity Sustainability Lab, which will serve as a catalyst for innovation and progress in addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our time.”
“We look forward to working with our partners in the private sector, government, and other universities to advance the development of sustainable technologies and business models and to educate the next generation of leaders in this critical field,” he further stated.
Dorothy McAuliffe, Special Representative for Global Partnership at the US Department of State speaking at the event remarked “As the U.S. Department of State’s Special Representative for Global Partnerships, I lead an office that builds partnerships around the world – providing private sector organizations, including academic institutions like Academic City, the opportunity to channel their power and resources to address our shared global challenges.”
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for CCE. Together with our partner, Arm, we will cut the ribbon this morning to officially inaugurate the first CCE Lab within your MakeLab facility in Academic City. This CCE Lab will be a place where students, developers, and startups can collaborate with industry professionals to create sustainable technology and climate-related businesses that will power the future of the continent and the world,” she said.
She added, “We must all work together to combat the climate crisis and reimagine how business is conducted in the twenty-first century.”
“The launch of the Lab also coincided with the launch of an additional Hardware Lab on the ACity campus, in partnership with Arm. The Arm (E³)NGAGE-ACity Ecosystem Lab is equipped to support embedded engineers, hardware startups and developers within the ACity community to adopt and gain access to Arm-based technologies. The ACity Ecosystem Lab will provide free tools, training, and knowledgebases to ACity students and faculty and support further partnerships with interested technology partners within the Arm ecosystem.
Prof. Fred McBagonluri, President of Academic City, stated, “We are ecstatic to formalize and expand our relationship with Arm, a market leader in semiconductor and software design. This relationship supports Academic City’s mission to create an atmosphere that inspires and fosters students who are passionate about using technology to revolutionize Africa and the world.”
Stephen Ozoigbo, Senior Director, Emerging Economies at Arm, commented, ” The Arm Labs on ACity’s campus will provide education and training programs, innovation showcases and ecosystem partnership opportunities for students, faculty, and startups on campus. Our goal for the CCE Lab is to provide access to Arm-based tools and resources for innovators and entrepreneurs to develop locally relevant climate-tech solutions.”
