Ideas must be new, innovative and respond to any of the priority areas identified above.

Ideas can be from individuals (young people) representing social enterprises and not-for-profit organizations including academic and research institutions.

Be based in a UNFPA programme country in West and Central Africa, East and Southern Africa, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia and/or  FGM endemic countries.

Innovators must be 35 years or younger (African Union definition for youth). Women and girls are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Innovation teams cannot be represented by more than 3 members. We expect the represented team members will transfer knowledge to other team members.  

Innovation teams must demonstrate an agile growth and learning mindset, including a willingness to pivot and adapt. Refer to the UN principles for innovation 

Teams must be able to commit to at least 6 months to the incubation stage, facilitated by a partner identified by the UNFPA and partners

Teams must be willing to adjust their solution with other innovators if advised by the business advisory partners 

Willing to showcase your business through communication platforms to be determined by UNFPA

Please read and accept the Terms and Conditions to continue.

1. The HackLab is organized by  United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) ESARO, with support from the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programne on FGM and the Spotlight

   Initiative Africa Regional Program (SIARP), the “Organizers” and each, an “Organizer”). By submitting your EOI and/or RFP for participation in the HackLab, you accept the present terms and conditions on behalf of your Company/startup.

2. The applicant hereby warrants that all information submitted is true, complete, and up-to-date and that you are authorized to participate in the Challenge on behalf of your Company. The Organizers reserve the right to verify your eligibility for participation in the HackLab, as well as the accuracy of your submitted information. You confirm that none of your relatives (up to the third degree) are employed by the Organizers.

3. All applicants will retain all intellectual property rights in the content of their submissions. However, the subject of intellectual property and other proprietary rights with respect to an awardee Company’s participation in the HackLab will be addressed as provided for in the contract.
   

4. The Organizers reserve the right to disqualify you if they reasonably consider that the information you have provided and/or your submissions do not comply with the terms, instructions, and guidelines provided in the Challenge website, the HackLab Call, as well as the present terms and conditions. By way of example, submissions which are not in English or which the Organizers consider to be off topic, advertisements for unrelated projects, or otherwise not in accordance with the nature of the HackLab or the mission of the Organizers are subject to disqualification.

5. If your submission is among those that are selected as an awardee by the selection committee, your Company will be eligible to receive seed funding through the regional incubation partner of up to USD 30,000 for the purpose of positioning to scale your solution. Notwithstanding the terms of the contract, you will be required to provide updates on the progress of your implementation of your proposal, as per the project design plan that will be agreed between the Organizers and you, over the course of the year and up to three years. You understand and agree that the Organizers may create content based on your updates, such as success stories, blog posts, photos, or social media posts which may be published on the Organizers’ websites, the HackLab website, as well as other communication channels and made available to the public, at the Organizers’ discretion.

6. You are not allowed to use the Organizers’ emblems or the logos of any of their events in any online or offline communication, without the prior written permission of the respective Organizer.

7. All submissions must not:

1. Violate the intellectual property rights of third parties;

2. Be illegal under applicable national laws and international law;

3. Depict or incite hatred, defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten a specific person or social group, incite violence or conflict or otherwise violate the legal rights of third parties (including those of privacy and publicity); or

4. Violate the terms of use of any social media service, website, mobile application, or any other platform used in connection with your submission.

1. The Company or any of its individual members must not:

   1. Appear on the United Nations Security Council Consolidated List nor on the United Nations Global Marketplace Ineligible Vendor List;

   2. Be complicit in human rights abuses, use or toleration of forced or compulsory labor and/or child labor;

   3. Be involved in the manufacture, sale, or distribution of anti-personnel mines, cluster bombs, biological or chemical or nuclear weapons and armaments;

   4. Be involved in the manufacture, sale, or distribution of tobacco and alcohol products;

   5. Be involved in the manufacture of infant formula whose marketing practices violate the International Code for the Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes;

   6. Be involved in gambling, pornography, exploitative and/or corrupt practice, including sexual exploitation and abuse;

   7. Violate United Nations Sanctions; or

   8. Severely violate the environment.

2. You agree to release and hold harmless the Organizers from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability arising out of or relating to your (and your Company’s) participation in the HackLab and the content of your submissions.

3. You acknowledge and agree that your participation in the HackLab is free of charge but does not entail any right to compensation of any kind or reimbursement of any expenses incurred from such participation.

4. The Organizers are not responsible for any lost, late, corrupted, mutilated, or misdirected submissions. 

5. You acknowledge and agree that the Organizers are entitled to modify the content of the HackLab website and/or the present terms and conditions and to abbreviate, modify, suspend, cancel, or terminate the HackLab (partially or in its entirety) without any obligation (present or future), by notifying you via an announcement at the HackLab website [link].

6. The Organizers reserve the right to make all final decisions regarding the HackLab. Nothing herein shall be considered to be a limitation or a waiver of the privileges and immunities of the Organizers, which are specifically reserved