Climate Innovation Lab 2026
Zoom
Women-In-WACREN (WiW) is hereby calling for applications from women in STEM across West and Central Africa for its Climate Innovation Lab 2026, a structured innovation programme that combines a virtual network of women in STEM, an intensive in-person Climate Innovation Lab, and a post-lab mentorship programme.
The programme aims to strengthen the capacity of women in STEM across West and Central Africa to collaboratively design and develop innovative digital solutions that address climate change adaptation and mitigation challenges within their communities and institutions.
Team Formation
Applicants may apply individually or as part of an existing team. Where appropriate, multidisciplinary teams comprising 3–5 participants can be formed to ensure complementary technical and domain expertise.
What a strong team combines
- Climate or domain knowledge Understanding of the climate, environmental, community or institutional problem being addressed.
- Technical capability The ability to build or prototype the proposed solution, drawing on software development, AI, data science, GIS, Earth observation, IoT or related technologies as needed.
- User and problem understanding The ability to understand affected users and stakeholders, investigate their needs, and make sure the solution addresses a real problem.
- Solution and product thinking The ability to turn a problem into a practical solution: prioritising features, testing assumptions, iterating.
- Adoption and sustainability thinking A sense of how the solution could be implemented, adopted, supported and sustained beyond the Lab
No team needs all of this on day one!
No single participant is expected to bring every capability, and a team doesn't need a dedicated person for each area. The goal is a complementary mix, enough domain, technical and user-facing capability to take a problem through:
Challenge → user need → solution → prototype → test → demonstration → roadmap
Facilitators and specialist mentors help teams fill capability gaps during the Lab and through the mentorship period that follows.
What we expect from teams
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Work collaboratively across disciplines.
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Stay focused on a clearly defined climate-related problem.
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Engage directly with the users or stakeholders their solution is for.
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Build and test a practical prototype or proof of concept.
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Take feedback well and iterate.
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Document their work and what they learn along the way.
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Present their solution with a realistic path for further development.
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Keep perfecting solutions through the post-Lab mentorship programme.
The team owns the problem and the solution. Facilitators guide the process; mentors bring in specialist expertise where it's needed
Selection Criteria
The programme welcomes applications from women across West and Central Africa who are passionate about climate action, innovation, and technology. Applicants should:
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Be female.
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Be affiliated with a university, research institution, innovation hub, government institution, private sector organisation, or STEM community.
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Demonstrate an interest in climate change, sustainability, STEM, innovation, or emerging digital technologies.
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Commit to actively participating in ALL WiW Network activities.
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Be willing to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
Applicants do not need to be software developers, and women from diverse disciplines are strongly encouraged to apply.
Application Deadline: September 15, 2026
Selection Notification: September 21, 2026
The selection process will ensure regional representation within WACREN and prioritise inclusivity.