Petra Resources and TRIBE jointly launched an initiative to inspire increased scientific interest and innovation in the environmental and natural resource sectors.
The initiative is an environmental research and startup challenge to spark an increased interest of young people to research and explore new dimensions of Liberia’s environment or natural resources and re/discover new solutions that address some of our urgent environmental problems.
The initiative will provide further sectorial exposure, training, mentorship, and non-equity capital to support young environmental student researchers, aspiring scientists and emerging entrepreneurs building ventures and projects for Liberia’s environmental ecosystem.
The Petra Environmental Research & Startup Challenge is organized under Petra Resource’s Pay It Forward Initiative, designed to promote and champion a new generation of thinkers in Liberia’s environmental and natural resources sectors.
Hosted from June 28 to August 12, 2022, the company is investing in establishing an enabling space to foster further interest in a sector in dire need of cutting edge thinking, driven by data, evidence and pragmatism.
Liberia’s environmental and natural resource ecosystem faces severe headwinds, ranging from increased demand for natural resources, competition for land and resources, climate change to increased urbanization and industrialization.
The need to sustainably manage natural resources and the environment, while generating revenue, delivering services and building a thriving economy requires everyone’s best effort. This initiative enables a new generation of thinkers and innovators to dive into scientific explorations and innovative solutions, actively advancing involvement in responding to our country’s challenges.
During the phases leading up to selecting a winner, proposals will be evaluated through scientific and business assessments to ascertain their problem analysis and validate their proposed solution. Participants are expected to provide more insight into their research interests, innovation/businesses and work with various mentors and trainers to ensure they have the clarity and resources to confidently pitch their proposed research, innovation and businesses.
Monique Cooper-Liverpool, Managing Director of Petra Resources said, “For us, this initiative is a gratitude offering and a civic duty. At Petra, we feel privileged to support our clients while building a responsible business and believe it is important to have others who will be equally committed to addressing problems bigger than ourselves for years to come.”
The application and recruitment process will happen in two phases: initial application and a technical and business assessment. Interested student researchers, scientists and entrepreneurs below 35-year-old will apply using a brief form and the submission of a 90-second video. The top 15 application submissions will be selected for phase two.
The top 10 in the phase two review process will be selected to participate in the training, mentorship and validation exercises. The top five from the validation process will be selected to participate in the pitching event on the evening of August 12, 2022.
Remarking on the importance of the partnership and startup challenge, TRIBE’s CEO, Wainright Acquoi, stated their excitement to collaborate with Petra Resources. “At the core of our work is ensuring we collaborate with institutions that are intentional about creating change and redefining social impact. We believe evidence-based ideas and entrepreneurship are crucial to scaling solutions for humankind, and we hope young scientists and entrepreneurs can take advantage of the opportunity to create and share their ideas and innovation with larger and more relevant audiences.”
The winner of the challenge will receive US$850 in a non-equity and non-repayable grant. A US $150-Student Innovation Prize will also be given for a participating student with the most innovative and evidence-based proposal.
All semi-finalists will go on five-day training, two-hour mentorship session with a scientist or environmental entrepreneur and will receive marketing support from the organizers.
