Call for Applications: AI4D Innovation Scaling Challenge – Supporting Responsible AI Solutions in Africa

The Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) programme, a flagship initiative powered by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is now inviting eligible innovators to apply for the AI4D Innovation Scaling Challenge. This thrilling alternative is designed to assist AI options which have already been deployed below real-life circumstances and at the moment are able to scale for larger social affect.

What Is AI4D?

Launched as AI4D Africa in 2020, the programme started with a deal with strengthening accountable AI ecosystems all through the African continent. The first part delivered impactful outcomes, together with assist for coverage hubs, multidisciplinary analysis labs, and progressive, locally-driven AI purposes. In 2024, AI4D entered its second part with a broadened geographical scope encompassing each Africa and Asia, and extra assist from Swedish SIDA.

Now working below the worldwide AI4D umbrella, the programme fosters protected, inclusive, rights-based, and sustainable AI ecosystems that empower folks and advance options for urgent world growth challenges.

Why the Innovation Scaling Challenge?

Responsible AI has the facility to remodel sectors vital to Africa’s growth—from schooling and agriculture to local weather resilience and gender fairness. However, the transition from promising improvements to scalable options stays a significant hurdle.

The AI4D Innovation Scaling Challenge, managed in collaboration with the Lab for Ethics, Policy and Scaling of AI (LEPSAI) on the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), seeks to bridge this hole. It helps AI innovators whose options are past the proof-of-concept part and actively used in real-world eventualities, with a transparent path towards scaling.

Priority Areas of Focus

Selected AI improvements should goal key growth challenges, significantly in the next domains:

• Climate change mitigation and adaptation

• Agriculture and meals safety

• Education and ability growth

• Reducing inequality (particularly gender fairness, disabilities, and inclusion of susceptible communities)

Eligibility Criteria

Applications are open to the next:

• Individual researchers and AI innovators

• AI startups and small to medium enterprises (MSMEs/SMEs)

• Research establishments and universities engaged in AI R&D

• Consortia of a number of stakeholders engaged on collaborative AI options

Note: Ideation-only ideas should not eligible. Innovations have to be energetic, examined, and deployed below real-life circumstances.

What You’ll Gain

Selected contributors will obtain:

• Guided technical assist from LEPSAI for accountable and scalable implementation

• Collaboration alternatives with regional and world AI consultants

• Inclusion in case research and data sharing outputs

• Support in growing use instances and frameworks for accountable AI at scale

This initiative in the end contributes to AI4D’s core objectives:

1. Scaling Innovation – Helping AI purposes develop their affect throughout areas and sectors.

2. Shaping Policy – Establishing inclusive and moral AI governance programs that promote sustainability and human rights.

Submission Guidelines

Interested candidates should submit their proposals through Submittable utilizing the designated template. The application should embody:

• Applicant Profile – Background, credentials, and related expertise.

• Project Concept Note – Description of the innovation, challenges addressed, aims, implementation technique, and meant outcomes.

• Initial Responsible AI Assessment – A self-administered instrument to mirror on the innovation’s scalability and moral dimensions.

Timeline and Deadline

Deadline to Apply: Not specified – apply as quickly as attainable
Apply right here: Submit your application

About AI4D – A Global Vision for Responsible AI

AI4D is grounded in the assumption that accountable AI can and needs to be globally inclusive. Its multi-phase journey contains milestones like:

• The launch of AI4COVID, tackling pandemic challenges with AI.

• Formation of the Feminist AI Network, addressing knowledge bias and gender inclusion.

• Development of the Global Index on Responsible AI (GIRAI).

• Expansion into the Indo-Pacific area, bolstering digital infrastructure and analysis capabilities.

AI4D operates throughout 4 pillars—Policy & Governance, Skills & Data, Innovation, and Scaling—and 5 cross-cutting priorities together with gender inclusion, southern management, and world partnerships.

For extra alternatives, go to opportunitiesforyouth.org.