Deadline: 5 August 2024
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) invites applications for the AI Hub for Sustainable Development Startup Acceleration Pilot to foster innovation and partnerships in data, compute, and talent pipelines—the three critical pillars underpinning local AI ecosystems in Africa.
The AI Hub for Sustainable Development is a new collaborative initiative for steering private sector collective action to accelerate sustainable development in local AI ecosystems. By focusing on three critical pillars – data pipelines, green computational power, and talent – the AI Hub seeks to support African countries in harnessing the transformative potential of AI and ensure that the AI revolution leaves no one behind. The AI Hub builds on and complements existing initiatives of the G7 and beyond, serving as a multistakeholder space for steering collective actions with the private sector to accelerate sustainable development, by working directly with local AI ecosystems across countries.
By focusing on these foundational elements, the pilot programme seeks to address the need for an integrated private sector approach to mitigate risks and unlock the transformative power of AI for sustainable development. It aims to support innovations that are locally based and put people and sustainability at the centre, ensuring that innovations benefit communities in countries where the innovations are designed.
As part of the programme, selected startups will have the opportunity to participate in an ecosystem-building event hosted by INNOVIT and the Italian G7 Presidency in San Francisco, California, USA on 12 – 14 November 2024. During the event, selected startups will have the chance to showcase their innovative solutions, attract potential investment, form strategic partnerships, and network with INNOVIT’s start-up network and Silicon Valley AI leaders.
The private sector – including the burgeoning AI/tech startup ecosystem and continental/global private sector companies – can play a critical role in closing the various gaps related to data, compute and talent.
- Green Compute: private sector responsible innovations and partnerships to increase access to and affordability of compute
- Talent: private sector innovations, particularly with universities and research institutes, to build talent networks, addressing skill gaps through work-integrated learning
- Data: private sector innovations to increase data quality and accessibility and create data public goods
Who can apply?
- Eligible applicants must:
- Be based in one of the nine pilot countries outlined in the Italy-Africa Mattei Plan: Algeria, Republic of the Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Côte D’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, or Tunisia.
- Develop or be aspiring to develop AI solutions that address one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on Education and Training, Energy, Health, Agriculture, Water, and Infrastructure (both physical and digital).
- Contribute to one of the three pillars of the AI Hub for Sustainable Development:
- Compute distribution and affordability.
- Talent development and orchestration.
- Data quality, accessibility, and digitization.
- Demonstrate a commitment to responsible and sustainable AI development and deployment practices.
- Demonstrate professional-level proficiency in English. English is a requirement for at least one member of your team (who will also be expected to participate in the in-person activities of the programme).
For more information, visit UNDP.
