African Observatory Bursaries to Support Emerging Researchers at the AI4D Africa Conference 2023

Call for applications - META has provided bursary funding to support the attendance of emerging researchers at the AI4D Conference (supported by the IDRC, Niyel and GIZ: Fair Forward), to be held in Kigali, June 12-14, 2023.

The African Observatory on Responsible Artificial Intelligence (African Observatory) is a project of Research ICT Africa (RIA), which is part of the Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) Africa funding programme supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

META has kindly provided funding to support the attendance of emerging researchers at the AI4D Conference (supported by IDRC, Niyel and GIZ: Fair Forward), to be held in Kigali, June 12-14. The bursary funding will serve as a means to assist in building professional profiles and includes travel for up to 8 awardees to attend the conference and to present their research at a session that will be attended by the AI4D community and leading researchers from around the African continent.

• Table of Content
• About African Observatory on Responsible Artificial Intelligence
• African Observatory Bursaries
• Aim and Benefits of African Observatory Bursaries
• Requirements for African Observatory Bursaries Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for African Observatory Bursaries
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About African Observatory on Responsible Artificial Intelligence

Established in 2022, the African Observatory on Responsible Artificial Intelligence (the African Observatory) has recognised the need to promote African voices, experiences and value systems in global debate around responsible AI. Scholars in the social sciences and humanities are emphasising that an ‘African’ view on AI and AI ethics is critical for ensuring that the development and adoption of these new technologies  supports, and is not harmful to, African societies and ways of living. The African Observatory takes a special focus on the foundational elements of inclusive a... continue reading

African Observatory Bursaries

Aim and Benefits of African Observatory Bursaries

META has provided bursary funding to support the attendance of emerging researchers at the AI4D Conference 

Requirements for African Observatory Bursaries Qualification

• This call is specifically for emerging researchers who do not yet have a PhD and are committed to working on AI ethics/human rights and policy/governance in African research.
• The African Observatory will also be looking to support the publication of the awardees' work and provide ongoing mentorship to all awardees. 
• At the conference, awardees will be invited to participate on a panel with the other awardees and to present a short paper based on their proposed area of research. Awardees will also be requested to provide a blog post to be added to the African Observatory Website reflecting their experience at the AI4D Conference.

Interview date, Process and Venue for African Observatory Bursaries

Applications will be reviewed by an independent and representative panel consisting of leading experts in AI ethics and policy from across Africa. 

The awardees will be contacted via email in early May on the outcome of their application, and an announcement of the awardees shall be made via a blog post on the African Observatory Website.

Documents Required for Application

1. Details of your professional experience to date (CV)
2. A brief motivation for attending the event (500 words)
3. An abstract of the work you intend to present (300 words)

Application Deadline

How to Apply

To apply, forward your application to [email protected] with the following documents listed above

For more details, visit African Observatory on Responsible Artificial Intelligence website