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The AI4D Responsible AI Empowering People program is a major joint initiative by Canada International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) investing over CAD 100 million to support responsible AI development and deployment in the Global South.
The program funds research organizations in developing countries to generate knowledge shaping inclusive ethical and sustainable AI policies. Individual grants of up to CAD 1 million support projects studying socio-economic impacts of AI building local AI research capacity strengthening health systems through contextualized AI solutions and developing responsible AI frameworks.
Recent calls have focused on AI impacts in Africa awarding up to four grants per call. The related AI for Global Health (AI4GH) initiative provides CAD 22. 3 million over seven years specifically for AI health research.
IDRC also partnered with the International Science Council to explore AI impacts on science systems in the Global South. This is distinct from TWAS Seed Grants which target individual early-career African researchers and from Humanity AI which is a US-based philanthropic coalition.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Research organizations in developing countries particularly in Africa Asia and Latin America. Projects must address responsible AI development socio-economic impacts of AI or AI for health and development in the Global South. African research organizations have been prioritized in recent calls. New calls published on IDRC funding page. Subscribe to IDRC funding alerts for announcements. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows over CAD 100 million (approximately USD 73 million) total program investment from IDRC and UK FCDO. Individual research grants up to CAD 1 million (approximately USD 730,000) per project. The related AI for Global Health (AI4GH) initiative has a separate CAD 22.3 million budget over seven years. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
IDRC AI4D Responsible AI Empowering People Program for the Global South is funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
AI4D Responsible AI, Empowering People is the second multi-year phase of the AI for Development (AI4D) program jointly funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK FCDO. The program funds responsible AI research, AI public policy, AI talent and education, and the scaling of AI innovations addressing development challenges across Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Funding streams cover applied AI research, networks of African AI institutions, women in AI, AI for climate adaptation, and policy capacity. Rolling calls are issued through the IDRC funding portal and regional partners.
IDRC AI4D Responsible AI Empowering People Program for the Global South is sponsored by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The AI4D Responsible AI Empowering People program is a major joint initiative by Canada International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) investing over CAD 100 million to support responsible AI development and deploym…
The ITU AI for Good Innovation Factory is the leading United Nations-based startup pitching and acceleration platform helping AI startups grow and scale their solutions to address global challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The program features monthly regional pitching sessions highlighting startups across regions and sectors leading to the AI for Good Innovation Factory Grand Finale at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva Switzerland in July 2026. Four winners are selected for their innovative and scalable AI-powered solutions with the top startup receiving a $20,000 grand cash prize. The program provides global pitching opportunities funding connections to investors expert mentorship exclusive networking with UN agencies and industry leaders and media exposure. Regional events are held worldwide including in Turkey Africa and other regions to identify top startups. This competition is open to ventures leveraging AI machine learning and advanced algorithms to address real-world issues in areas such as healthcare climate sustainability education agriculture disaster response and digital inclusion. This is distinct from the Google.org AI for Social Good awards which provide larger grants to established organizations and from the Technovation AI Ventures Accelerator which focuses specifically on young women.
The UNICEF Venture Fund provides up to US$100,000 in equity-free seed funding to early-stage, for-profit technology startups in UNICEF programme countries (developing countries) that are developing solutions to improve the lives of children. The Fund focuses on frontier technologies including data science, machine learning, AI, and blockchain. Specific AI focus areas include using ML/AI techniques to understand the digital world and its dynamics, understanding relationships between variables that impact development indicators (learning, socio-economic, resilience, health), and applying optimization techniques to improve service delivery and resource allocation. The Fund runs multiple thematic open calls throughout the year including Data Science & AI, Climate & Health, FemTech, and Child Online Safety. Startups must be registered in a UNICEF programme country, have a viable working prototype, and commit to open-source licensing. Women-led startups, young founders, and founders from emerging markets are especially encouraged to apply. The UNICEF Venture Fund has invested in over 200 startups across more than 70 countries since 2016.
S. 3971 reauthorized SBIR/STTR through 2031 after the longest lapse in the program's history. Buried inside are a new $30M Strategic Breakthrough Award, per-company proposal caps arriving in FY2027, eight-watchlist foreign-risk screening, and bigger TABA budgets. Here is what each change means for who wins and who gets squeezed out.
Read articleThe May 29 OMB rewrite of 2 CFR Part 200 extends what has been a NASA-specific restriction since 2011 to every federal grant-making agency. Proposed §200.220 prohibits use of federal funds for collaboration with entities in or controlled by a 'covered foreign country' — currently the People's Republic of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. Proposed §200.202(e) requires senior political appointee written approval before any federal R&D award flows to a foreign entity. Together they reshape university international research operations more comprehensively than any policy change since the 2018 China Initiative. Comment deadline July 13.
Read articleS. 3971 — the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act — reauthorized SBIR and STTR through September 30, 2031 after a six-month lapse. The legislation adds Strategic Breakthrough Awards up to $30M with 100% matching, eight-watchlist foreign-affiliation screening, and FY 2027 per-company proposal caps. Companies that built their pipeline around volume submissions need a new strategy now.
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