<div dir="ltr"><div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="templateContainer" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:0px;max-width:600px;width:600px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" id="m_-4430019493674327922templatePreheader" style="background-image:none;background-position:center center;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-top:0px;border-bottom:0px;padding-top:9px;padding-bottom:9px"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;min-width:100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding-top:9px"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse:collapse;max-width:100%;min-width:100%;float:left"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" class="mcnTextContent" style="word-break:break-word;color:rgb(101,101,101);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:18px;padding:0px 18px 9px"><div style="text-align:center"><em>Join 20,000 of your peers who read this email. <a href="https://us.list-manage.com/K1n1Ge_6s6s?e=630e1981c3&c2id=bf178f7fbe15822216bb01df546e0f30" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(101,101,101)">Please subscribe now</a> to get ICT4D updates.</em></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" id="m_-4430019493674327922templateHeader" style="background-image:none;background-position:center center;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-top:0px;border-bottom:0px;padding-top:9px;padding-bottom:0px"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;min-width:100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding:0px"><table align="left" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;min-width:100%;float:left"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding:0px;text-align:center"><img align="center" alt="" src="https://mcusercontent.com/84e9f392a668e74df589375c7/images/17b17bf8-8ff7-3d1c-4826-bade7264c246.png" width="600" class="mcnImage gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: 0px; height: auto; vertical-align: bottom; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0px; display: inline;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" id="m_-4430019493674327922templateBody" style="background-image:none;background-position:center center;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;border-top:0px;border-bottom:2px solid rgb(234,234,234);padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:9px"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;min-width:100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding-top:9px"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse:collapse;max-width:100%;min-width:100%;float:left"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" class="mcnTextContent" style="word-break:break-word;color:rgb(32,32,32);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:16px;line-height:24px;padding:0px 18px 9px"><h1 style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:26px;line-height:32.5px"><a href="https://us.list-manage.com/2cj19yhMb_s?e=630e1981c3&c2id=bf178f7fbe15822216bb01df546e0f30" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(34,139,34);font-weight:normal">Apply Now: $12 Million for Digital Technology Research in Africa</a></h1><span style="font-size:12px"><em>By Wayan Vota on August 3, 2026</em></span><p style="margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:24px"></p><p style="margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:24px"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.ictworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/africa-data-grant-funding.png?resize=640%2C386&ssl=1" alt="Political Economy of African Artificial Intelligence" width="640" border="0" class="gmail-CToWUd gmail-a6T" tabindex="0" style="cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 564px; padding-bottom: 0px; display: inline; vertical-align: bottom;"></p><p style="margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:24px">Africa is home to <a href="https://us.list-manage.com/r1zkSRi2VTs?e=630e1981c3&c2id=bf178f7fbe15822216bb01df546e0f30" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(34,139,34)">18% of the world’s people but holds less than 1% of global data centre capacity</a>, and only <a href="https://us.list-manage.com/TUThiqAEX9Z?e=630e1981c3&c2id=bf178f7fbe15822216bb01df546e0f30" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(34,139,34)">about 40% of its population is online</a>. That gap in compute, connectivity, and digital skills is what a new pan-African research call wants to close.</p><h2 style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:22px;line-height:27.5px">$12 Million in Research Funding</h2><p style="margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:24px">The <a href="https://us.list-manage.com/eOgzil3LD8i?e=630e1981c3&c2id=bf178f7fbe15822216bb01df546e0f30" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(34,139,34)">Science Granting Councils Initiative</a> (SGCI), a platform of 20 national science funding councils across sub-Saharan Africa, has opened a call for Expressions of Interest to support the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034 (STISA-2034).</p><p style="margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:24px">One of five thematic streams targets Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies, framed around a more integrated and connected continent. It funds two research avenues:</p><ul><li style="margin-left:15px"><b>Applications:</b> AI tools that address priority sectors like agriculture, health, environment, and education, plus scaling proven AI innovations and strengthening the use of AI in scientific research.</li><li style="margin-left:15px"><b>Learning and entrepreneurship:</b> STEM and AI skills programs for African youth, women, and researchers, and support for digital and AI-enabled startups.</li></ul><p style="margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:24px">Proposals are expected to build on existing continental efforts, including the African Union’s Continental AI Strategy and work by AUDA-NEPAD.</p><p style="margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:24px">Each consortium needs at least three institutions from three different SGCI countries eligible under the AI stream, a group that includes Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, and Tanzania. Public and private universities, research organizations, and government research bodies can lead or co-apply. Each member can request between CA$50,000 and CA$300,000, and projects run up to 36 months.</p><p style="margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:24px;text-align:center"><strong><a href="https://us.list-manage.com/I1dGaCGXbIF?e=630e1981c3&c2id=bf178f7fbe15822216bb01df546e0f30" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(34,139,34);font-weight:normal">Apply Now</a>! Deadline: September 25, 2026</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div>Glenn McKnight, MA </div><div>Virtual School of Internet Governance </div>Chief Information Officer<div><a href="http://www.virtualsig.org" target="_blank">www.virtualsig.org</a> </div><div><b>YOUR SOURCE FOR INTERNET GOVERNANCE EDUCATION </b></div><div><b>Mobile  437-237-4655</b></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div>