Diaspora-Powered Virtual Ecosystem for Supporting Senior Scientists and Institutions in Africa

Almaz Negash of the African Diaspora Network in the U.S. will build an AI-augmented collaboration hub that matches senior African scientists with experienced researchers and innovators in the African diaspora. The hub will include AI-assisted profiling of skills and needs, focusing on areas including pharmacogenetics, pharmaceutical manufacturing for preclinical and clinical trials, infectious disease control, and data science. The hub will host monthly masterclasses and peer-learning sessions, and it will support co-designed research, co-supervision of students, joint grant applications, and technology transfers. It will be launched with an inaugural cohort of Africa-based scientists, including the Calestous Juma Fellows as an existing network of science leaders already embedded in African universities and research centers.