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Ethiopia Artificial Intelligence (EthiopiAI) Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
This programme seeks to support the accelerated and responsible rollout of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the UK’s development and growth objectives in Ethiopia. It will deliver this through a specialist AI facility providing technical assistance to public sector and agency actors, operational support on use of appropriate AI models and build local skills and capacities for utilising AI for good. The goal is to leverage AI to improve delivery across the UK’s country business plan in areas such as healthcare, education and government administration.
Frontier Technologies– Testing New Solutions for Global Development and Diplomacy
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
This programme supports innovation and experimentation with frontier technologies to improve the welfare and livelihoods of people in developing countries. It enables FCDO staff and partners to test new technology solutions to development challenges, strengthen adoption of effective innovations, and build local capacity. Activities include piloting new ideas, supporting integration of technologies into aid programmes, and researching emerging tech trends. The programme aligns with ODA objectives by promoting inclusive, sustainable development and aims to benefit 8 million people living in poverty, while leveraging co-funding to scale successful innovations.
AI for Development Science Breakthroughs
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
This inception programme will run three to five collaborative projects to test how far AI can accelerate breakthroughs on priority global challenges, such as weather prediction for climate adaptation and early warning, drug discovery and bioengineering resilient crops, through providing expertise, partnerships and small, targeted catalytic funding to grow the evidence base. The programme will leverage FCDO’s convening power and thought leadership to crowd in more investment and ensure those pushing the scientific frontier on global development challenges can benefit from and further the evidence on cutting edge AI approaches.
I2I - Ideas to Impact - Testing new technologies and innovative approaches to address development challenges.
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
I2I stimulates technological innovations addressing intractable development challenges, initially in the focal areas of energy, water and climate, and then increasingly in emerging “frontier” technologies with broader applicability. It tests different funding mechanisms and approaches - including prizes, peer-to-peer financing, Frontier Technology Livestreaming, and innovative cross-government partnerships - for ensuring technology ideas lead to a real-world development impact.
Disaster Risk Insurance
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To improve the resilience of the private sector in poor countries to natural disasters by improving access to insurance products. By supporting the development of a market for private sector disaster risk insurance in developing countries, the project will sustainably help strengthen resilience, mitigate the effects of climate change and supporting economic development through private sector growth.
Unlocking Digital Impact for Development.
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
This programme will help to deliver the strategic goals of DFID’s Digital Strategy, which aims to harness digital technology to deliver on the SDGs. The programme budget is £18.5 million between 2019-20 to 2023-24. Delivery will primarily be through the Digital Impact Alliance, housed within the UN Foundation. There is a separate pillar to finance complementary policy research and advice activities with other partners, including Digital Pathways at Oxford, as well as a learning and evaluation pillar. The programme will identify, trial and institutionalise good practice and common standards for digital development work. It will deliver sustainable and reusable digital products which create new or improved services; replicable business and partnership models to increase the use of digital products and data; data-driven policy-making tools and products to inform and advance transformation; and training offerings and skills-building tools to improve investments in digital technologies.
The Evidence Fund - 300708
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The Evidence Fund procures and manages research and evaluations that primarily benefit ODA eligible countries. Most research and evaluations paid for by the Evidence Fund are country-specific, and all respond to requests for evidence to inform programme or policy decisions. Primarily serving research requests from HMG’s Embassies and High Commissions in ODA eligible countries, and from HMG policy and strategy teams, the Evidence Fund strengthens the evidence behind the UK’s priority international development investments and development diplomacy. The Evidence Fund also invests modest amounts of non-ODA, to strengthen the evidence behind wider UK foreign policy.
Partnerships for Development
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
Partnerships for Development (formerly known as GREAT for Partnership) will multiply the UK’s development impact by boosting partnerships between UK’s institutions and their counterparts in the developing world. It will leverage the skills and expertise from a range of UK institutions and supply them initially to DFID partner countries, based on tailored demand. It will initially prioritise the Extractives, Financial Accountability and Anti-Corruption sectors.
The Evidence Fund Phase II
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The Evidence Fund procures and manages research and evaluations that primarily benefit ODA eligible countries. Most research and evaluations paid for by the Evidence Fund are country-specific, and all respond to requests for evidence to inform programme or policy decisions. Primarily serving research requests from HMG’s Embassies and High Commissions in ODA eligible countries, and from HMG policy and strategy teams, the Evidence Fund strengthens the evidence behind the UK’s priority international development investments and development diplomacy. The Evidence Fund also invests modest amounts of non-ODA, to strengthen the evidence behind wider UK foreign policy.
AI for Development: Responsible AI, Empowering People (‘AI4D’)
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The programme will strengthen African AI ecosystems to develop and apply AI responsibly with investments across: • AI policy and governance research – supporting Africa-based institutes to research the risks and governance challenges to inform national AI policies and regulation; • AI talent and skills – including interdisciplinary post-graduate AI research hubs at African universities; • Machine-learning ready datasets – improving access to datasets for AI models and applications; • AI innovation – supporting networks of African innovators to develop high-impact AI solutions to development challenges, exploring the untapped potential of Generative AI to create leapfrogging opportunities for Africa. • Scaling AI impact – catalysing financing to take the most promising innovations to scale. All of the above activities will have a strong focus on responsible AI and on gender and inclusion.
AT2030 Life-changing Access to Assistive Technologies
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
Over 1bn people live with moderate to severe functioning difficulties. 80% live in developing countries and 90% do not have access to the assistive technology, or 'AT', that they need. AT includes for example, wheelchairs, hearing-aids, digital devices, spectacles and prosthetics and orthotics. Increasing access to AT for older people and more broadly, people with impairments reduces poverty through improving access to education, employment, vocational training, healthcare, etc. As a result, participation in society and the community also increases. AT2030 will test and deliver proven methods of 'what works' to improve access to affordable AT, to the point they have started to reach scale or disrupt markets. It focusses on innovative products, new service delivery models and local capacity and will test novel approaches in four clusters - data and evidence, innovation, country implementation, and capacity and participation. The programme works in excess of 30 countries.
CLARE - CLimate And REsilience Framework Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
CLARE is a flagship research programme on climate adaptation and resilience, funded mostly (about 90%) by UK Aid through the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and co-funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. CLARE is bridging critical gaps between science and action by championing Southern leadership to enable socially inclusive and sustainable action to build resilience to climate change and natural hazards. Through long-term commitments and partnerships worldwide, and needs-driven, action-focused research, CLARE links up short-and long-term issues, enabling long-term, sustainable, and fair economic and social development in a changing climate whilst supporting action to reduce impacts now and providing a better understanding of climate risks.
Risk Pools Programme (RPP)
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To support a parametric (index-based) weather risk insurance pool that will provide participating African countries with predictable, quick-disbursing funds with which to implement pre-defined contingency response plans in the case of a drought.
Centre for Disaster Protection (CDP)
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To protect poor and vulnerable people, save lives and help developing countries to get back on their feet more quickly after a disaster by working with governments to strengthen planning, embed early action, and use “risk financing” tools like insurance and contingent credit to finance more cost-effective, rapid and reliable response to emergencies. It aims to empower governments to build resilience to natural disasters and climate change, and take ownership of their risks, with more assistance delivered through pre-financed government-led systems. Funded by the UK Government Prosperity Fund until April 2021.
M4H - Mobile for Humanitarian: Exploring the use of mobile technology to provide life-enhancing services during humanitarian response, recovery and preparedness.
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The Mobile for Humanitarian programme will work with the mobile industry and humanitarian organisations to develop cost effective, scale-able solutions and business models for delivering a range of services to improve disaster preparedness, humanitarian response and recovery. This will include access to information and connectivity, financial services, access to water, sanitation and energy services, digital identity solutions and improving the effectiveness of delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid.
Modern Slavery - Supporting Global Action to End Modern Slavery
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To develop new approaches to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking across a range of sectors in high prevalence countries. This programme focuses on thematic priorities of eradicating forced labour in supply chains, tackling the worst forms of child labour, and ending the exploitation of women and girls, and it will support and empower survivors of modern slavery across all these priorities. The programme supports bilateral programmes in high prevalence countries and contributes to multilateral organisations on global policy and advocacy work. The programme will also develop research and evidence on different forms of modern slavery to inform future interventions. This programme contributes toward SDG 8.7 to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour.
Global Risk Financing Programme [GRiF]
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To save lives and reduce the impacts of shocks, like droughts, hurricanes and floods through enabling earlier and more effective response and faster recovery. It provides finance to support governments and humanitarian agencies to use risk financing instruments, like insurance and contingent credit, to access more rapid finance in emergencies, and to strengthen preparedness of local systems for disaster response and recovery. It will focus on disasters, but will develop over time to cover a wider range of risks, including famine.
NGP - National Governance Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The National Governance Programme (NGP) supports Pakistan’s institutional reform agenda by strengthening whole-of-government coordination across federal and provincial levels. It combines technical assistance with politically informed approaches to improve decision-making, implementation, and accountability on priority reforms. The programme has expanded to include a Politics of Delivery (PoD) Facility, which provides rapid, demand-led technical and analytical support, delivery roadmaps, and politically smart approaches (including coalitions for change) to unlock reform challenges. Together, these components strengthen government capability to plan ahead, manage risks, and deliver sustained institutional change.
Strengthening Africa's Science Granting Councils Phase II
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The programme will deepen ongoing work with the African Science granting Councils in the same thematic areas as those covered by the first phase of SGCI research management; monitoring learning and evaluation; knowledge transfer to the private sector; and enhanced networks and partnerships amongst councils and with other science system actors. It will extend focus into two new cross cutting dimensions; research excellence and gender equality and inclusivity. It will strengthen national Science Technology and Innovation systems and contribute to socio economic development in sub Saharan Africa by enhancing more effective and inclusive management of research and innovation by Councils in sub Saharan Africa.
M4D - Mobile for Development Strategic Partnership
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To work jointly with the industry group representing mobile phone operators worldwide, the GSMA, and its subsidiary Mobile for Development, to identify and support the development and use of new, innovative ways in which mobile phone technologies and mobile network infrastructure can be used to improve the reach, delivery and affordability of life-enhancing services to poor people in Africa and Asia. As a result of this work some 14 million poor people are expected to benefit from improved access to life enhancing services by 2020.
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