A groundbreaking initiative to train 700 African PhD students in artificial intelligence (AI) over the next decade is set to kick off with an all-women cohort in February 2025. The CoRE AI programme, a cluster of research excellence, has brought together 12 partner universities from Africa and Europe in a concerted effort to address gender imbalances in AI research, starting with a women-only intake.
CoRE AI was established under the broader collaboration between the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities. The programme aims to enrol 100 African PhD students annually, with a target of 70% female representation across the programme’s ten-year duration.
David Sumpter, CoRE AI’s European co-lead and professor of applied mathematics at Uppsala University in Sweden, explained that the initiative would evolve toward gender parity over time. "The first cohort will be exclusively women, but by the final intake, we’ll have an equal balance of men and women, ensuring that 70% of the total PhDs awarded over the ten years will go to women," Sumpter said.
Although full funding has not yet been secured, discussions with potential major donors are well underway. "We are in advanced talks with a significant funder to support the programme’s objectives," added Sumpter, expressing optimism about the programme's future.
The decision to start with an all-women cohort is part of a broader strategy to address the global underrepresentation of women in AI, a challenge that extends beyond Africa. Sumpter noted that female researchers at Uppsala University have faced significant hurdles in their academic progression, including systemic discrimination and harassment, underscoring the need for initiatives like CoRE AI.
CoRE AI stands out among the 21 research clusters formed under the ARUA-Guild partnership, as the only one committed to a women-only start. While all clusters are encouraged to promote female participation in underrepresented fields, this AI programme takes a bold, proactive approach toward achieving gender equity in the tech-driven research landscape.
As CoRE AI prepares for its first intake, the initiative signals a major step forward in fostering greater diversity in AI research, with the hope of creating a more inclusive and innovative future for the field.
Article by Jed Mwangi
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