GenAI for Africa

The "GenAI for Africa" grant under Horizon Europe, specifically the DIGITAL HADEA (HORIZON-CL4-2025-04) call, aims to utilize Generative AI (GenAI) to create effective solutions addressing societal issues in Africa. The main objectives are to empower local communities by enhancing technological capacity through innovative applications in key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure, and digital education.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and potentially non-EU entities, promoting collaboration between European and African organizations. The grant is structured as a research and innovation action, offering funding between 6 million to 8 million euros per project. The focus will be on projects that improve agricultural productivity, healthcare access, urban planning, and educational quality through tailored GenAI solutions.

Projects are expected to operate within a research and development stage, adapting existing European technologies to meet African needs. The application process is single-stage, with a submission deadline of October 2, 2025. Participants are encouraged to form consortia, though it is not explicitly mandated.

The grant also underscores the importance of ensuring data protection and compliance with regulations like the AI Act and GDPR, particularly addressing the social dimensions and potential biases within AI applications. Financial support for local startups and the use of living lab methodologies to ensure community engagement and uptake of proposed solutions are also key components of the initiative. The opening date for the submission system is June 10, 2025.

In summary, the "GenAI for Africa" grant focuses on translating innovative AI technologies from Europe to tackle challenges in Africa, fostering collaboration and empowering local capacities while addressing health, agriculture, and education.

This is a summary of the EU funding opportunity titled "GenAI for Africa" under the Horizon Europe program, specifically the DIGITAL HADEA (HORIZON-CL4-2025-04) call. The call focuses on leveraging Generative AI (GenAI) to create transformative solutions and practical applications that address societal challenges and opportunities in Africa.

The expected outcomes of funded projects are:

African societies benefiting from innovative GenAI solutions in key areas.
Local technological companies in Africa gaining the capacity to develop targeted GenAI solutions.
Focus on rural communities in Africa and women as key beneficiaries.

The scope of the proposals should address one or more of the following areas:

Agriculture optimization: Using GenAI to analyze satellite imagery and sensor data for crop monitoring, soil condition assessment, and weather pattern analysis. This aims to improve crop yields, enhance food security, and promote efficient resource management (water, pesticides), crucial for mitigating climate change and poor irrigation.
Healthcare: Employing GenAI for disease diagnosis from medical images and patient data, forecasting disease outbreaks, and providing medical advice through chatbots and virtual assistants. This expands telemedicine services and improves healthcare accessibility in remote areas. Attention should be paid to gender dimensions, addressing AI biases, sex-specific healthcare needs, and inequalities in health access.
Infrastructure and urban planning: Utilizing GenAI to optimize energy usage, integrate renewables, manage water and waste, enhance safety through real-time incident detection, and support reconstruction after disasters. Digital Twins can be used in urban and rural areas. Connectivity infrastructure is crucial for these solutions.
Digital Skills and learning: Personalizing learning paths, creating multilingual educational content, and offering on-demand virtual tutoring using GenAI. Adaptive learning platforms and conversational chatbots in local languages can benefit rural communities with limited resources.

Proposals should approach these objectives by:

Conducting an evidence-based analysis of specific needs in Africa that GenAI can address.
Identifying EU-developed GenAI solutions applicable to Africa.
Developing and integrating GenAI models and algorithms tailored for key areas based on EU solutions and African needs.
Involving and supporting start-ups and local networks in 3 to 5 African locations to create innovative GenAI-based solutions.
Exploring co-creation and living lab methodologies to boost social uptake. Living labs are ecosystems of experimentation and open innovation, with a systematic approach to co-creation among their users, whether they are researchers, businesses, civil society or public administrations.
Ensuring data protection in compliance with the AI Act and GDPR.
Building on or collaborating with existing projects and European initiatives, particularly those related to international cooperation on AI for public good (health, digital twin for reconstruction, emergency response, electric grid optimization), Destination Earth, and Copernicus.

General conditions for applications include:

Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, including specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
Other eligible conditions: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes: As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants: As described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA).
Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE RIA, IA).
Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.
The Model Grant Agreement is the HE MGA.

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes
HE Programme Guide
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview for various topics under the call is as follows:

HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-02 HORIZON-RIA: 30,000,000 EUR, contributions of 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR, 4 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-03 HORIZON-RIA: 15,000,000 EUR, contributions of 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 EUR, 3 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01 HORIZON-IA: 25,000,000 EUR, contributions of 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 EUR, 5 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04 HORIZON-RIA: 7,000,000 EUR, contributions of 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 EUR, 2 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05 HORIZON-IA: 20,000,000 EUR, contributions around 10,000,000 EUR, 2 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07 HORIZON-RIA: 30,000,000 EUR, contributions around 15,000,000 EUR, 2 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-HUMAN-08 HORIZON-RIA: 5,000,000 EUR, contributions of 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 EUR, 2 grants.

The opening date for the submission system is planned for June 10, 2025, and the deadline for submission is October 2, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests on the portal.

Support is available through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and the European Charter for Researchers.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to foster the development and application of Generative AI solutions to address specific challenges and leverage opportunities in Africa, with a focus on agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure, and digital skills. It encourages collaboration between European and African entities, supports local start-ups, and emphasizes data protection and ethical considerations. The call provides funding through various Horizon Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) with varying budget allocations and contribution ranges. The submission process opens on June 10, 2025, with a deadline of October 2, 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include a range of entities such as research organizations, universities, startups, SMEs, and other relevant organizations from both EU member states and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries. The call encourages the involvement of startups and local networks in Africa.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically through HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) under the Horizon Europe program. The type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the call encourages collaboration and synergy with existing projects and initiatives, suggesting that a consortium approach is beneficial, if not required. Partner search announcements are available, further indicating the possibility or desirability of consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic focus is on Africa. However, the call originates from the Horizon Europe program, indicating that applicants from EU member states and associated countries are eligible to apply and participate in projects that benefit African societies. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible for funding under specific provisions.

Target Sector: The program targets several thematic sectors, including: Generative AI (GenAI), Agriculture (optimization using satellite imagery and sensor data), Healthcare (disease diagnosis, outbreak forecasting, telemedicine), Infrastructure and Urban Planning (energy optimization, water management, waste management, digital twins for reconstruction), and Digital Skills and Learning (personalized learning, multilingual content, virtual tutoring).

Mentioned Countries: Africa, EU member states, and non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of projects ranges from research and development to innovation and application. The call aims to translate existing EU-based solutions to address specific needs in Africa, develop and integrate AI models, and support startups in creating innovative solutions. This suggests a focus on validation, demonstration, and potentially commercialization or scale-up.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic:
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-02: EUR 6,000,000 to EUR 8,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-03: EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01: EUR 4,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04: EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 4,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05: around EUR 10,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07: around EUR 15,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-HUMAN-08: EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,000,000

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, meaning applicants submit a full proposal at once.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to fund their projects.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage, where applicants submit a complete proposal for evaluation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly stated, but applicants should consult the Horizon Europe Programme Guide and the specific topic descriptions for detailed financial regulations and requirements.

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, under the DIGITAL - HADEA (HORIZON-CL4-2025-04) program, focuses on leveraging Generative AI (GenAI) to address specific societal challenges and opportunities in Africa. The call aims to foster a rich ecosystem of transformative solutions by adapting and integrating EU-based GenAI technologies to meet the unique needs of African communities. The projects should focus on key areas such as agriculture optimization, healthcare enhancement, infrastructure and urban planning, and digital skills and learning. The call encourages the involvement of startups and local networks in Africa, promoting co-creation and the use of living lab methodologies to ensure social uptake of the proposed solutions. Projects must adhere to the AI Act and GDPR to protect data within third countries. Eligible applicants include a range of entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries, with a preference for collaborative projects that build on existing European initiatives. The funding amounts vary by topic, ranging from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 15,000,000, and the application process involves a single stage with a deadline of October 2, 2025. This initiative seeks to empower African societies through innovative GenAI applications, fostering local technological capacity and addressing critical challenges in a sustainable and inclusive manner.