The programs we run
Beyond our own research, the lab builds and operates infrastructure and training programs that other institutions, researchers and innovators rely on directly.
The National AI Research Cloud
Compute infrastructure hosted in Uganda and governed locally, giving every member institution the compute to train and deploy AI at scale. Built on open foundations so researchers can compete globally without their data ever leaving the country.
- State of the art GPU infrastructure for deep learning training, large-scale inference and distributed scientific computing
- A National Data Catalog of curated datasets spanning agriculture, healthcare, linguistics and climate
- Data stays in Uganda, governed under institutional controls aligned to national data protection policy
The National AI Data Platform
An open repository of datasets spanning health, agriculture, education, demographics and the environment. Researchers, policymakers and innovators can discover, access and contribute data to power collaboration and evidence-based work across Africa.
- Datasets organised across AI & data science, community & demographics, agriculture & environment, and health & wellbeing
- Crop statistics for 173 products across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania
- Built with the Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) programme, fostering safe, inclusive and responsible AI research
The Pathogen Economy Labs
Pathogen Economy Labs (PEL) is a pioneering initiative at Makerere University in Uganda, focused on developing and commercializing AI-driven health technologies to prevent, control, and treat diseases. The labs collaborate with clinical and governmental institutions like the Science, Technology, and Innovation Secretariat (STI) to build local solutions.
- An integrated AI disease screening platform for COVID-19, tuberculosis, cervical and breast cancers, built with partners like Mulago Hospital and the Uganda Cancer Institute
- A national hub for AI-in-health mentorship, technical support and commercialization
- 05+ start-ups incubated and 50+ MVPs developed through structured incubation
The AI Innovation Academy
An intensive nine-week bootcamp in AI and machine learning that pairs theory with hands-on practice. It equips innovators to become confident practitioners, ready to build and deploy real-world systems.
- Two months of theoretical and practical AI/ML skill-building, followed by two months of ideation, innovation and business incubation support
- Qualifying teams can access seed funding of up to USD 4,000 to launch and test with real users
- Run in partnership with Pathogen Economy Labs at Makerere University