The Centre for Law, Technology and Society is delighted to announce that the , pioneered by CLTS Faculty members Jeremy De Beer and Chidi Oguamanam, has received $300,000 from the to continue to support, celebrate, and further the conversation on African innovation and research.
The Network aims to solve a problem at the heart of intellectual property and innovation policy: how to reconcile tensions between appropriation and access, excluding and sharing, and competing and collaborating. The new funding will further enable the Open AIR network to continue creating opportunities for emerging scholars in the African innovation space.
The funding received from the will primarily be used toward supporting research at the intersection of gender equality, social inclusion, and innovation systems. This new scholarship program will build upon a strong foundation created by Open AIR鈥檚 , which was funded in 2017 to improve global talent exchange between Open AIR鈥檚 six hubs in Canada and African countries.
As Open AIR continues to improve our understanding of Africa鈥檚 role in the global knowledge economy, this funding serves as another important opportunity to 鈥渁dvance inclusive innovation, drawing in authentic gender-respectful and gender-inclusive African voices and perspectives, while strengthening Afro-Canadian exchange and learning experiences,鈥 explained Professor Chidi Oguamanam. Professor Jeremy De Beer highlighted that now is the perfect time to deepen research into the United Nations鈥 Sustainable Development Goal #5 and 鈥渞elated issues in innovation systems, especially additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and big data.鈥
The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships program (QES) was created to improve global talent exchange between Canada and other nations. The program aims to develop the next generation of innovative leaders and community builders by providing enriched academic, professional, and cross-cultural experiences and by facilitating lasting local and global community engagement.
Overall, 200 Canadian and West African researchers will receive funding from the new QES Advanced Scholars West Africa program. This particular award provides funding for over a dozen emerging international scholars 鈥 including Ph.D. candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows, and early career researchers 鈥 to conduct research at the University of Ottawa and with Open AIR鈥檚 partners in West Africa.
The Open AIR Network, whose Canadian hub is hosted at the , is funded by the the , and the . Other hubs of the network include the at the American University in Cairo, at Strathmore University, the at the University of Cape Town, the , and the .
More information about Open AIR is available .