Request for Proposals: Catalyzing Equitable Artificial Intelligence Use

Deadline: 5-Jun-23

The Global Grand Challenges is seeking proposals for the Catalyzing Equitable Artificial Intelligence Use.

This RFP seeks innovative and safe approaches to the use of Large Language Models (ChatGPT-4, or other credible sources with equivalent capability) to build an evidence base across the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Divisions of Global Health, Gender Equality, Global Growth and Opportunity (including Global Education), and Global Development contexts in LMICs.

Objectives

• They are looking for projects that can be executed over a 3-month period and will achieve at least one of the following objectives:
  • Demonstrate how the tool can be used to support decision making (in terms of speed, accuracy, inclusivity, quality) in the following domains.
  • Accelerate the pathway from evidence to policy development.
  • Accelerate the pathway from policy to implementation.
  • Enhance the quality and timeliness of focused communications.
  • Improve the quality of resource allocation exercises.
  • Decision support for front line workers.
  • Achieve a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges related to ChatGPT-4, or other credible sources with equivalent capabilities, use in LMICs and how they can be effectively mitigated.
  • Conduct observational research that highlights end-user specific applications of ChatGPT-4, or other credible sources with equivalent capabilities, amongst vulnerable populations in LMICs.
• Ideally the proposal will also:
  • Work on a specific problem that has been identified as a priority in a country or region.
  • Contribute to the body of evidence related to AI use in LMICs across health, gender, financial inclusion, agriculture, and education.
  • Foster innovation with AI in the interest of supporting decision makers and affected communities.
  • Enable an improved understanding of the potential and risks of AI for LMICs.
  • Place a strong emphasis on systematically observing, validating, and documenting the process and outcomes for each proposal.
  • Conform with global principles of AI use i) to do no harm ii) to leverage technology against the toughest/most relevant problem iii) ensures that projects are led from LMICs even though there may be a high-income country (HIC) partner iv) local voices and ideas are captured throughout the process, and v) there is a dissemination plan of the outcomes of the projects.

Priorities

• Priority will be given to proposals that have:
  • an explicit request for an AI supported project,
  • those projects that have already completed a pilot before this Grand Challenges call, and/or,
  • projects that have lessons/tools that can be transferred to other use cases / situations/ contexts with minimal change.

Funding Information

• The funding level is a grant of up to USD $100,000.00, for each project, provided to the organization, with a term of up to 3 months.
• Application budgets should be commensurate with the scope of work proposed. The budget envelope for this Grand Challenge request for proposals is up to $3,000,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals are led by investigators in LMICs.
• Proposals that demonstrate clear applications of ChatGPT-4, or other credible sources with equivalent capabilities, to address a specific challenge in LMICs related to the SDGs.
• Proposals that demonstrate the grantee has a firm grasp of the application, has done some of the stakeholder mapping, and has an engagement plan to ensure the proposal is successful.
• Proposals that include engagement with affected/supported populations, decision makers.
• Proposals that show the potential for AI to be transformative for application in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Divisions of Global Health, Gender Equality, Global Growth and Opportunity (including Global Education), and Global Development.
• Proposals that present a high leverage and scalability opportunity.
• Proposals that can easily be adapted or modified either across i) geographies or ii) fields.
• Proposals that outline a clear, feasible and reproducible methodology.
• Proposals that focus on identifying risks to responsible use and develop ways to mitigate those risks.
• Proposals that have timely access to data, decision-maker time and interest in using AI
• Proposals that articulate how the project will lead to impact in the near-term and how those benefits will be sustained past the lifetime of the project.
• Proposals that demonstrate engagement with local and regional decision makers.
• Proposals that are driven by a shared commitment to open science, data sharing, and building collaboration and analysis infrastructure to enable discoveries that will benefit people everywhere.
• Note: Global partners may be included. However, priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate at least 80% of the funding is going to LMIC institutions and where the investigator is a part of an LMIC institution.

Ineligible

• They will not consider funding for proposals that:
  • Do not explicitly use/reference the use of ChatGPT-4, or other credible sources with equivalent capabilities, in their project execution.
  • Ignore the challenges and context constraints LMICs present.
  • Do not have timely access to necessary data, decision-maker time, commitment, and interest (a commendation/request letter will be advantageous).
  • Do not demonstrate that the majority of the work proposed will be undertaken by investigators and teams in LMICs.
  • Have a weak methodology.
  • Have no or weak validation plan.
  • Do not provide any thought towards scale up and sustainability.
  • Do not engage local and/or regional decision-makers.

For more information, visit Catalyzing Equitable Artificial Intelligence Use.