The Cirrus Initiative will focus on the analysis of research data in chemistry and collaborate with physics, technology and engineering projects using machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI).

The collaborative research initiative will assist in driving a step change in the research and application of these technologies in Africa, says University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Research and Postgraduate Affairs deputy vice chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi.

The Molecular Sciences Institute at Wits, in Johannesburg, will host the Cirrus Initiative at the Wits School of Chemistry.

The initiative will initially focus on the research and application of AI in chemical, physical and biological systems. Its capability will be extended to the benefit of other fields to foster the growth of a strong scientific ecosystem on the continent. Numerous direct and indirect employment opportunities for scientists and engineers will also be created.

“Advances in AI and its application in addressing the challenges facing Africa have the potential to drive innovation in academia and industry and shape future societies. There is a growing need for talent, infrastructure and funding to support such innovation and fully realise the opportunities presented in our technology and data-driven world,” he says.

Africans should be contributors, shapers and owners of the coming advances in AI and ML, says Vilakazi.

“Becoming competitive in this new wave of innovation fuelled by AI and the Fourth Industrial Revolution – and with the substantial accumulation of resources and investments in new technologies in North America, Europe and Asia – requires efforts in Southern Africa on a magnitude far greater than any previous endeavour spanning academia and industry,” he explains.

Cirrus aims to serve as a collaborative university and industry platform supporting an ecosystem to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. As the host university, Wits will lead the initiative’s cooperation efforts with universities, institutes, centres of excellence and research groups in Africa.

Vilakazi says it will also support interdisciplinary cooperation between academia and industry worldwide through its network, boosting the application of AI technologies and ensuring the transformative potential benefits for the region.