📊 Live Projects

Two applications have been built, one for data collection and one for use in speech recognition. The data collection application is being actively tested through supporting the data collection in Ghana for Ghanaian English, Dagaare, Dagbani and Ewe, will be used in Rwanda for Rwandan English and Kinyarwanda, and in Colombia for Colombian Spanish. The speech recognition application that is designed for people to use in daily conversations is currently being tested in Kenya with trusted testers.

The CDLI EMEA project has just begun and is in the initial set-up phase. The team are currently working on establishing contracts with delivery partners, particularly for Germany and Italy which has faced complications due to university costing.

The CDLI website has now been established with the following datasets released: Ga (standard and non-standard), Kenyan English (non-standard), Kenyan Swahili (non-standard), Ugandan English (non-standard), Luganda (non-standard). Six non-standard speech ASR models have also been released via the website. Data collection is ongoing and slightly delayed for Ghanaian English, Dagaare, Dagbani and Ewe, will be used in Rwanda for Rwandan English and Kinyarwanda.

Year 2 Half 1 (Jan-June 2025) delivered mostly to plan. the 4 Innovation Fellowships are in the active phase, due for completion in August. GDIH delivered an AT Commercialisation Workshop in Nairobi in April and have deployed micro-grants to 6 of the current Innovate Now cohort. The 1to1 coaching support continues, delivered by Cathy, and a revised academic linkage component to the GDIH workplan has been scoped and agreed with SensesHub and Strathmore. As we move into the final 6months of the program our efforts will move to finishing strong, and positioning the next phase of Innovate Now and our partnerships in Nairobi.

Master contract is now in place (NIHR>UCL), GDIH has received and agreed the GDIH partner-contracting terms. Formal setup of the project internally has begun - with the ops/finance/PM teams now engaged. Justin will lead the project operations for the innovation team - which will begin with revisiting the scope/budget/plan, and the co-ordination of the first learning visit to India in October. The initial 2 years of the project will be relatively light, with a busier 18month period in years 3/4. We may need to buy in front/back end developer skills in year 5 - to suport the build of an LLM tool.

While project is progressing, there have been significant delays due to the local ethics process. We hope to start data collection by end of June. Local recruitment complete, awaiting onboarding. Building partnership with city mayor's office, waiting for feedback on MOU.

Final Report has had final review and copy editing, going to designer this week then compliance checks pre publication. We have had to contract designer to finish final version. Report on AT in the region is in progress.

Tentative dates for training now set for August (Justin to travel), contract extended to end of October.

Now in contract, prep work mainly. Aiming to launch the consultancy work with banks mid March

First three phases complete: all 6 teams have peer-evaluated plans and have received first funding tranche, with monthly progress interviews now underway.

The program has generated unanticipated opportunities, validating the effectuation method, peer mentoring structure, and staged internationalisation approach. Over the next 6 months, all 6 ventures will execute their plans while collectively generating a toolkit on AT startup internationalisation and impacting disabled people across Africa.

Remaining deliverables remain slow, now have clear activities for final deliverables. Main activity will be in person training in September, reviving the inclusive design bootcamp and focusing it on thematic areas. They are working on a future TA they'd like us to work on.

Strong delivery of network activities and evolving and increased focused on advocacy and policy. Engaged members, and positive relationship with funder. Exploring opportunities for further shared ownership of network. 3 year planning to begin.

Client back in contact, approval to invoice while we await feedback.

Team participated in Ayrton Forum in June. 5 case study reports and dissemination material submitted to Carbon Trust. Team introduced FoundersThink at the TEA Quarterly meeting.

Pacific Community TA in progress; two innovation pilots framing and partners onboarding in progress.

Future of TEA3 still uncertain.

GDI Hub sub-contracting process completed. Research ethics approval received and data collection is under progress. Potential in-person co-design workshop in early-Aug.