Meta, in partnership with Data Science Africa, has unveiled the Llama Impact Grant, a new initiative designed to support startups and researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
The grant aims to fund innovative projects that leverage Llama, Meta’s open-source large language model, to develop solutions addressing the region’s unique challenges.
Meta emphasized that Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds unprecedented potential to enhance productivity, spur economic growth, and drive advancements in medical and scientific research.
“To unlock this potential, we are inviting proposals from organizations and individuals across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop economically and socially impactful projects using Llama, with a focus on areas such as health, science, and agriculture,” Meta stated. “The winning proposal will receive a grant of $20,000 to further develop and bring their ideas to market.”
The company has called for proposals from individuals and organizations to create AI-driven solutions using Llama to tackle pressing challenges in the region.
Proposals will be evaluated based on several criteria, including: a clear and compelling use case for Llama, a well-defined path to impact with a large potential user base, the expertise and composition of the team, ethical considerations in product development, and a realistic budget and timeline.
