RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation 2026: Opportunities for African Innovators and Grants of Up to US$200,000

Overview

The RICH Hub Climate AI Innovation initiative invites Expressions of Interest from African climate innovators, researchers, startups, and organisations. Operating under the AI4D Research and Innovation for Climate Hub, the programme supports data-driven technologies and artificial intelligence aimed at tackling environmental challenges and building climate resilience across Africa. Eligible initiatives must address issues such as droughts, floods, food insecurity, and resource pressure through advanced digital tools, forecasting, and risk analysis.

Who can apply

Applicants must be based in Africa and can include researchers, startups, and organisations working on climate-focused artificial intelligence. To be considered, submitted solutions must have progressed past the purely conceptual phase and reached at least the pilot stage of development.

What you get

Successful applicants may receive scaling grants of up to US$200,000, though funding is subject to available resources and eligibility requirements. In addition to potential financial awards, participants can gain access to technical assistance, coaching, research collaborations, piloting opportunities, partnership networks, and increased visibility for their solutions.

How to apply

Submissions are made by completing an online Expression of Interest form. Applicants should prepare an overview of their project, detail the specific environmental problem being addressed, explain how artificial intelligence or data-driven methods are utilised, and demonstrate that the initiative has achieved pilot-stage progress. Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis without a single fixed deadline.