The GSMA Innovation Fund offers subsidies of up to £ 250,000 and construction support for companies that use AI and emerging technologies to create a transformative change
January 30, 2025, London: La GSMA, in association with the Office of Foreigners, Commonwealth & Development (FCDO) of the United Kingdom, has launched the GSMA Innovation Fund for shocking, To empower small and growing in companies in low and medium income (LMIC) countries in Africa, southern Asia, Southeast Asia and Pacific. This initiative seeks to address a critical global challenge: to ensure that LMICs do not stay behind in the AI revolution and can take advantage of emerging and mobile technologies to boost inclusive and sustainable development.
Applications for the Fund, which opened on January 29, 2025, recognize the unimportant potential of AI and emerging technologies in LMIC. The objective is to take advantage of these tools to create inclusive and sustainable solutions adapted to the unique needs of these communities, promote resilience and boost the significant impact.
Conduct change through innovation
The GSMA Innovation Fund for AI shocking is designed for:
- Empower shocking solutions: Subsidies will be provided from £ 100,000 to £ 250,000 for a period of 15 to 18 months, which allows companies to test and climb solutions that address critical challenges.
- Accelerate growth: Personalized support will help companies build associations with mobile network operators, attract investors and develop scalable commercial models.
- Construction of reception capabilities: Beneficiaries will get access to Bootcamps, learning exchanges and global industry events such as MWC to build their technical and operational experience.
- Improve impact measurement: Companies will receive support to monitor and inform the socioeconomic and climatic impacts of their innovations.
While technologies such as AI, IoT and Big Data mobile are gaining traction worldwide, its LMIC application remains limited. This fund aims to close this gap by:
- Innovation for increased increase: support of avant -garde solutions designed to benefit low -income and vulnerable communities.
- Strengthening of resilience: guarantee the sustainability and scalability of the solutions promoted by IA through local associations.
- Increasing consciousness: showing the transformative potential of the AI to create a lasting change in the LMIC.
Aimed at various local challenges
The background is directed to the LMIC in Africa, southern Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions, which seek to support innovations promoted by AI in a wide range of sectors. When addressing various local challenges, our goal is to allow shocking solutions that promote socioeconomic development and climatic resilience. Examples of possible impact areas include (among others) medical care, education, financial services and adaptation of climate change. The projects must:
- Leverage Innovations of AI (for example, predictive and generative) to deliver scalable and positive socioeconomic or climatic impacts.
- Use emerging technologies like IoT, Blockchain or Big Data Mobile
- Directly benefit low -income and vulnerable communities.
- Show clear paths towards sustainability and scalability through strong local associations and ecosystem commitment.
A vision for local leadership and inclusion
The fund prioritizes companies that are founded female or directed by women and actively address gender inequalities. When supporting organizations directed locally, the initiative also aims to develop regional capacity, promote leadership and offer shocking results and promoted by the community.
Now open applications
Applications are open to March 19, 2025, 23:59 GMT. The complete eligibility criteria and the details of the application can be found here.
He Mobile For Development Chief of GSMA, Max Cuvellier Giacomellisaying: “AI and emerging technologies have immense potential to address global challenges, but much of its development has focused on advanced markets, leaving a gap in the solutions designed for and by communities in LMIC. The GSMA Innovation Fund for the impressive seeks to change this by empowering companies in these regions to take advantage of AI for a transformative, inclusive and sustainable development where it is most needed. ”
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About GSMA
GSMA is a global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and offer fundamental innovation to positive business environments and social change. Our vision is to unlock all the power of connectivity so that people, industry and society prosper. Representing mobile operators and organizations throughout the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA offers its members in three broad pillars: connectivity for good, services and solutions of the industry, and scope. This activity includes the progress policy, addressing today's greatest social challenges, propping up the technology and interoperability that make mobile work and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem in the series of MWC and M360 events .
We invite you to get more information at Gsma.com
