top of page
Search

Project Partner Challenge: Call for collaboration on Emerging Risk Detection and Responsible Innovation Metrics for African Tech Ecosystems

  • spriteplus
  • 1 day ago
  • 3 min read

Overview

The project partner challenge grant scheme is designed to enable a SPRITE+ Expert Fellow to work on a research challenge. The scheme operates through three phases.

  1. Potential partners submit expressions of interest and if chosen they then work with the SPRITE+ director to set their challenge.

  2. SPRITE+ Expert Fellows express interest in that challenge by submitting an application.

  3. The successful Expert Fellow then works with the project partner to develop a full proposal which then goes to the SPRITE+ management team for review.

For this Project Partner Challenge, we invite applications from researchers with expertise in emerging risk detection to collaborate with TrustedTech Africa (TTA) in co-developing a proposal Project Partner Challenge Grant.

  • Funding available: £52,000 (at 80% FeC

  • Eligible applicants: UK-based academic researchers

  • Outcome: Co-developed full proposal submitted by 27 April 2026

  • Project topic: Emerging Risk Detection and Responsible Innovation Metrics for African Tech Ecosystems


Background:

TrustedTech Africa is a digital safety and responsible innovation organisation supporting tech startups, accelerators, hubs and government tech initiatives across Africa. They aim to embed trust, safety, and ethical governance in technology products across Africa.

Africa’s digital economy is growing rapidly across sectors like AI, FinTech, HealthTech, and EdTech. However, early-stage startups often lack the tools and frameworks to anticipate privacy, security, and ethical risks before launch. This results in recurring issues such as data misuse, online abuse, and algorithmic bias that undermine user trust and digital inclusion. TrustedTech Africa seeks to partner with a SPRITE+ Fellow to explore how emerging risk detection and Responsible Innovation (RI) metrics can be defined, measured, and integrated into African tech ecosystems to enhance digital trust, identity protection, and platform safety.


Proposal:

SPRITE+ welcomes expression of interest applications from researchers with expertise in digital trust, AI ethics, responsible innovation, technology governance or risk foresight. Ideally, with an understanding of, or interest in, African digital ecosystems.

Key research questions include:

  1. What are the early indicators of emerging digital harms (e.g., privacy breaches, online abuse vectors, algorithmic bias) within African tech ecosystems?

  2. How can context-appropriate Responsible Innovation (RI) metrics be developed to guide start-ups, investors, and regulators?

  3. What models or frameworks could support foresight and proactive risk detection for digital products in developing markets?


Resources:

The successful applicant will be supported with a range of valuable resources to ensure effective project delivery from TrustedTech Africa, including:

  • Project coordination and management including planning meetings, check-ins, alignment

  • Strategic and contextual input into Responsible Innovation framing and indicator co-design

  • Access to networks including introductions to relevant civil society actors, policymakers, youth groups, and practitioners

  • Participation in virtual validation workshops

  • Review and feedback on draft outputs

  • Support for online dissemination and policy engagement


Application deadline: Monday 9th March 2026

Download the call document:

Download the application form:


Timeline:

The project will be a 9-month-long commission, with a flexible start date.

  • Call for applications sent out: January 30th, 2026

  • Applications deadline: March 9th, 2026

  • Applicants informed of outcome: March 16th, 2026

  • Full proposal to be submitted by April 27th, 2026

  • Projects to start no later than July 1st, 2026

  • Project to complete by no later than 1st May 2027


Funding:

Maximum total grants size is £52,000.

Funds will be awarded at 80% FEC in accordance with normal UKRI practices. In practical terms, this means that SPRITE+ will fund 80% of the total costs outlined in successful proposals. We will provide a maximum of £52k to the successful applicant, so the budget requested can be over this amount. Funds awarded will be subject to standard UKRI grant terms and conditions, which are non-negotiable.

The duration of work funded by this project will be no longer than 12 months commencing no later than 1st July 2026 and finish no later than 1st May 2027

Eligible items for funding:

  • Replacement salary costs of the Expert Fellow

  • Costs of research assistance for the Expert Fellow

  • Costs of workshops/meetings

  • Travel and subsistence expenses

  • Sundry research costs


Further information:

If you have any queries, please get in touch with us at spriteplus@manchester.ac.uk


Privacy Notice:

We will treat proposals as confidential and share only between the TrustedTech Africa and SPRITE+ Teams and research support colleagues at the University of Manchester in order to set-up these awards on our systems. For details of how we handle Members’ data more generally, see the SPRITE+ Privacy Policy. SPRITE+ is fully compliant with GDPR.


bottom of page