Building Stronger Research Pathways
Our five-year strategy, 2027–2031
YARA was founded around a simple idea: Africa needs stronger pathways through which promising researchers can develop rigorous work and carry that work further.
Over the next five years, we will build those pathways by developing research talent across Africa, sustaining focused work in artificial intelligence, climate and public health, building the data and technical capabilities those fields require, creating stronger routes from research to policy, innovation and commercialisation, and mobilising the partnerships and capital required to sustain this work across the continent.
Our ambition is for more African researchers to produce rigorous, locally grounded work, and for more of that work to contribute to better decisions, stronger institutions, new technologies and economic opportunity across Africa.
Five Strategic Opportunities
- 01
African Research Talent
Africa’s future research capacity depends on who gets the opportunity to become a researcher.
Our response: African Research TalentRead moreShow less
Across the continent, promising students and early-career researchers do not encounter serious research opportunities on equal terms. Access to sustained mentorship, research experience, data, laboratories, technical tools and pathways into advanced study remains uneven.
YARA will build a longer research pathway that begins earlier.
We will create opportunities for emerging researchers to encounter research, build strong foundations, pursue original work with experienced mentors and continue into postgraduate study, independent research and research careers.
Our goal is not simply to train more people. It is to increase the number of African researchers capable of pursuing difficult questions over time and producing work that meets a high standard of evidence.
- 02
Artificial Intelligence
Africa needs the capacity to build, study, govern and apply artificial intelligence on its own terms.
- AI Foundations
- Applied AI
- Governance & Safety
Our response: Artificial IntelligenceRead moreShow less
AI is changing scientific research, health, climate analysis, public institutions, education, industry and economic activity.
Yet useful AI depends on more than access to models. It requires researchers, representative data, evaluation methods, technical expertise, governance and the ability to determine whether systems actually work in the environments where they are deployed.
YARA will build AI research capacity around three areas:
AI Foundations. Locally representative datasets, benchmarks, model evaluation, data stewardship and methods that can perform where data, compute or other resources are constrained.
Applied AI. Research that applies AI to science, health, climate, agriculture, public systems, industry and other consequential African problems.
Governance & Safety. Research on accountability, privacy, bias, standards, evaluation, responsible deployment, safety and the institutional capacity required to govern increasingly capable systems.
AI will also strengthen work across YARA’s other research areas. Climate researchers can use machine learning, Earth observation and forecasting. Public-health researchers can work with diagnostics, surveillance, health data and decision-support systems.
- 03
Climate
Africa needs deeper local evidence to understand a changing climate and determine what responses work.
- Climate Intelligence
- Adaptation & Resilience
- Food, Water & Nature
Our response: ClimateRead moreShow less
Climate change is altering weather patterns, food systems, water, coastlines, ecosystems, infrastructure and livelihoods.
Understanding those changes requires more African researchers with access to data, methods, field sites, modelling capability and institutions capable of using the evidence they produce.
YARA will concentrate its climate work in three areas:
Climate Intelligence. Observation, forecasting, modelling, geospatial research and risk analysis that improve understanding of what is changing and where risks are emerging.
Adaptation & Resilience. Research into how communities, cities, infrastructure and institutions respond to climate risk, with particular attention to which interventions work in practice.
Food, Water & Nature. Research on agriculture, food security, freshwater systems, oceans, coasts, biodiversity and the natural systems on which livelihoods and economic activity depend.
- 04
Public Health
Stronger health systems require stronger evidence about the people and environments they serve.
- Disease & Prevention
- Environmental Health
- Health Systems
Our response: Public HealthRead moreShow less
Africa’s health challenges are shaped not only by disease, but by environmental exposure, prevention, diagnostics, access to care and the ability of health systems to respond.
YARA will build research capability across three areas:
Disease & Prevention. Infectious and non-communicable disease, maternal and child health, outbreaks, epidemiology, surveillance and prevention.
Environmental Health. Lead and other toxins, pollution, heat, water, occupational exposure and the growing relationship between climate and health.
Health Systems. Service delivery, implementation, diagnostics, workforce, digital health, AI-enabled health tools and the institutional resilience required to turn evidence into better care.
- 05
From Research to Application
Producing research is only one part of the pathway.
Our response: From Research to ApplicationRead moreShow less
Research can advance what is known. It can also change a policy, improve an institutional decision, guide the development of a technology, solve an industry problem or become the basis for a new product or venture.
Those outcomes do not happen automatically.
YARA will build stronger connections between researchers and the universities, public institutions, companies, funders, technical experts and communities capable of using, testing, extending and applying their work.
For research with further potential, YARA also intends to create an environment in which projects can continue developing after the initial research phase, moving towards prototypes, programmes, technologies, products and commercial applications.
Theory of Change
- Step 1
Exposure
Promising researchers encounter serious research early.
- Step 2
Research Training & Mentorship
They develop the methods, judgement and research habits required to conduct credible work.
- Step 3
Original Research
They pursue an original question with sustained guidance and produce a serious research output.
Pathways
Academic Pathways
Publication, further inquiry, postgraduate study and continued research.
Policy & Institutional Pathways
Evidence briefs, institutional partnerships, policy engagement and implementation.
Industry Pathways
Applied research, R&D collaboration, technical validation and industry use.
Innovation & Commercialisation
Prototypes, programmes, technologies, products, incubation and venture development.
Longer-term Change
More African researchers are able to sustain serious research careers, and more African research contributes to knowledge, decisions, technologies, institutions and solutions.
Building more capability
- 1
African Data
YARA will support the creation, documentation and responsible stewardship of datasets and benchmarks grounded in African contexts.
Read moreShow less
Over time, this can develop into a YARA African Data Commons, bringing together datasets, documentation, research tools and governance frameworks that researchers can use and extend.
The objective is not simply to make more data public. It is to improve the availability and quality of African data for credible research, while respecting privacy, research ethics, ownership and appropriate access.
- 2
AI & Computational Research
YARA will build shared capability in machine learning, computational methods, research engineering, model evaluation and access to compute.
Read moreShow less
This capability will support researchers working directly on AI as well as researchers using computational methods in climate, public health and other fields.
- 3
Research Methods & Governance
High-quality research depends on sound methods and trusted systems.
Read moreShow less
YARA will strengthen capability in research design, statistics, research ethics, data governance, reproducibility, publication and responsible research practice.
- 4
Mentorship & Research Networks
Mentorship will remain core to the YARA model.
Read moreShow less
We will build a wider network of African and diaspora researchers, universities, laboratories and research institutions capable of supervising work, opening research opportunities and supporting researchers as their careers develop.
Taking our impact further
YARA’s work should not stop when a research project is completed.
Over the next five years, we will build stronger routes through which good research can continue.
- 1
Publication & Further Research
Researchers will receive support to strengthen manuscripts, pursue publication, present their work and develop the next questions that emerge from their research.
- 2
Policy & Institutions
YARA will connect relevant research to policymakers, public institutions and organisations capable of using evidence in decisions, programmes and implementation.
- 3
Industry & Applied Research
Researchers will have opportunities to work with companies and technical organisations on research questions, data, R&D challenges and applications with practical relevance.
- 4
Incubation & Commercialisation
Selected research with strong potential for further development will receive continued support to test ideas, build prototypes, validate applications and explore commercial pathways.
During this period, YARA intends to establish a Research Incubator and a Research & Translation Fund to provide selected projects with continuation funding, technical support, partnerships and access to the expertise required for their next stage.
Building the capacity to carry both forward
Growing YARA’s research and its reach requires an institution capable of sustaining them.
Over the next five years, YARA will strengthen the people, systems and partnerships behind the work.
That means building a full-time research and programme team, stronger research governance, ethics and data systems, IP and commercialisation frameworks, research and industry partnerships, financial management, fundraising capability and long-term institutional funding.
It also means investing in the digital, computational and physical infrastructure researchers need to work well.
What We Intend to Build by 2031
300
researchers completing intensive YARA research programmes
3,000+
emerging researchers reached through research, methods and AI-capacity programmes
1,500+
researchers receiving meaningful training in AI-enabled and computational research
200+
original research projects supported across artificial intelligence, climate and public health
50+
peer-reviewed publications or equivalent major scholarly outputs
25+
African datasets, benchmarks or reusable research tools developed
30+
documented cases of YARA-supported research reaching policy, institutions, industry or practical application
25+
research projects receiving structured continuation, translation or incubation support
5–10
technologies, products, ventures or substantial commercial applications emerging from YARA-supported research
20+
African countries represented across YARA programmes and research networks
150+
active mentors, research supervisors and technical experts
1
permanent YARA Research & Innovation Centre established
Building Research Depth
Artificial Intelligence
AI Foundations
African data, benchmarks, model evaluation, compute-aware methods and research infrastructure.
Applied AI
AI for science, health, climate, agriculture, education, public systems and industry.
Governance & Safety
Accountability, privacy, bias, standards, safety, institutional governance and responsible use.
Climate
Climate Intelligence
Observation, data, modelling, forecasting and climate-risk analysis.
Adaptation & Resilience
Research into communities, cities, infrastructure, institutions and what adaptation measures work.
Food, Water & Nature
Agriculture, food systems, water, oceans, coasts, biodiversity and ecosystems.
Public Health
Disease & Prevention
Epidemiology, surveillance, prevention, infectious disease, non-communicable disease and population health.
Environmental Health
Pollution, lead and other toxins, heat, water, occupational exposure and climate-related health risks.
Health Systems
Implementation, service delivery, diagnostics, workforce, digital health, AI-enabled health and institutional resilience.
Working across themes
These areas should not operate as silos. Some of the most important research questions sit between them.
AI × Climate
Forecasting, Earth observation, agricultural intelligence, climate modelling and environmental decision systems.
AI × Public Health
Diagnostics, surveillance, health data, decision support, digital health and research acceleration.
Climate × Public Health
Heat, infectious disease, food security, water, air quality and environmental exposure.
Across all three areas, YARA’s task remains consistent: develop researchers, produce locally grounded evidence and create stronger pathways through which that evidence can be used.
Building a permanent home for African research talent.
By 2031, YARA aims to establish a permanent YARA Research & Innovation Centre in Accra.
The Centre would give researchers, programmes and partnerships a physical home while connecting YARA’s Pan-African network to a permanent institutional base. It would include:
- 1
Research Studios
Flexible working environments for fellows, research teams, visiting researchers and collaborative projects.
- 2
AI & Data Lab
Shared compute, data infrastructure, research engineering and technical support for computational research.
- 3
Research Incubator
Space and support for selected projects progressing towards prototypes, technologies, products and ventures.
- 4
Convening Spaces
Rooms for seminars, policy sessions, workshops, visiting researchers, research presentations and smaller institutional gatherings.
- 5
Research Support
Methods, writing, ethics, data, grants, publication and research-translation support.
YARA does not need to own every specialised laboratory or research facility. Partnerships with universities, hospitals, research institutes, public agencies and industry can extend the infrastructure available to YARA researchers across Africa.
Sustainable Financing
The ambition of this strategy will require more than annual programme grants. YARA will work towards a diversified financing base that combines:
- Multi-year philanthropic support
- Research grants
- Institutional partnerships
- Corporate research collaboration
- Capital for research translation
A dedicated YARA Research & Translation Fund will provide resources for promising research to continue beyond its initial project cycle, including follow-on research, data collection, policy pilots, prototypes, validation and incubation.
The final five-year capital target will be set through the financial model that accompanies this strategy.
YARA is still at the beginning of its institutional journey.
The next five years are about building the capabilities that allow a promising research programme to become a durable African research institution.
By 2031, we want YARA to be identifying research talent across the continent, supporting substantial work in artificial intelligence, climate and public health, strengthening the datasets and technical capabilities available to African researchers, and creating credible pathways through which research can reach publication, policy, industry, innovation and commercialisation.
We want researchers to have somewhere to pursue important questions, somewhere for strong work to continue growing, and stronger connections to the institutions capable of taking that work further.
That is the institution YARA intends to build.
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