?Stellenbosch 肆客足球's Policy Innovation Lab has been awarded a R5 million (�250 000) grant, marking an important step in its integration of AI and digital tools to improve coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of policies, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This funding, the second grant from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, will support the Lab's work in developing evidence-based solutions to some of the country's most pressing policy challenges. The Lab's second proposal for grant funding focused on “enhancing evidence-based policymaking through policy dialogue and artificial intelligence".
According to the award letter, the grant recognises the Policy Innovation Lab as a pioneering initiative aimed at advancing responsible AI and transformative policymaking. “We also wish to thank the Lab for its valuable role and contributions during SDGiI (the first proposal), which laid a strong foundation for this next phase of collaboration," noted Dr Ulrich Wehnert, programme manager of the Sustainable Goals Initiative.
Prof Willem Fourie, lead of the Policy Innovation Lab, welcomed the announcement, describing it as both a recognition of the Lab's potential and a call to action. “We're grateful for the partnership with GIZ that enables us to deliver impact in close collaboration with the government."
The Policy Innovation Lab is housed within the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking, and forms part of the SU's broader commitment to research, innovation and societal impact. It works with experts from universities in South Africa and globally, alongside non-academic partners, to advance responsible AI and transformative policymaking.
