New French partnership with USAf calls for AI and Blue Ocean Tech researchers

The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme is going international through the French Embassy in South Africa.

“We know the importance of AI and the need to harness it to address complex challenges and drive innovation across industries.”

He announced that the pilot programme – starting in 2025 – would be run over six months. All 26 South African universities will be asked to identify two innovators working in the field of AI. In addition, universities will be asked to submit the names of two innovators in Blue Tech who are striving to develop sustainable solutions for the conservation and utilisation of ocean resources that aligns with global efforts to protect our marine eco systems.

Of the names submitted, four researchers will be chosen to participate in the competition.

“This programme will provide mentorship, capacity building workshops, networking opportunities and alignment and support from the South African, as well as the French, ecosystems. I am unveiling this partnership today,” Dr Gumbo said.

Mr Berson added that it was their belief that student entrepreneurs are the drivers of change. “What you are building now will, in a few years, shape the economic future of this country and will build economic vitality.”

He described the French Embassy’s partnership with USAf as an investment in the future of South Africa “because you, and what you are building, are the future”.

He said this partnership would over the next few months, support four ‘exceptional’ entrepreneurs around two topics that are really important for both France and South Africa:  AI and the oceans.

He asked: “Why the oceans? They are the lifeblood of our planet; they connect the continents, provide food to billions of people, have incredible resources that we have to protect. And they also regulate the climate. Here, in South Africa, you have three oceans that meet – that’s incredible. Even more so than in France, and we have oceans,” he said.

The attaché said it was important to think about how the economy can create value for everyone, while at the same time preserving the very important resources.

“So, for us, it is a key strategic priority. We actively support this sector through many activities and initiatives. We’ve fostered exchanges between specialists on these topics; we’ve organised hackathons to support the creation of new start-ups in this field of Blue Tech.

“Now we are launching this tailor-made programme for entrepreneurs on this topic of Blue Tech. We want to create economic value that also respects and preserves the resources of the oceans.”

He said France was committed to this, adding that in Nice in June 2025, that country will host the United Nations Oceans Conference. This gathering will foster global partnerships to preserve the marine resources and help coastal communities to benefit from the oceans.

“Our concrete actions with our partners here and in other countries align with global priorities that will emerge from high level summits like this one,” Mr Berson said.

On the second topic, he said he did not have to convince anyone in the audience that AI was important to our communal future.

“It’s one of the technologies that will redefine how we work, how we deliver services, how work in industries in the future. For us it’s important to invest in that to ensure that we not only follow. As we are all very aware, AI is trending – through investment in AI and building AI products, we are shaping the economy we want to see, the future we deserve.”

In addition to the United Nations Conference, next year, the AI Action Summit will be held in Paris, France, in February — a gathering to be personally hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The aim of the latter will be to work on improving the global governance of AI and explore how to push for AI for good everywhere. Berson said he meant everywhere, including the global south, “and not only in the most developed countries. Let’s see how we can work together in the north and the south,” he added.

Civil South African partners have been invited, and will take part in the Summit at high levels. South African researchers will participate in working groups on AI, as will high-level political delegates from South Africa. “Our objective at the Embassy is to ensure that the outcome of this Summit, and all the discussions around it, are fed back into the ecosystems, to push forward AI for good. So, this is really important for us.”

He then described the French/South African partnership plan: a six-month tailored programme for entrepreneurs.  “There will be business strategy and business model training. The course will also include investment readiness preparation.

“Our role at the Embassy,” he added, “will be to connect the most promising partners in both countries. There is a big ecosystem in France and a lot of value could be derived from these connections.”

In conclusion, Mr Berson said: “For us, it is more than a six-month incubation programme – it’s a new bridge between two ecosystems that would benefit from working with each other on two topics that are key for the future of our societies and economies.” More information and application details can be found at https://edhe.co.za/ai-blue-tech-incubation-programme/