INITIATIVES

Funding for your initiatives

AI2 is proud to provide funding for projects that align with our Guiding Principles.

Encouraging AI adoption

We support AI adoption projects across sectors. Funded through Prompt, this program funds new or on-going applied AI research projects in collaboration with industry or non-profit partners.

See our first call for proposals

Funding calls

We offer funding on an annual basis to advance our strategic objectives and accelerate interdisciplinary research on AI at Concordia University.

Apply for funding today

AI2 sponsorship request

We would like to sponsor your initiatives. For funding under $500, we review requests on an ongoing basis.

Apply for sponsorship opportunities

Our initiatives

Gender equity in STEM

As an institute, we are dedicated to achieving gender equity in Artificial Intelligence (AI) fields. Our commitment is evident through initiatives aimed at increasing the participation of women+ in research and mentorship projects. We also uphold inclusive policies that shape our governance and hiring practices.

Affecting Machines

Funded by the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, our institute has spearheaded a participatory action-based research group to delve into the challenges faced by women+ in STEM fields. The Affecting Machines working group has developed some of the following provisional resources, and continues to work on improving gender equity:

a set of trading cards and a timeline highlighting the contributions women+ have made to AI and computer sciences.
normative principles that guide the improvement of gender equity in the development and deployment of AI systems and progressive and hiring and onboarding practises.

Visit the Affecting Machines site

GEMinAI

GEMinAI, in collaboration with AI2 and CREATE SE4AI, is steadfast in its mission to dismantle barriers preventing the participation of women and gender minorities in AI sectors. Despite the growing importance of artificial intelligence, women currently constitute only 25% of AI specialists (World Economic Forum, 2021). In response, our program endeavors to bridge this gap by fostering meaningful connections between women+ undergraduate and graduate students and seasoned AI professionals.

Supporting career journeys through mentorship

Our initiative is designed to provide invaluable support, encouragement, and assistance to women+ pursuing careers in artificial intelligence. By facilitating mentorship opportunities, we aim to create a conducive environment where aspiring AI professionals can thrive, ultimately contributing to a more diverse and inclusive landscape within the field.

Photos from the GEMinAI launch event in October 2023

Find out if GEMinAI is right for you

Summer Institute

Over three weeks, participants work individually and in teams to learn key methods of assessing AI's social impacts. The 2023 Summer Institute reflected on the rapidly evolving social life of artificial intelligence. Course topics included technical matters of AI’s basic operation as well as theoretical discussions about AI's ethics.

Learn more about the summer institute

Student Fellows

We offer fellowships to graduate students on a rolling basis. We are excited to announce our 2023-24 cohort of student fellows. They are:

Jihane Mossalim

Delving into the relationship between traditional art practices and artificial intelligence.

Vrinda Nair

Researching drug design of small molecules by implementing machine and deep learning models.

Andrés Salas

Exploring the modes in which emerging technologies influence and are influenced by cultural networks.

Read the announcement

Working groups

AI CBAR

The Community Based Action Research Network invites participants to explore the localized impacts connected to the research, practise, and use of artificial intelligences. Open to new members who are interested in exploring the social impacts of AI.

Mandate

Members of this network recognize that AI technologies are never neutral; rather, they are embedded within socio-technical frameworks and thereby bound by the limitations of their creators and the contexts within which they are deployed.

Research grant-writing assistance

For research grants related to Applied AI that meet the selection criteria, the Applied AI Institute will support researchers throughout the process to streamline and simplify grant submission.

Find out if your grant is eligible

Training

In collaboration with Concordia Continuing Education, we provide AI and machine learning upskilling training to industry partners. We are currently inviting applications from faculty members interested in participating in this training program as instructors.