The National Research Fund (NRF) is mandated to mobilize, allocate and manage financial resources to facilitate an effective national innovation system that would create required knowledge and innovations in all fields of Science, Technology and Innovation for the growing economy. In this regard, NRF sent out the ‘Kenya Call on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Cultural Heritage’ (KAICH) which closed on 14th March 2025.

Through this call NRF seeks to promote interdisciplinary research on both tangible and intangible heritage, leveraging AI models, tools, and methodologies to enhance conservation, study, and broader public access to cultural heritage (CH).

In addition to exploring technical applications, projects supported under this call will be required to address ethical and sustainability concerns and foster dialogue that incorporates diverse stakeholder perspectives to promote inclusive cultural heritage practice and conservation. The initiative also seeks to encourage knowledge-sharing and cross-disciplinary collaboration between cultural heritage specialists, digital humanities scholars, and computing professionals, fostering synergies with related national and international efforts.

This call represents a pilot phase of a longer-term vision aimed at developing a locally grounded, contextually aware Large Language Model (LLM). While geographic diversity across Kenya’s key cultural and linguistic regions is desirable, the primary criterion for selection will be academic rigor, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the strength of a well-articulated, methodologically sound proposal. Projects supported through this call will not only contribute to cultural heritage preservation but will also lay the foundational building blocks for inclusive, AI-driven knowledge systems rooted in Kenya’s diverse realities.

As this pilot supports the foundational stages of a longer-term national initiative—potentially culminating in a local, context-aware Large Language Model (LLM)—reviewers will play a key role in shaping a research landscape that balances technological innovation with cultural integrity and inclusivity.

All reviewers will be required to uphold confidentiality, declare conflicts of interest, and abide by NRF’s ethical guidelines for grant assessment.

Areas of expertise:

NRF invites applications for reviewers with expertise in the following areas;

1. Computer Science/Artificial Intelligence
2. Cultural studies and Heritage Management
3. Linguistics
4. Digital humanities
5. African Languages and Literature
6. Anthropology/Folklore
7. Information Science
8. Ethics/Philosophy
9. Law/Intellectual Property
10. Community Development / Engagement

Requirements

Reviewers are required to;

1. Hold a Ph.D in the relevant areas.
2. Indicate their:
   • Bio-data (must declare gender, age and region)
   • Contact details
   • Qualifications
   • Areas of Specialization
3. Have demonstrated research and publication experience cutting across ICT’s/ AI and the areas of expertise listed above.
4. Be affiliated with an accredited institution of higher learning (University or TVET) or a registered research institution.
5. Persons who have applied for the call are not eligible for the role of reviewers.
6. Interested applicants are requested to submit the following. A one-page application letter.
7. A two-page CV highlighting relevant academic qualifications and research experience.

How to apply

The applications should be submitted to grants@nrf.go.ke by 16^th April 2025 and addressed to:

Chief Executive Officer

National Research Fund

3rd Floor NACOSTI Plaza, Upper Kabete

P.O. Box 26036-00100

NAIROBI

Tel: 020-4403386