Partnerships at the AKU Data Innovation Office
Driving Transformative Impact Through Strategic Collaboration
At the AKU Data Innovation Office, we believe that no single entity can tackle the world’s most pressing challenges alone. By forging meaningful partnerships across sectors, borders, and disciplines, we can unlock the collective potential to innovate, scale, and sustain solutions that drive measurable change in the Global South and beyond.
Our Collaboration Model
We work with a diverse set of partners—from academic institutions and NGOs to governments, multilateral agencies, and private sector organizations. Our collaborations focus on co-creating data-driven tools, building local capacity, and designing scalable innovations that strengthen systems in health, education, research, and other development areas.
What we bring to partnerships:
- Deep roots in the Global South through the Aga Khan University and Aga Khan Development Network.
- Technical expertise in AI, data science, and digital transformation.
- A trusted reputation in research, capacity development, and systems thinking.
- A focus on equitable partnerships that prioritize local leadership and context.
Our Partners
Our growing ecosystem includes:
- Development partners like the UZIMA-DS Project, supporting locally-driven digital health and data initiatives
- Academic collaborations with institutions such as University of Michigan, fostering joint research and innovation
- Regional governments and public agencies, co-developing policies and digital public infrastructure
- Tech and innovation hubs, helping bridge cutting-edge solutions with on-the-ground needs
Partnership Pillars
We collaborate across five core areas:
- Capacity Strengthening – Supporting governments, institutions, and communities to harness data for decision-making.
- Digital Public Goods – Co-developing open-source tools tailored to LMIC contexts.
- Research and Insights – Generating evidence on the use of data and digital systems in the Global South.
- Innovation Pilots – Testing and refining AI and data-driven models to improve service delivery.
- Advocacy and Policy Engagement – Shaping global conversations around equitable data innovation and research insights
Why Partner With Us?
- Global insights, local grounding – Our work is deeply informed by lived experience in LMICs
- Sustainability-first approach – We prioritize capacity transfer and long-term integration over one-off interventions
- Agility and co-creation – Our model emphasizes flexibility, rapid experimentation, and co-design with local actors
- Commitment to equity – We challenge extractive data practices and elevate local voices in global innovation spaces
Get Involved
We’re always looking to collaborate with values-aligned partners who share our vision of a more just and data-enabled world. Whether you’re a funder, implementer, policymaker, or innovator, we’d love to explore how we can work together.
Reach out to us at 
cdio@aku.edu to start a conversation.
