Strathmore University

The Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (CIPIT) is an academic research and policy center based in Nairobi, Kenya, and housed under Strathmore University. Its mission is to develop a body of evidence-based research on emerging technologies and digital landscapes in Africa that is accessible to policymakers and may be used to shape the continent’s information communication technology (ICT) and intellectual property (IP) governance structures, legislation, and policies; to strengthen Africa’s research community in these fields; and to train the next generation of African thought leaders and researchers in these fields. Given the growing interdependencies between data governance, artificial intelligence (AI), intellectual property, and other related issues in the space, this grant renews support to CIPIT and expands the support to all four of its departments: an Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) Policy Centre, a Data Policy Centre, an IP department, and an ICT department. (Previous grants had been limited to the Data Policy Centre). This broader and more flexible support will sustain the ongoing data governance work, while exploring intersections with (and expanding into) critical research on artificial intelligence law and policy in Africa, the evolution and enforcement of intellectual property rights, as well as digital rights. (Strategy: Evidence-Informed Policymaking)

Strathmore University is a chartered university based in Nairobi, Kenya. Strathmore University Law School hosts the Strathmore Tax Research Center (STRC). The STRC researches tax laws, provides research and advisory services to various stakeholders, offers tax law training, organizes tax-related conferences, and actively participates in the policymaking process through legislative analysis and recommendations. This grant supports research on the burden of child care on women’s ability to participate in economic activities in Kenya. This grant aims to generate evidence on the linkage between access to early child care services and women's economic empowerment to support gender-responsive tax systems in African countries. (Strategy: International Women’s Economic Empowerment)