Capacity development Archives | Page 2 of 321

AI research collaboration expands as Google plans campus in South Korea

A major step in global AI expansion is underway as Google prepares to establish its first overseas AI campus in Seoul within 2026. The initiative reflects a broader effort to deepen collaboration between global technology firms and regional innovation ecosystems.

The project is being developed in coordination with Google DeepMind and institutions in South Korea, with a dedicated research team expected to support joint development. Around ten specialists will lead technical cooperation, strengthening links between academia, startups and industry.

A central pillar of this collaboration is the K-Moonshot Project, which applies AI to challenges in biotechnology, climate and energy. Alongside this, an agreement with the Ministry of Science and ICT aims to enhance research capabilities and develop specialised human capital in advanced technologies.

The initiative highlights a growing convergence between national innovation strategies and global AI leadership, signalling a shift towards more distributed and collaborative research infrastructures across regions.

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UNESCO and Oxford University launch global AI course for courts

A free online course aimed at preparing judicial systems for the growing role of AI in legal decision-making has been launched, with UNESCO in partnership with the University of Oxford positioned at the centre of the initiative.

AI is already shaping court processes, influencing evidence assessment, and affecting access to justice. Yet, many legal professionals lack structured guidance to evaluate such systems within a rule-of-law framework.

The UNESCO programme introduces a practical, human rights-based approach to AI, combining legal, ethical, and operational perspectives.

Developed with institutions including Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Blavatnik School of Government, the course equips participants with tools to assess algorithmic outputs, manage risks of bias, and maintain judicial independence in increasingly digital court environments.

Central to UNESCO’s initiative is a newly developed AI and Rule of Law Checklist, designed to help courts scrutinise AI systems and their outputs, including use as evidence.

The course also addresses broader concerns, including fairness, transparency, accountability, and the protection of vulnerable groups, reflecting rising global reliance on AI across justice systems.

Supported by the EU, the course is available globally, free of charge, with certification from the University of Oxford. As AI becomes embedded in judicial processes, capacity-building efforts aim to ensure technological adoption strengthens rather than undermines the rule of law.

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The Philippines and South Korea launch a major cybersecurity centre project

The Department of Information and Communications Technology in the Philippines has formalised a major cybersecurity partnership with South Korea, securing funding and technical support to establish a National Cyber Security Centre to strengthen the country’s digital defences.

The agreement, supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, has been described by Philippine officials as the largest cybersecurity cooperation project of its kind in the country.

The initiative is intended to create a central hub for cyber threat monitoring, incident response, and coordinated defence, while also improving information security management across government systems. The programme is backed by a US$25.6 million grant over five years, reflecting the growing urgency of responding to increasingly sophisticated cyber threats affecting infrastructure and public services.

Beyond infrastructure, the project also aims to strengthen national capacity through training and workforce development, helping build a larger pool of cybersecurity professionals. Philippine authorities have stressed that cybersecurity now extends beyond technical systems and increasingly affects public trust, economic stability, and everyday digital activity.

The agreement with South Korea points to a broader effort to strengthen the Philippines’ resilience as a digital economy, with stronger institutional safeguards against evolving cyber risks and a longer-term commitment to secure digital transformation.

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Malaysia expands national AI strategy through Microsoft partnership

Malaysia is strengthening its national AI strategy through an expanded partnership with Microsoft, launching the Microsoft Elevate initiative to accelerate AI readiness across society.

The programme aligns with the country’s AI Nation 2030 ambitions and extends digital skills development beyond traditional sectors.

An initiative that targets educators, public sector institutions, small businesses and wider communities, aiming to embed practical AI capabilities into everyday economic and social activity.

Early deployment has already reached tens of thousands of learners, reflecting a shift from pilot programmes to large-scale national implementation.

Government and industry leaders in Malaysia emphasise that long-term competitiveness depends not only on technological investment but on widespread adoption and understanding of AI tools.

The programme therefore prioritises workforce activation, institutional capacity and sustainable integration across sectors.

Malaysia’s approach reflects a broader global trend where public–private partnerships are increasingly central to AI development, focusing on inclusive access, responsible use and real-world application rather than purely technological advancement.

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MIT releases largest Olympiad math dataset for AI and education

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, alongside partners at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and HUMAIN, have created MathNet, described as the largest curated dataset of Olympiad-level mathematics assembled to date.

The collection includes more than 30,000 expert-written problems and solutions from 47 countries, spanning 17 languages and multiple decades of competitions.

Unlike earlier datasets focused mainly on a small number of dominant regions, MathNet captures a broader global spread of mathematical traditions, including both text- and image-based problems sourced from official competition booklets. Researchers compiled and standardised thousands of pages of archived material, creating a structured resource intended for both AI evaluation and student training.

The dataset is also designed to test AI systems more rigorously. Early results show that leading models still struggle with complex reasoning, multilingual problems, and visual tasks, underlining uneven progress despite rapid advances in mathematical AI performance.

Beyond benchmarking, MathNet introduces tools for analysing problem similarity and improving retrieval-based learning. Early findings suggest that even advanced models often struggle to identify equivalent mathematical structures across different formats and languages.

Why does it matter?

MathNet highlights persistent gaps in how advanced AI systems reason under strict, competition-level conditions, while also creating a practical resource for education and student preparation. That dual role makes it both a stronger benchmark for mathematical reasoning and a useful tool for learners preparing for high-level mathematics competitions.

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Nigeria’s TETFund supports AI research and digital development in universities

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has outlined efforts to support AI research and digital development in higher education institutions. The initiative focuses on strengthening research capacity and innovation.

According to the authority, funding is being directed towards projects that promote technological advancement, including AI-related studies and infrastructure. This aims to enhance academic output and relevance.

The authority also highlights the importance of building skills and supporting researchers to engage with emerging technologies. The approach is intended to improve competitiveness and knowledge creation.

Why does it matter?

The authority presents the initiative as part of broader efforts to advance research and innovation in the education sector in Nigeria.

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Austria hosts the first Google data centre in the Alpine region

Google has announced its first data centre investment in Austria, marking an expansion of digital infrastructure in the Alpine region.

The facility, to be built in Kronstorf, is expected to create around 100 direct jobs while supporting growing demand for cloud services and AI capabilities across Europe.

The investment reflects a broader push to strengthen Europe’s digital competitiveness through infrastructure linked to AI-driven growth. By expanding its network capacity, Google says it aims to enhance the performance, reliability, and scalability of its services, helping regional economies remain connected to global digital ecosystems.

Sustainability is a central part of the project. The data centre will incorporate measures such as renewable energy integration, heat recovery systems, and water quality initiatives linked to the nearby Enns River.

These efforts align with wider industry trends towards greener data infrastructure and lower environmental impact.

Alongside infrastructure development, Google is also investing in workforce skills through partnerships with local institutions, including the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria.

Building on previous training initiatives that have reached more than 140,000 people, the programme aims to equip workers with skills relevant to an AI-driven economy, reinforcing the link between digital infrastructure and human capital development.

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UNESCO highlights barriers facing students with disabilities in education systems

Efforts to expand inclusive education in Latin America continue to face structural challenges, as new findings presented by UNESCO highlight persistent gaps in data and policy implementation.

During a regional congress in Paraguay, experts stressed that the lack of reliable and comparable data on students with disabilities remains a major barrier to designing effective education systems. UNESCO presents stronger data systems as essential to making inequalities visible and improving public decision-making.

The analysis draws on the Regional Educational Information System on Students with Disabilities, known as SIRIED, which aims to strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the region through comparable and regularly updated information.

While progress has been recorded in access to education, particularly at the primary level, participation remains uneven. Attendance is significantly lower in early childhood education and declines again in secondary schooling, reflecting systemic issues such as late identification of disabilities and insufficient support mechanisms.

Students with disabilities are more likely to repeat grades, enrol at an older age, and leave school early than their peers. UNESCO’s findings suggest that dropout remains a persistent problem, especially at higher levels of education. Although many students are enrolled in mainstream schools, institutions often lack the infrastructure, training, and resources needed to ensure full inclusion.

The findings also point to gender disparities, with girls facing greater obstacles in access, retention, and progression. Despite improvements in legal frameworks recognising inclusive education as a right, implementation remains uneven across countries.

UNESCO emphasises that strengthening data systems such as SIRIED is essential not only to revealing inequalities, but also to supporting policies capable of delivering meaningful educational inclusion.

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India forms expert committee to support AI governance framework

India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has constituted a Technology and Policy Expert Committee to support the country’s AI governance architecture. The committee will advise the AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG) on policy design, regulatory measures, and international engagement.

The committee is chaired by the ministry’s Secretary and includes experts from academia, industry, and digital policy. Its mandate is to provide informed input grounded in technological developments, regulatory approaches, and global practices.

AIGEG will set strategic direction and coordinate policy across government. The expert committee will translate technical and policy issues into actionable insights for decision-making.

The framework aims to ensure a dynamic and adaptive approach to AI governance. It also seeks to align strategic, technical, and policy considerations with India’s social and economic context.

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Malaysia aligns workplace safety reforms with ILO standards

Malaysia is stepping up efforts to strengthen occupational safety and health by aligning national reforms with International Labour Organisation standards, advancing the implementation of key labour conventions and preparing for a new phase of policy development. Convention No. 155 provides the core framework for national occupational safety and health policy and employer responsibilities, while Convention No. 187 focuses on building a national system and programme for continuous improvement.

A national workshop in Kuala Lumpur brought together representatives of government, employers, workers, and industry to improve coordination on occupational safety and health governance. The discussions centred on how to strengthen the implementation of Conventions No. 155 and No. 187 through a more coherent national framework, reflecting the ILO’s broader view that effective workplace safety depends on a connected system of policy, institutions, and social dialogue rather than isolated legal measures.

Attention is also turning to Malaysia’s next National Occupational Safety and Health Policy and the OSH Master Plan 2026–2030, which are expected to shape the country’s longer-term approach to workplace risk prevention and institutional coordination. In ILO terms, that matters because national OSH frameworks are meant to combine policy, system, and programme into a single structure for continuous improvement.

The initiative points to a broader emphasis on shared responsibility for safer workplaces. Convention No. 155 places obligations on governments to maintain a coherent national policy and on employers to ensure safe working environments, while Convention No. 187 promotes a preventative safety and health culture through cooperation with employers and workers. That makes sustained coordination between public authorities, businesses, and labour representatives central to any credible reform effort.

The wider significance of the move lies in how Malaysia is linking labour standards to governance capacity. Aligning national policy with international standards can help clarify responsibilities, strengthen enforcement, and support more consistent prevention across sectors. Over time, that can contribute not only to safer working conditions, but also to more resilient labour markets and more predictable operating environments for employers and workers alike.

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