Date : 27 June 2026
Time : 1pm Indian Standard Time (IST) / 2:30pm Indo-China time (ICT)
Duration : 90 minutes max
Format : Virtual | Open Registration

Click here to Register for this event

Background & Strategic Rationale:

Building upon the outcomes of the global webinar held on 31 March 2026 on AI & Data Science for Sustainable Development, this virtual meet-up aims to create a practical and collaborative platform for students, young innovators, researchers, and professionals to showcase real-world applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science (DS) that contribute to sustainable development.

Across the world, young people are increasingly using AI, Machine Learning, and Data Science to address critical development challenges related to climate action, education, healthcare, agriculture, governance, inclusion, and livelihoods. However, many promising initiatives lack opportunities for visibility, demonstration, mentorship, and collaboration. This meet-up seeks to bridge that gap by providing an interactive platform where selected participants can present practical projects, tools, prototypes, dashboards, applications, or research-driven solutions aligned with the SDGs.

The meet-up will move beyond theoretical discussions and focus on practical demonstrations and applied innovation. Up to TWO selected projects will be showcased live during the session, allowing participants to demonstrate their methodology, explain the development challenges being addressed, highlight potential social impact and scalability.

For more details, read the think-pieces produced by our #DataScienceforDevelopment global project, which document real use – case
examples of how Data Science and AI are being used to take forward Sustainable Development work across the globe.

Read here: LinkedIn Link

Invited to attend - those who are good at building something; and/or have innovative ideas (and not sure how to proceed); and/or are interested in learning new skills.

The virtual meet-up event will encourage:

• Practical application of AI and Data Science for social good
• Youth-led innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration
• Networking between academia, development practitioners, innovators.
• Responsible and ethical AI approaches
• Identification of scalable ideas with future implementation potential

Examples of projects that may be showcased could include:

• AI-based climate or disaster prediction tools
• Smart agriculture and food security solutions
• AI-enabled education platforms
• Health analytics and telemedicine applications

The meet-up will provide opportunities to ask questions, expert feedback, and collaboration between participants and a small expert jury panel. The event forms part of the broader “Road to August” initiative leading toward the planned in-person up-skilling and innovation event inMalaysia later in 2026.

Call to action:

1. Join us on 27 th June 2026 to be part of a new generation of data-driven leaders. Register for Webinar here.
2. Interested students and young innovators are invited to submit practical AI and Data Science projects for consideration through the applications Template [which includes section on: Project overview and SDG relevance; Problem statement and expected impact; AI/Data Science methodology used; Demonstration capability (prototype, dashboard, app, model, etc.); Scalability and ethical considerations among others].

• Submission Deadline   :  10 June 2026
• Submission Email          :  dsforsd@gmail.com
• Contact Person              :  Aseem Andrews

We warmly encourage students, researchers, innovators, development practitioners, and professionals interested in AI for Sustainable
Development to participate in this collaborative and solutions-oriented initiative.