ACE-Uganda is dedicated to enhancing health in Africa through High Performance Computing, Bioinformatics, Visualization, and Data Science. Established in 2019, the ACE collaborates with the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University and other stakeholders to advance research in bioinformatics and health data science. Our efforts also include training the next generation of quantitative scientists in the region.
The ACE completed projects reflect the commitment to improving health through innovative research in HPC, Bioinformatics, Visualization, and Data Science. Since 2019, the ACE has launched numerous initiatives addressing critical health issues in Africa, working closely with IDI and international partners. These projects highlight our commitment to scientific excellence and our strategic approach to addressing regional health challenges.
Ongoing Projects
| Project Name | Project Funder/ Collaborator | Project Duration |
|---|---|---|
| AIMar: AI in Malaria | Dec 2025 to Sept 2029 | |
| G11 Project | National Institutes of Health (NIH) | July 2025 to Feb 2028 |
| DARING Project: Data driven Infrastructure for combating antimicrobial resistance | LACUNA Fund | May 2025 to October 2026 |
| Crafting a Bilingual English Luganda Dataset for Biomedical Natural Language Processing Applications | LACUNA Fund | April 2025 to Sept 2026 |
| AlphaFold Training and AMR Research Capacity Building | Google DeepMind | Dec 2024 to April 2026 |
| SHEDS: She Data Science | Institute of Global Health Sciences University of California San Francisco (IGHS-UCSF) | March 2024 to Feb 2027 |
| CAMO-NET (Centers for Antimicrobial Optimization Network) | Wellcome Trust | March 2023 to Feb 2026 |
| AI for Health Equity: Transforming Pandemic Preparedness in Uganda (HEAL) | Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) | July 2023 to March 2024 |
| Cancer genomics and genomics data science | Uganda Cancer Institute & Fred Hutch Cancer Institute | June 2022 to May 2027 |
| DS-I (Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa) ODSP (Open Data Science Platform Uganda) | National Institute of Health (NIH) | Sept 2021 to June 2026 |
Completed Projects
| Project Name | Project Funder/ Collaborator | Project Duration |
|---|---|---|
| An Innovation Hub on Artificial Intelligence for Maternal, Sexual, Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa (HASH) | International Development Research Centre (IDRC) | Nov-21 to Oct-23 |
| Exploring the Future of Virtual Reality in Africa: Africa Skills Awareness and Policy (ASAP) | Rockerfeller Philanthropist Advisors | Nov-22 to Aug-23 |
| VMERGE (Virtual Reality in Education) Tailoring and Scaling Virtual Reality Technology for Emergency Care in Uganda | Makerere Research and Innovation Fund (RIF) | Jan-23 to June-23 |
| COAST Project (End-to-end AI and data systems for targeted surveillance and management of COVID-19 and future pandemics affecting Uganda) | The Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration (IDRC)/ Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) | May-21 to Apr-23 |
| The Epilepsy App | DUKE University | Jan-22 to Feb-23 |
| Feasibility of Virtual Reality-based training for optimizing COVID-19 case handling in Uganda | The Government of Uganda through Makerere University Research and Innovations fund (RIF) | Aug-20 to Apr-21 |
| Data-driven HIV prevention among young adults in Uganda | The Government of Uganda through Makerere University Research and Innovations fund (RIF) | Jul-20 to June-21 |
| Acute Respiratory Interventions Study (ARISE Africa) | Busitema University | |
| Pathogen detection in children living with HIV presenting with non-malarial febrile Illness using metagenomic sequencing at Baylor-Uganda (PHICAMS) | European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) | Nov-21 to Oct-24 |
| SPARCO (Sickle Pan-African Research Consortium) | National Institute of Health (NIH) | Nov-21 to Oct-26 |