SADiLaR announces 2026 first cycle sponsorship recipients

click to enlarge

The sponsorship awards are made through a competitive application process, ensuring that all proposals are evaluated fairly and in alignment with SADiLaR’s strategic goals. Applicants are invited to submit detailed requests via an online application form during biannual calls in April and October, with each submission required to include a clear description of the event or initiative, its expected outcomes, and how it aligns with the centre’s mission. For detailed guidance on preparing and submitting your application, please refer to the full sponsorship application guidelines here: https://sadilar.org/en/sponsorship-evaluation-process-guideline/. This process ensures that sponsorship decisions are guided by relevance, potential impact, visibility for SADiLaR’s work and the applicant’s capacity to manage the activities effectively. Through the sponsorship programme, SADiLaR continues to invest in platforms that foster collaboration between researchers, educators, technologists, cultural practitioners and language communities.

The selected projects reflect a strong commitment to research excellence, community engagement, and the ethical and responsible use of emerging technologies in language and knowledge spaces.

Successful 2026 sponsorships:

• 2026 Funda Mzansi National Competitions in South African Sign Language (hosted at Reagile Community Library in Koster, Bojanala District, 9 February 2026). This national initiative promotes inclusive literacy, multilingualism, youth leadership, deaf culture preservation and social cohesion while strengthening access to knowledge and reducing stigma and communication barriers.

• Hundzula NLP Retreat 2026 (hosted at North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 10 February 2026). The annual Hundzula Retreat provides a collaborative hands-on space for linguists, computer scientists and practitioners to advance natural language processing for low-resource African languages through tool development, resource creation and research-sharing.

• AI in the Pedagogy of African Languages Conference (hosted at University of KwaZulu-Natal, 11 March 2026). This conference brings together educators, researchers, technologists and cultural leaders to explore how AI can be integrated into African language education in ways that respect and elevate linguistic and cultural heritage.

• AI for Multilingual Education Forum (hosted at University of Fort Hare, 13 March 2026). This forum explores how AI-driven language technologies such as translation, speech recognition and text-to-speech can enhance equitable learning experiences in South Africa’s official languages, while promoting responsible and inclusive use of AI in education.

• Second African Cyber Law Conference (hosted at University of the Witwatersrand, 25 March). This conference examines responsible and resilient digital governance, including AI, digital media regulation, online safety, platform accountability and emerging risks such as deepfakes and disinformation. It aims to produce actionable policy, research and legal insights for African institutions.

• Afrilex – 30th International Conference of the African Association for Lexicography (hosted at University of Venda, 1 July 2026). This international conference advances theoretical and practical lexicography and terminology with a focus on dictionary development and language resources. By supporting research-informed dictionary compilation, the initiative contributes to the intellectualisation and digital development of African languages.

• Southern African Folklore Society Conference (hosted at University of Mpumalanga, 1 September 2026). Focusing on the digitalisation of African folklore, this international conference explores oral literature, cultural values, folklore in education and the preservation of indigenous knowledge in digital spaces.

• The Carpentries Training (hosted at North-West University, 21 September 2026). This training will equip participants with the pedagogical and community-building skills to deliver practical, inclusive and evidence-based workshops aligned with the Data Carpentry, Library Carpentry, and Software Carpentry lesson programmes. The newly certified instructors will be instrumental in expanding local training capacity, promoting open and reproducible research, and supporting digital transformation efforts in South Africa and beyond.

SADiLaR congratulates all successful applicants and looks forward to the impact these initiatives will have in strengthening multilingualism, advancing human language technologies and expanding access to digital knowledge and education across South Africa and the continent.