Plan

Phase 1: Establishing Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange

• Organization of online meetings to align expectations, define common research goals, and capture the expertise of the partners.
• Conduct a literature and initiative review to assess existing community-centric AI research and identify gaps, published through a collaborative and public platform.
• Host online sessions for knowledge exchange.
• Develop a public research gap report summarizing key insights from the literature review to establish a shared foundation for future work.
• Define a preliminary funding roadmap, identifying key grant calls and aligning research priorities for later stages.
• Establish a shared research repository for findings and references to facilitate collaboration (repository structure will be defined based on partner needs).

Phase 2: Research Agenda Development and Public Engagement

• Integrate discussions on participatory AI, co-liberation, and ethical AI governance into partner universities' courses through guest lectures and online discussions.
• Organize a one-day online workshop on participatory AI, labor rights, and decentralized decision-making, engaging researchers, civil society groups, policymakers, and industry representatives.
• Identify potential joint research projects and interdisciplinary synergies.
• Begin drafting initial research concepts, integrating knowledge exchange activities and stakeholder feedback.

Phase 3: In-Person Workshop and Research Planning

• Host a two-day in-person workshop at KTH, bringing together researchers, PhD students, and external experts to refine research directions and strengthen collaboration.
• Finalize at least two joint research concepts to be developed into larger grant applications.
• Develop small collaborative publications (e.g., blog posts, essays, or short research papers) to increase ColibrAI's visibility and attract broader participation.
• Produce a white paper on participatory AI governance, summarizing workshop findings and research directions intended for policy and research dissemination.

Phase 4: Proposal Development and Future Funding Strategy

• Identify and assess potential funding opportunities, with an emphasis on Horizon Europe, ERC, MSCA, and NordForsk grants.
• Draft joint research proposals, ensuring a clear division of writing responsibilities among partners.
• Develop a risk mitigation plan, identifying alternative funding sources (e.g., smaller grants, industry partnerships, or pilot projects).
• Finalize a roadmap for the continuation of ColibrAI, ensuring long-term research sustainability beyond the seed funding phase.

Expected Outcomes

• Established a research network on participatory AI, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across KTH, Aalto, and TUDa.
• Engaged researchers, students, and community members through online sessions, workshops, and teaching activities.
• Developed a formal research roadmap, integrating AI, participatory design, and decolonial perspectives.
• Produced blog posts and white paper on participatory AI governance to inform future research and policy discussions.
• Finalized joint research concepts for larger-scale funding applications.
• Strengthened Unite!’s research capacity in community-centric AI, establishing new academic and policy collaborations.
• Positioned the project for future large-scale funding, ensuring long-term sustainability.