General Information
1. What is the Deep Learning Indaba?
The Deep Learning Indaba is the annual meeting of the African machine learning and AI community with the mission to Strengthen African AI. In 2024, the Indaba and Africa’s artificial intelligence community will meet for a week-long event of learning, research exchange, ideation, and debate around the state of the art in machine learning and artificial intelligence in Dakar, Senegal from the 1st to the 7th September 2024. Please check out [https://deeplearningindaba.com/2024/] for more information.
2. What are the exact dates of the Indaba?
The 2024 Deep Learning Indaba will take place in person at Dakar, Senegal from the 1st to the 7th of September 2024.
3. Who is eligible to apply?
Anyone who is a student, early career academic researcher, industry professional, NGO, public sector worker, academic faculty, or unemployed is eligible to apply. Please refer to this slide for more information.
4. Can I apply as an undergraduate? Would I be rejected?
We encourage you to submit an application first before we can make a decision. Undergraduate students equally qualify to attend the conference. All applications are reviewed by independent reviewers based on our assessment criteria. Based on the reviews, we will then make a decision on your application. The Deep Learning Indaba is overly subscribed, so we encourage you to take a look at our application guideline to help you submit a strong application.
5. Can I apply in a different language other than English?
This year we offer the possibility to apply in French and English. Unfortunately, we currently do not have support for other languages yet, but we hope that in the future applicants will be able to complete their applications in other major languages.
6. I am bilingual (I speak both French and English), can I answer in French without changing my baobab settings to French?
No. You must change your baobab language settings to the language you plan to answer with.
7. Are applications limited to only people in Africa or all Africans in and out of the continent?
The Applications are open to all Africans in and out of the continent.
8. When should we expect the outcome of our applications?
We will communicate the outcome of your applications by the end of May. Notifications will be sent in batches.
9. How should research or work intersect with humanities? I want to know more about the application process and poster presentation.
We think of humanities in the broadest sense, such as modern and ancient languages, philosophy, sociology, fine arts, ethics, cultural studies, etc. If you are in any of these fields or do research in Machine Learning and Ethics, for example, then your work intersects with humanities studies. Please note that your work doesn’t need to intersect with humanities; we’re just asking to gauge interest for relevant sections in the program and to encourage more people working in these fields to attend the Indaba.
10. Kindly let us know the relevance of deep learning?
There will be several practical sessions that introduce different machine learning concepts, from introductory programming languages to neural networks and computer vision. It is important to have some machine learning background knowledge to be able to sufficiently follow through these classes.
11. What steps are effective for deep learning for someone with no knowledge of deep learning?
Here are some suggestions: Take deep learning classes online or in-person. Join a machine learning community. Attend machine learning conferences. Follow people relevant to the skills you want to develop.
12. Do you offer software engineering programs?
Our practical sessions cover a number of topics, including the basics of Python or Jax programming languages. You can check out the previous year’s program for more insight into what to expect this year. [TBC]
13. Can deep learning be used in any field at all?
Yes, deep learning can be applied to several fields. The field continues to grow over the years and currently has numerous applications in health care, finance, language models, etc. Deep learning will yield great results if you are working with large datasets. Nevertheless, due to their complexity, they often overfit and they are hard to interpret. As such, we encourage you to use regularizers and other optimization techniques to prevent overfitting.
14. How can someone become an expert in the data science field?
Becoming an expert in the data science field is similar to becoming an expert in any skill. It requires consistency, patience through studying, practising, exposure, and attending conferences like the Deep Learning Indaba.
Registration and Fees
1. What are the registration fees?
The registration fee for this year’s Indaba is 350 dollars. Unlike previous years, the registration fee is not free for students by default. You have to apply for it in order to be considered for the fee waiver. Some limited resources applicants may qualify for a 50% registration fee waiver if they applied for it during the application process.
2. Is the registration free for students?
No, it is not free by default. Students need to apply for a registration fee waiver during their application in order to be considered for one.
3. Can I pay my registration fee after the Indaba?
No. Your registration will be put on hold until you pay your registration fee within a given timeframe. If you fail to pay your registration fees, your offer will be withdrawn.
4. Will we be required to make payments in relation to fees, and also if we will be issued with certificates?
We will provide more information about payment once you have been selected to attend the conference. We will also issue certificates of attendance to interested attendees after the Indaba.
Financial Aid and Funding
1. Is there financial aid for students?
We offer limited travel and accommodation grants for students and other limited resource applicants. Unfortunately, we do not have enough funds so we cannot offer all students travel grants, but we aim to provide accommodation and fee registration waiver grants for all accepted students that signify that they need one.
2. How can I secure funding?
To be eligible for our travel, accommodation, and fee registration waiver, you have to fill out the application form and complete the travel section. Unfortunately, we have limited funds and cannot offer travel grants to all accepted applicants that need one. So, it is important to start searching for alternative avenues for travel grants. Please check with your supervisors to see if they are able to sponsor you to the Indaba.
3. Is there a possibility to apply for travel funding?
Yes, you can apply for a travel grant during the application process.
4. If I get accepted for a travel grant, will it be a flight ticket?
No, not necessarily. A travel grant can be either a flight or bus ticket. The selection and travel committees will decide at a later stage which one you will be offered based on your point of departure and other criteria.
5. Can we apply for travel grants if we are students outside Africa?
Unfortunately, travel grants are only available to people living and schooling in Africa.
6. Will there be exposure to funding opportunities to pursue studies abroad in data science?
Deep Learning Indaba does not provide funding for further studies abroad. However, if you are accepted to attend the conference, there is a probability that you can connect with potential supervisors who, if impressed with your work, could grant you funding.
Application Process
1. How am I supposed to create an account to apply?
Applications are done through our platform Baobab. Unfortunately, applications are closed for this edition.
2. I have uploaded my CV and provided links to my work (github, google scholars, etc.), can that be enough to get me accepted?
No. First, please note that your CV is optional and will not be shared with our reviewers during the reviewing process. Second, the extra links you provide violate our anonymity policy and the reviewers may not review them. Your application will depend heavily and entirely on the answers/essays you provide.
3. Does submitting an abstract increase chances of being selected?
Submitting an abstract may increase chances of being selected because part of our selection process is to identify candidates that have experience in machine learning and also have done some work in this field. However, submitting an abstract alone does not guarantee automatic selection. We evaluate each candidate on several criteria.
4. I didn’t finish my paper, can I say that I have a paper to publish?
It’s okay if your work is unpublished; you can still share details about the project and choose to present it at the research in Africa day if you are selected to attend the Indaba.
5. I plan to submit a paper to the Indaba, can I wait until then to register?
No. You need to apply to the Indaba separately when the applications are open (29 Feb – 21 March 2024). Only accepted participants are able to submit their papers.
6. Can someone who is currently working as an intern in an organization apply?
Yes, you are welcome to apply. Interns are classified in the same category as students in the application form.
Travel and Accommodation
1. Is there financial aid for students?
We offer limited travel and accommodation grants for students. Unfortunately, we do not have enough funds so we cannot offer all students travel grants, but we aim to provide accommodation and fee registration waiver grants for all accepted students that signify that they need one.
2. How can I secure funding?
To be eligible for our travel, accommodation, and fee registration waiver, you have to fill out the application form and complete the travel section. Unfortunately, we have limited funds and cannot offer travel grants to all accepted applicants that need one. So, it is
important to start searching for alternative avenues for travel grants. Please check with your supervisors to see if they are able to sponsor you to the Indaba.
3. Is there a possibility to apply for travel funding?
Yes, you can apply for a travel grant during the application process.
4. If I get accepted for a travel grant, will it be a flight ticket?
No, not necessarily. A travel grant can be either a flight or bus ticket. The selection and travel committees will decide at a later stage which one you will be offered based on your point of departure and other criteria.
5. Can we apply for travel grants if we are students outside Africa?
Unfortunately, travel grants are only available to people living and schooling in Africa.
6. How much does it cost to fly from a European country to attend the Indaba in Senegal?
It depends on where you are flying from, the airline, and the period because prices can vary. You are encouraged to check online for the best option that fits you because prices can vary dramatically.
Conference Activities and Opportunities
1. Will there be a panel speaking?
We have several talks, tutorials, etc., planned. You can check last year’s program here and keep an eye on our website for updates for this year’s program.
2. Is it possible to publish papers at the conference?
The Deep Learning Indaba will be providing an opportunity for papers to be published for the first time this year at the Indaba through an agreement with three journals. More information will be provided to selected paper authors. We encourage you to still submit your work as a short paper and as a poster as part of the Research in Africa day. This will give you a great opportunity to receive feedback, suggestions, and comments on how to further improve your work. It is also possible to find potential future collaborators.
3. Are there any internship opportunities this summer?
Unfortunately, the Deep Learning Indaba does not provide any internship opportunities. We encourage you to check on career websites for internships. In case you are accepted to attend the conference, you can also visit our industry career booth to find out if they have internship opportunities.
4. How can one volunteer for the program?
We will have a call open in the future for local volunteers and other positions that we might need to fill in. Keep an eye on our website and our social media.
5. Will there be exposure to funding opportunities to pursue studies abroad in data science?
Deep Learning Indaba does not provide funding for further studies abroad. However, if you are accepted to attend the conference, there is a probability that you can connect with potential supervisors who, if impressed with your work, could grant you funding.
6. Can deep learning be used in any field at all?
Yes, deep learning can be applied to several fields. The field continues to grow over the years and currently has numerous applications in health care, finance, language models, etc. Deep learning will yield great results if you are working with large datasets. Nevertheless, due to their complexity, they often overfit and they are hard to interpret. As such, we encourage you to use regularizers and other optimization techniques to prevent overfitting.
7. How can someone become an expert in the data science field?
Becoming an expert in the data science field is similar to becoming an expert in any skill. It requires consistency, patience through studying, practising, exposure, and attending conferences like the Deep Learning Indaba.
8. Do you offer software engineering programs?
Our practical sessions cover a number of topics, including the basics of Python or Jax programming languages. You can check out the previous year’s program for more insight into what to expect this year. [TBC]
9. I need long-term mentoring. How can I get it?
The Deep Learning Indaba Mentorship Programme aims to strengthen the African Machine Learning (ML) community via the development of fundamental skills. The Programme matches community members with mentors for short-term personalised interactions across a wide range of topic areas. Mentorship by DLI program link: [https://deeplearningindaba.com/mentorship/]
