Turning African research data into a shared continental resource
Africa Research Base is an AI-powered data repository with blockchain attribution that enables researchers across African institutions to upload datasets, gain recognition for their contributions, and discover relevant research from across the continent.
Valuable research data from African universities disappears when projects end. Students graduate, datasets vanish, and future researchers start from scratch. This creates a cycle of duplicated effort and lost knowledge that hinders scientific progress across the continent.
A blockchain-based research data platform that preserves institutional knowledge, ensures transparent attribution, and builds verifiable research reputation. Every dataset uploaded becomes a permanent, discoverable resource with immutable attribution records.
For Researchers:
- Upload datasets with automated AI-powered metadata extraction
- Track dataset usage and citations with on-chain attribution
- Discover relevant research data from across African institutions
- Build verifiable research reputation through contributions
For Institutions:
- Cross-institutional collaboration platform
- Transparent attribution via Solana blockchain
- Impact tracking for research contributions
- Continental knowledge base that preserves institutional research
Access: africaresearchbase.netlify.com
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- Frontend: Next.js, TypeScript, TailwindCSS
- Blockchain: Solana (Anchor framework) - ensures immutable attribution and transparent reputation tracking
- Storage: Google Drive API - cost-optimized hybrid storage solution
- AI: Groq, LangChain - real-time metadata extraction and analysis
- Database: Supabase - search and indexing infrastructure
- Analytics: Custom dashboards for usage tracking and impact measurement
- 300+ universities across Africa
- 500,000+ active researchers annually
- Growing demand for research collaboration infrastructure
- Institutional need for attribution and impact tracking
- Academic Research: Dataset sharing across universities
- Government: Evidence-based policy development
- Healthcare: Clinical trial data and public health research
- Agriculture: Climate and crop research collaboration
- Development Organizations: Impact measurement and knowledge preservation
- Live Platform: Fully functional application on Solana devnet
- AI Integration: Real-time dataset analysis and metadata extraction
- Blockchain Infrastructure: Deployed smart contracts with modular architecture
- User Interface: Production-ready researcher workflow
Phase 1 (Q1 2025): Advanced search and recommendation engine
Phase 2 (Q2 2025): Multi-format support and data visualization tools
Phase 3 (Q3 2025): University partnerships and institutional features
Phase 4 (Q4 2025): Grant funding integration and comprehensive impact tracking
- Mbanwusi Francisca - Team Lead | Organization & Research Strategy
- Abimbola A.E. - Technical Lead | Full-stack & Solana Development
- Chiemere V. - Design Lead | UI/UX Design
- Institutional Subscriptions: Premium features for universities
- API Access: Data integration for research platforms
- Analytics Services: Advanced impact tracking and reporting
- Storage Solutions: Enhanced storage options for large datasets
- Blockchain infrastructure reduces operational costs
- AI automation minimizes manual processing
- Scalable architecture supports growth
Africa Research Base addresses a critical gap in African research infrastructure while leveraging cutting-edge blockchain and AI technology. We're positioned to become the standard platform for research data management across the continent.
Contact: [email protected]
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.
Made with ❤️ for African researchers, by African developers