International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence
IRCAI is a UNESCO-affiliated AI research centre based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, coordinating global AI research, policy support, fellowships, and capacity-building programmes to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals across 193 Member States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLjubljana, Slovenia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence does
The International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) is a non-commercial international research centre operating under the auspices of UNESCO and hosted at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was jointly established by UNESCO, the Jožef Stefan Institute, and the Slovenian Government to serve as a coordination point, funding conduit, and exploitation accelerator for AI approaches targeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with particular emphasis on SDGs 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, and 17. Its core activities span theoretical and applied AI research, policy advisory services to Member States, capacity-building programmes, and the dissemination of AI research through publications, conferences, and global events.
IRCAI's product and platform surface includes the AI Tools Radar (an ecosystem monitoring platform launched September 2025), the Global AI & SDG Index (sourced from its Global Top 100 programme featuring 100 AI applications across the 17 SDGs), the AI Clearinghouse validation programme, the International Journal of AI for Sustainable Development (JAISD), the AI Academy training programme, the NAIXUS Network of AI Excellence Centers, the UNITWIN academic network, and the AWS-partnered Compute for Climate Fellowship (which has deployed $2.5M in AWS credits across two cohorts to climate-tech startups from 21 countries). It also coordinates 20+ active EU and international research projects spanning AI ethics, healthcare, education, circular economy, climate change, assistive technologies, water resources, cybersecurity, and humanitarian applications.
IRCAI does not sell commercial products or services and operates on a grant and partnership funding model anchored by UNESCO, the Slovenian Government, AWS, EU project allocations, and development finance institutions such as CAF. Its go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, reaching UNESCO's 193 Member States through policy support, regional observatories (most recently in Latin America and the Caribbean in partnership with ECLAC), AI awards and olympiads, webinar series, and academic publications. Primary customer segments are UNESCO Member States and governments, AI researchers and academics, and educators and educational institutions.
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence
- Legal name
- International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence under the auspices of UNESCO
- Website
- https://ircai.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- IRCAI is a UNESCO-affiliated AI research centre based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, coordinating global AI research, policy support, fellowships, and capacity-building programmes to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals across 193 Member States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Research and Policy Services for Sustainable Development
- NAICS
- National Security and International Affairs (928)
- SIC
- International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001) (HDAAAMAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services (BPAEAHAJ), AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (HDAAAMAA), Responsible AI, Security & Privacy Platforms (Safety, Guardrails, PII) (HDAEANAG), Audit, Explainability & Accountability Tooling (traceability, reporting) (HDAAAKAL)
Keywords
Where International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ljubljana
- HQ country
- Slovenia
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Research Grants and Funding: IRCAI operates as a UNESCO-affiliated research centre funded through international partnerships and programmes. The centre administers funding programmes including the AI Solutions Funded with Social Impact Bonds and facilitates the Compute for Climate Fellowship providing AWS credits to startups.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IRCAI operates as a coordination point, funding route, and exploitation accelerator for AI approaches that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It conducts theoretical and applied AI research, develops AI tools (e.g., AI Tools Radar, AI Observatory of SDGs data), delivers training through its AI Academy, provides policy support to UNESCO Member States (including the International AI Policy Transfer Help Desk and AI Clearinghouse), and administers flagship programmes such as the Compute for Climate Fellowship (with AWS) and the Global Top 100.
Product overview
IRCAI (International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence) is a coordination point, funding route, and exploitation accelerator for approaches to the UN SDGs that utilize AI. It operates as a multi-faceted organization offering: research coordination through Scientific Programme Committees covering AI & Ethics, Healthcare, Education, Circular Economy, Climate Change, Assistive Technologies, and Water Resources; capacity building via the AI Academy and international awards/olympiads; validation programs including the AI Clearinghouse; and funding mechanisms such as the Compute for Climate Fellowship (in partnership with AWS) and social impact bond-funded AI solutions. The center also publishes the International Journal of AI for Sustainable Development and maintains the Global Network of AI Excellence Centers and AI Tools Radar platform. IRCAI was established by the Jožef Stefan Institute, UNESCO, and the Slovenian Government.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AI Tools Radar A radar platform for tracking and monitoring AI tools, launched to provide visibility into AI tools available in the ecosystem.
- AI Academy Training program providing capacity building and education in AI for sustainable development.
- Global AI & SDG Index Index measuring and ranking AI initiatives and projects against the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- AI Clearinghouse Validation program for AI solutions, part of IRCAI's capacity building and validation initiatives focused on social-impact AI.
- International AI Policy Transfer Help Desk Policy support service helping UNESCO Member States address technical, legal, social, and ethical challenges at the intersection of technology and policy.
- International Journal of AI for Sustainable Development (JAISD) Peer-reviewed journal publishing research on AI applications for sustainable development.
- Global Network of AI Excellence Centers (NAIXUS) Network connecting AI excellence centers globally to collaborate on AI for sustainable development.
- Compute for Climate Fellowship Fellowship program providing cloud computing credits to climate tech startups, run in partnership with AWS. Second cohort awarded up to $1.5 million in AWS credits to eight climate tech startups from 21 countries.
- AI Solutions Funded with Social Impact Bonds Funding mechanism using social impact bonds to finance AI solutions with social impact.
- IRCAI Global Top 100 Global Top 100 programme — annual/recurring global call for proposals that harnesses existing AI technologies to address and achieve the 17 UN SDGs, featuring 100 AI applications from around the world covering all 17 SDGs.
- Observatory on AI in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean Multi-stakeholder regional platform launched to help countries integrate AI into education systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, with focus on equity, quality, and sustainable development.
- AI Observatory of SDGs Data Monitoring platform tracking AI applications against SDG metrics.
Companies that use International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature4 records
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and flagship.
- Government of SloveniacoreSlovenian Government jointly hosts with UNESCO the high-level regional meeting on science diplomacy in Ljubljana, with IRCAI providing coordination support as part of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO activities.
- Mila (Quebec AI Institute)secondaryMila partnered with UNESCO and IRCAI on the 'Missing Links in AI Governance' publication, contributing research expertise to global AI governance discussions.
- CAF (Development Bank of Latin America)coreCAF partners with IRCAI and UNESCO on the Observatory on AI in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean, providing development finance expertise and regional knowledge.
- ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean)coreECLAC hosts the Observatory on AI in Education at its Santiago headquarters, contributing economic and social development expertise to the regional AI education initiative.
- CENIA (Chilean National AI Initiative)coreCENIA contributes technical AI expertise to the Latin American AI Observatory as Chile's national AI coordination body.
- Cetic.br/NIC.brsecondaryBrazil's ICT research centre contributes data and analytics expertise on AI adoption in education to the regional observatory.
- Ceibal Foundation (Uruguay)secondaryCeibal Foundation contributes expertise from Uruguay's Plan Ceibal digital education programme to the Latin American AI education observatory.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)flagshipAWS provides up to $1.5 million in total AWS credits for the Compute for Climate Fellowship, IRCAI's flagship climate technology startup programme. Second cohort selected eight startups from 21 countries working on biodiversity, clean energy, carbon removal, and sustainable agriculture.
- UNESCOcoreUNESCO is the parent organisation establishing IRCAI under its auspices. IRCAI serves as the primary coordination point for UNESCO's AI for sustainable development initiatives, including the Global Top 100 programme, AI Awards, and policy guidance for Member States.
- Jožef Stefan InstitutecoreThe Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia's premier research institution, hosts IRCAI and co-established the centre with UNESCO and the Slovenian Government. Provides research infrastructure and scientific expertise.
- Social FinancesecondarySocial Finance is a not-for-profit organisation specialising in social impact bonds and outcomes-based financing. Partnered to develop innovative funding mechanisms for AI for SDG solutions including the AI Solutions Funded with Social Impact Bonds programme.
- Village CapitalsecondaryThe largest organisation supporting impact-driven seed-stage startups globally, working with IRCAI on identifying and supporting AI ventures with sustainable development focus across 28 countries.
- Knowledge 4 All Foundation (K4A)coreK4All is the only UK machine learning-focused not-for-profit and advocate of AI applications for SDGs, particularly SDG4 on education. Manages UNESCO Chair in AI and OER, and leads AI4D initiative building Network of Excellence in AI in Sub-Saharan Africa reaching 150+ researchers at institutions including Makerere University, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, and Data Science Nigeria.
- British CouncilsecondaryIRCAI contributed AI expertise to the British Council's 'Stronger Together' programme, conducting two focus groups across Europe to develop AI recommendations for young leaders addressing social and climate challenges.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Vector Institute: Vector Institute is an internationally recognized AI research institute in Toronto working across research, talent, and adoption. Comparable as a non-profit AI institute operating research, training, and industry-engagement programs at scale, though Canada-anchored and broader in technical scope.
Direct peers
- World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: WEF's C4IR network operates AI governance pilots and policy frameworks with governments and multinationals globally. It overlaps with IRCAI in convening governments and industry around AI governance frameworks, though via a non-UN platform.
- Partnership on AI: Partnership on AI is a multi-stakeholder nonprofit convening organizations to study and shape AI practices. It is highly comparable to IRCAI in mission (responsible AI, policy guidance, multi-stakeholder convening) though it operates without UNESCO's intergovernmental anchor.
- CENIA (Chilean National Center for Artificial Intelligence): CENIA is Chile's national AI coordination body and an IRCAI partner on the LAC Observatory. Comparable as a national AI center producing research, policy input, and training with public-sector orientation.
- Mila (Quebec AI Institute): Mila is a non-profit AI research institute that has partnered with IRCAI and UNESCO on AI governance publications. Both are internationally recognized, non-commercial AI research organizations producing influential policy work, distinguished mainly by Mila's deep-learning research orientation versus IRCAI's SDG-driven governance focus.
- OECD AI Policy Observatory: OECD AI Policy Observatory tracks AI policies and trends across OECD member states and provides cross-country AI governance analysis. It is structurally analogous to IRCAI's AI Observatory of SDGs and policy support work, though anchored to OECD versus UN membership.
- UN AI for Good (ITU): ITU's AI for Good initiative is a UN-mandated program identifying practical AI applications advancing global priorities, especially the SDGs. It competes and complements IRCAI as a fellow UN-system AI-for-SDG convener with strong event and matchmaking output.
Emerging players
- Centre for AI Safety: Centre for AI Safety is a research org focused on catastrophic risk from advanced AI systems. Its convening and policy-influence work overlaps with IRCAI's AI ethics and governance thrust, though narrower in focus.
- AI Now Institute: AI Now Institute is a research institute examining the social implications of AI and informing policy. Comparable to IRCAI's policy work on ethics and rights of older persons, though US-focused on accountability of tech firms while IRCAI is globally SDG-focused.
- Allen Institute for AI (AI2): AI2 is a non-profit AI research institute producing open research and tooling for societal impact. It overlaps with IRCAI in producing research output and AI-for-society programs but is more focused on technical AI research than policy and SDG coordination.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence social profiles
Digital presenceInternational Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments12 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence
What does International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence do?
IRCAI operates as a coordination point, funding route, and exploitation accelerator for AI approaches that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It conducts theoretical and applied AI research, develops AI tools (e.g., AI Tools Radar, AI Observatory of SDGs data), delivers training through its AI Academy, provides policy support to UNESCO Member States (including the International AI Policy Transfer Help Desk and AI Clearinghouse), and administers flagship programmes such as the Compute for Climate Fellowship (with AWS) and the Global Top 100.
Is International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence a public or private company?
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence founded?
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence based?
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence is headquartered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the Europe region.
How does International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence make money?
One revenue line is on record: research Grants and Funding.
Who are International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence's main competitors?
Vector Institute is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Partnership on AI, CENIA (Chilean National Center for Artificial Intelligence), Mila (Quebec AI Institute), OECD AI Policy Observatory and UN AI for Good (ITU). Emerging players are Centre for AI Safety, AI Now Institute and Allen Institute for AI (AI2).
Does International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence have an API?
No public API is recorded for International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence.
What industry is International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence in?
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence's product category is AI Research and Policy Services for Sustainable Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAMAE, Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001), with a secondary code of BPAEAHAJ, Responsible AI, AI Governance & Compliance Services. Its NAICS code is 928 and its SIC code is 9721.