The DataLab Research Group turns research in data science, artificial intelligence and digital libraries into practical services. We work with universities and colleges, government agencies, professional bodies, NGOs and companies, on a paid basis or as research partners.
What we offer
Training and capacity building
Hands-on workshops and short courses for staff, students and professionals: applied AI and machine learning, large language models and retrieval-augmented generation, AI literacy for academics and leaders, open access publishing with OJS and DSpace, open educational resources, and digital tools for accessible teaching.
Recent: HEA Winter School, ICTAZ Tech Conference, COL–UNZA OER workshop
Repositories and scholarly publishing
Set-up and support of institutional repositories (DSpace) and journal platforms (OJS): configuration, metadata quality and ETD-MS compliance, OAI-PMH interoperability, migration of legacy collections, and editorial workflows that help research get found.
Recent: Kapasa Makasa University, Diamond Open Access Journals
Data science and AI solutions
Data analysis, dashboards and machine-learning models for real problems, and private deployments of large language models and retrieval-augmented generation on your own infrastructure, in line with Zambia's Data Protection Act.
Examples: AI for radiology, road condition monitoring from dashcam video
Research platforms and open data
We design, build and host research information systems, from national portals to research data infrastructure, and publish curated, documented open datasets that others can reuse.
Research collaboration and supervision
Joint research projects and grant partnerships; postgraduate supervision in Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Health Informatics and Data Science; and industry-linked student capstone projects.
See: our projects, capstone reports
Talks and keynotes
Invited talks, keynotes and panel contributions on applied AI, digital health, open science, research visibility and digital libraries, for conferences, institutions and professional bodies.
Platforms we run
2024–presentZambia National ETD PortalOne searchable collection of postgraduate theses and dissertations from Zambian universities, harvested nightly from institutional repositories, with an OAI-PMH provider and REST API. Read how we built it.Recent engagements
DataLab Facilitates GenAI Sessions at the COL–UNZA Open Educational Resources Workshop
Lighton Phiri Delivers Session on AI Literacy at the HEA Winter School
Pilot Workshop on Digital Innovation, Collaboration and AI-Enhanced Learning
Lighton Phiri Delivers Applied AI Training at the 2026 ICTAZ Tech Conference
DataLab Facilitates Institutional Repository and Open Access Publishing Training at Kapasa Makasa University
DIALOGUES Project Digital Technologies for Accessibility Training Workshop in KitweOrganisations we have worked with
- Higher Education Authority
- Information and Communications Technology Association of Zambia
- Commonwealth of Learning
- EIFL
- ZAMREN
- Kapasa Makasa University
- Kitwe College of Education
- University Teaching Hospitals
- Smart Zambia Institute
- Road Development Agency
- Zambia Road Safety Trust
- Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection
- Data Science Africa
- Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence
- Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture
Workshop archive
- 2026
- COL–UNZA Workshop: Harnessing Open Educational Resources for Teaching, Learning and Knowledge Sharing, Lusaka, October 6–7
- HEA Winter School Capacity Building Workshop for Higher Education Institutions, Livingstone, July 15–17
- Pilot Workshop on Digital Innovation, Collaboration and AI-Enhanced Learning, online, May 28–29
- 2026 ICTAZ Tech Conference Training: Applied AI and Machine Learning, Livingstone, March 17
- Kapasa Makasa University Institutional Repository and Open Access Publishing Training Workshop, Chinsali, February 11–13
- DIALOGUES Project Digital Technologies for Accessibility Training Workshop, Kitwe, January 19–20
- 2025
- Artificial Intelligence Skills Building Workshop, Chongwe, August 24
- Development of Advanced Practical Skills in Leveraging AI Tools Across Research and Teaching, University of Zambia, August 12
- JABS Editorial Board Open Journal System Platform Training Workshop, Chongwe, July 31–August 1
- 2024
- ETDs 101: Digital Libraries and Institutional Repository Implementation and Configuration (tutorial), ETD 2024, Livingstone, November 4
- Electronic Journal Publishing Using Open Journal Systems, University of Zambia, August 1
- 2023
- Electronic Journal Publishing Using Open Journal Systems, Higher Education Authority, September 28
- 2020
- DRGS Open Journal Systems (OJS) Training
- 2018
- National Workshop on E-filing and E-records Management Using Alfresco [Brochure] [Presentation slides]
- National Workshop on Scholarly Communication Through Open Access Publishing [Brochure] [Presentation slides]
Work with us
Tell us about your organisation and what you need, whether it is a workshop, a platform, an AI or data project, or a research partnership. We will get back to you to discuss scope, timelines and costs.