Our Work
One mission, four permanent pillars, and distinct operating models that turn them into useful work.
Pillars
Permanent fields of work — not projects, and not time-bound.
Programs
Repeatable operating models with a defined audience, intake, selection, and delivery.
Initiatives & Collaborations
Bounded bodies of research, data, institutional, or partner work.
Projects, Challenges & Cohorts
The actual delivery units inside a program or initiative.
How SAIF Organizes Its Work
Mission in practice
Develop and connect talent, research, trusted data, infrastructure, and real-world challenges to build credible AI capability from Syria.
Strategic Pillars
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Pillar 1: Applied Research & Trusted Data
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Pillar 2: Agentic Systems
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Pillar 3: Training & Capability-Building
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Pillar 4: Standards & Responsible Adoption
Programs & Initiatives
Two distinct ways of working, both connected to the pillars.
Initiatives & Collaborations
Explore initiatives and collaborationsDelivery Formats
- Projects
- Challenges
- Cohorts
- Pilots
- Research Work
Strategic Pillars
The four pillars are permanent fields of work, not individual programs. Programs and initiatives are anchored in one or more pillars and carry them into practice.
- Explore research →
Pillar 1: Applied Research & Trusted Data
Define tractable research questions, support disciplined experimentation, and develop trusted data and evaluation resources relevant to Syria and Arabic AI.
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Pillar 2: Agentic Systems
Turn research and modern AI capabilities into practical systems and prototypes for institutional and public-interest use.
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Pillar 3: Training & Capability-Building
Develop researchers, engineers, trainers, and technical leaders through structured learning, mentorship, and project work.
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Pillar 4: Standards & Responsible Adoption
Promote responsible evaluation, governance, data practices, and institutional adoption aligned with recognized standards.
Programs
Programs are repeatable operating models with a defined audience, intake, selection, delivery, and outcomes.
Program
Mateen Program
SAIF’s project-based applied AI research and talent program, designed around real problems, technical coaching, and structured project delivery.
In development
Program
Trainer Development Program (Training of Trainers — ToT)
Building a distributed network of qualified trainers across Syria and the Levant, in AI, digital skills, data, and related mission-relevant subjects.
In development — accepting expressions of interest
Initiatives & Collaborations
Initiatives and collaborations are bounded bodies of research, data, institutional, public-interest, or partner work — distinct from repeatable programs. SAIF keeps them visually and semantically separate from programs, and marks each one's actual status (active, in development, accepting expressions of interest, or planned) rather than presenting planned work as completed.
See all initiatives and collaborations →