This challenge is open only to participants at the Deep Learning Indaba taking place 25-30 August in Nairobi, Kenya. To enter the challenge, you will need to give your email address in person to an IBM or Zindi representative at the Indaba. You can find us during the practical hackathon track every day of the conference. Check the schedule here.

Malaria is thought to have had the greatest disease burden throughout human history, while it continues to pose a significant and disproportionate global health burden. Participants of this challenge should apply machine learning tools, specifically reinforcement learning, to determine novel solutions which could impact malaria policy in Sub Saharan Africa.

Specifically, challenge participants will submit solutions that will make determinations with respect to how combinations of interventions which control the transmission, prevalence and health outcomes of malaria infection, should be distributed in a simulated human population.

This challenge consists of an in-person live challenge hosted on zindi during the Indaba. Zindi will provide authorised participants with an explanation of the challenge and sample code.

About IBM Research – Africa

Please visit https://www.research.ibm.com/labs/africa/ for more information about IBM Research Africa

This challenge is an invitational challenge sponsored by International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Research Lab - Nairobi Kenya (“IBM”), and hosted by Zindi. In order to participate, you must be the intended recipient of IBM’s invitation.

If you are at the Deep Learning Indaba taking place 25-30 August in Nairobi, Kenya, you may enter this challenge by giving your email address in person to an IBM or Zindi representative. You can find us during the practical hackathon track every day of the conference. Check the schedule here.

All decisions by IBM as to invitees are final. By participating, participants fully and unconditionally agree to be bound by these Challenge Rules and the judging criteria, which will be final and binding in all matters relating to the Challenge.

To participate, you must:

1. be registered for and attend in person the Deep Learning Indaba taking place from August 25th – August 30th, 2019 at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya; and
2. be at least 18 years old as of August 25, 2019. If a participant is unknowingly registered and is later found to be below 18 years old, they will be exempt and will lose their place in the Challenge.

Solutions submitted to the Zindi Platform by the Authorised Participants will be scored by IBM using a single evaluation algorithm.

Your submission should be made in the approved format using either Python 3.6 or R languages, with standard libraries and dependencies.

Your submission will be based on performing combinations of vector control interventions as actions through time to create a malaria control policy.

This malaria control policy will have to be learnt through interacting with the live challenge environment. You have the chance to make use of a training phase and a testing phase.

During the training phase your algorithm may be evaluated on a set of offline sequential decision processes. While the online learning performance of your algorithm will be tested in the submission phase with your score being posted on the Live Leaderboard at the Indaba conference.

No prizes will be awarded in connection with this Challenge. All submissions will be ranked on the leader board that is publicly available on the Challenge Platform. Submissions will be scored by IBM using a single evaluation algorithm.

The Challenge & Submission Period

The objective of the IBM-Zindi Malaria Challenge (the “Challenge”) is for Challenge participants to apply machine learning tools, specifically reinforcement learning, to determine novel solutions which could impact malaria policy in Sub Saharan Africa. Specifically, Challenge participants will submit solutions via the Challenge Platform that will make determinations with respect to how combinations of interventions which control the transmission, prevalence and health outcomes of malaria infection, should be distributed in a simulated human population. Solutions submitted to the Challenge Platform by the participants will be scored by IBM using a single evaluation algorithm.

The Challenge's submissions will be accepted on the Challenge Platform during the period which begins at 8:00am EAT August 25, 2019 and ends at 18:00pm EAT August 30, 2019 (“Submission Period”).

Eligibility

The Challenge is an invitational Challenge sponsored by International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Research Lab - Nairobi Kenya (“IBM”), and hosted by Zindi (“Zindi”) on its data science challenge platform available at https://zindi.africa/ (the “Challenge Platform”). You must be the intended recipient of IBM’s invitation in order to participate in the Challenge. All decisions by IBM as to invitees are final. By participating, participants fully and unconditionally agree to be bound by these Challenge Rules and the judging criteria, which will be final and binding in all matters relating to the Challenge.

To participate, you must:

(1) be registered for and attend in person the Deep Learning Indaba Conference taking place from August 25th – August 30th, 2019 at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya as further described at http://www.deeplearningindaba.com (the “Indaba Conference”); and

(2) be at least 18 years old as of August 25, 2019. If a participant is unknowingly registered and is later found to be below 18 years old, they will be exempt and will lose their place in the Challenge.

Prizes

No prizes will be awarded in connection with this Challenge. All submissions will be ranked on the leader board that is publicly available on the Challenge Platform. Submissions will be scored by IBM using a single evaluation algorithm.

Conditions

Participation in the Challenge constitutes each participant’s agreement to these terms and any terms and conditions required by Zindi for access to the Challenge Platform. By participating, to the maximum extent permitted by law, entrants agree to release and hold harmless IBM, its subsidiaries, affiliates and related companies, partners and promotion and advertising agencies, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Challenge Entities”) from any and all liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in the Challenge or participation in any Challenge-related activity and for any claims based on publicity rights, defamation, invasion of privacy, copyright infringement, trademark infringement or any other intellectual property-related cause of action. Any software code submitted by entrants as part of entrants’ participation in the Challenge shall be made available and released under the open source license of Apache 2.0, where the terms and conditions of such an open source license and any other associated copyright notices shall be included as part of a header to the software code submitted. Entrants who do not comply with these Challenge Rules, or attempt to interfere with this Challenge in any way shall be disqualified. IBM is not responsible if Challenge cannot take place due to travel cancellations, delays or interruptions due to acts of God, acts of war, natural disasters, weather or acts of terrorism. You acknowledge that the Challenge Entities have neither made, nor are in any manner responsible or liable for, any warranty, condition, representation or guarantee, expressed or implied in fact or in law, relative to the Challenge or to any portion thereof, including but not limited to its quality, merchantability, mechanical condition, or fitness for a particular purpose.

Additional Terms

Any attempted form of entry other than as set forth herein these Challenge Rules is prohibited; no automatic, programmed; robotic or similar means of entry are permitted. The Challenge Entities are not responsible for technical, hardware, software, telephone or other communications malfunctions, errors or failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, web site, Internet, or ISP availability, unauthorized human intervention, traffic congestion, incomplete or inaccurate capture of entry information (regardless of cause) or failed, incomplete, garbled, jumbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit one's ability to enter the Challenge, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer relating to or resulting from participating in this Challenge or downloading any materials in this Challenge. IBM reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend this Challenge should (in its sole discretion) virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, fraud or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper conduct of the Challenge. In such case, IBM may score entrants from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by IBM. IBM reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Challenge or Challenge Platform. IBM may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Challenge if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Challenge by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices (including the use of automated quick entry programs) or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or IBM representatives.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CHALLENGE MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, IBM RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Limitation of Liability; Disclaimer of Warranties

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE CHALLENGE ENTITIES AND/OR THEIR RESPECTIVE PARENT COMPANIES, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, PARTNERS, REPRESENTATIVES, AGENTS, SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNS, EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE CHALLENGE PLATFORM, A RELATED SERVICE AND/OR THE CHALLENGE, DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM ANY WEBSITES ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHALLENGE (INCLUDING THE CHALLENGE PLATFORM). IN NO EVENT SHALL THE CHALLENGE ENTITIES' TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, OR CAUSES OF ACTION EXCEED $10. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, THIS CHALLENGE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

Disputes; Governing Law

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the parties waive all rights to trial in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Challenge Rules, including, without limitation, the Challenge. For any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to these Challenge Rules and/or the Challenge, the parties agree that the laws of Kenya will apply. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THESE CHALLENGE RULES AND THE INTERPRETATION OF ITS TERMS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF KENYA WITHOUT REGARD TO ITS CONFLICTS OF LAWS RULES.

Use of Data

Zindi will collect personal data about entrants pursuant to the terms of use of the Challenge Platform available at https://zindi.africa/terms. By participating in the Challenge via the Challenge Platform, entrants agree to term of use thereunder. Participants agree that they will not provide personal data directly to IBM.

Miscellaneous

In the event of any conflict between the English version of these Challenge Rules and any translation, the English version shall prevail. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision herein shall not affect in any way the validity and enforceability of any other provision in these Challenge Rules. If any provision of these Challenge Rules are or become partially void, or are held to be invalid or unenforceable in any respect, the parties will continue to be bound by the remainder the Challenge Rules, which shall be enforced to the full extent permitted by law. Furthermore, entrants agree that the parties shall replace the voided or invalid parts by provisions that are valid and have legal effect that correspond with those of such voided or invalid parts as much as possible, taking into account the content and the purpose of these Challenge Rules. IN THE EVENT THERE IS A DISCREPANCY OR INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN DISCLOSURES OR OTHER STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN ANY CHALLENGE MATERIALS AND THESE CHALLENGE RULES, THE CHALLENGE RULES SHALL PREVAIL, GOVERN AND CONTROL.

CAUTION: IBM and ZINDI do not require participants to send money or any other consideration in order to participate in the Challenge and will not be liable for any losses or other damage incurred by participants who do not heed this caution.

Refer to the FAQs and Terms of Use for additional rules that may apply to this competition.

We reserve the right to modify these rules at any time as necessary.

The Challenge's submissions will be accepted on the Challenge Platform during the period which begins at 8:00am EAT August 25, 2019 and ends at 18:00pm EAT August 30, 2019 (“Submission Period”).