DNDI – Introduction to Generative AI & deployment of COPILOT / GPT-4

Presentation of DNDI

Based in Geneva, DNDI (Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative) is an international non-profit organization committed to researching and developing accessible treatments for neglected diseases. In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, DNDI has chosen to embrace generative AI across the organization, with three primary objectives:

• Boost productivity,
• Accelerate the delivery of treatments to patients,
• Ensure the ethical, secure and strategic adoption of AI.

Tailored Support with EFFISCIANCE

To take on this challenge, DNDI partnered with Effisciance, Ritme’s AI training program, which designs and delivers tailor-made courses for its clients. The goal is to make AI accessible, pragmatic and directly applicable through active, business-oriented pedagogy.

« We don’t believe in generic AI training. Our conviction is that each sector has its own uses, norms and limitations. That reality is the foundation of our programs. »

– Vincent ECOLLAN, Technical Director at EFFISCIANCE

Project Objectives and Scope

To drive this digital transformation, DNDI laid out an ambitious roadmap focused on upskilling employees and applying AI to concrete use cases:

• Familiarize all employees with the fundamentals of generative AI,
• Understand the risks, biases and potential of the technology,
• Provide practical guidelines for the ethical, secure and sensible use of these tools,
• Introduce Prompt Engineering and apply it to real business cases.
• Foster adoption of Copilot and GPT-4 across teams.

This began with a highly practical first training phase, whose results highlighted both team engagement and the immediate impact of the program.

Key Figures:

• Over 100 employees trained across all departments,
• 3-hour sessions focused on essentials,
• 9.2/10 average satisfaction score, confirming strong alignment between expectations and delivery.

Gradual Roll-out Across the Organization

To firmly establish the use of generative AI, DNDI continued the initiative with an immersive conference, workshops by department to identify priority use cases, followed by implementation support and exploration of AI agents in department workflows.

1. A Structured Training Plan, Rooted in Reality

The training program was built around four progressive modules:

• 1. Generative AI and its implications,
• 2. Mastering the fundamentals of prompt engineering
• 3. Exploring generic use cases
• 4. Identifying and exploring business use cases

« After the first training, enthusiasm was palpable around the coffee machine, and IT was flooded with requests for more sessions. »

– Pascal CARPENTIER, Information System & Technology Director at DNDI

2. Immersive “Wow Effect” Conference

A unifying event was organized to spark curiosity and open new perspectives. The objective: to showcase the transformative potential of AI through interactive demonstrations.

Among the experiences shared:

• Multilingual video speech translation with lip synchronization,
• Portrait transformation into Pixar-style characters,
• Automatic PowerPoint presentations generation,
• Assisted programming (“vibe coding”) with real-time AI suggestions.

This conference created both an emotional and intellectual spark, illustrating impressive yet accessible use cases anchored in real business contexts.

3. Department-Specific Workshops: Prioritizing Use Cases

Collaborative workshops were then held by department or function to turn inspiration into action.

Each group worked on:

• Identifying potential use cases linked to daily activities,
• Prioritizing them by impact, feasibility and frequency,
• Deepening priority use cases by co-designing prompts, processes, and AI integration methods.

This phase grounded learning in day-to-day reality and actively involved teams in the transformation.

Our training courses in Generative AI for Science!

EFFISCIANCE, our training program is specifically designed to support researchers and scientists in the practical integration of these technologies.

Our goal: to enable you to use Generative AI with discernment, efficiency, and creativity.

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4. Personalized Follow-Up and Integration Support

Finally, follow-up sessions were set up in the form of targeted coaching for specific teams or projects.

Objectives included:

• Supporting teams in embedding AI into their daily practices,
• Addressing technical or cultural barriers identified in workshops,
• Co-developing enhanced processes (semi-automated or AI-assisted) aligned with business objectives.

This sustained support ensures lasting skill development while aligning AI adoption with departmental strategies.

« This has really energized AI adoption internally. We are now rolling out the training across the entire group. »

– Pascal CARPENTIER, Information System & Technology Director at DNDI

A Solid Foundation for a Sustainable AI Strategy

Through a pragmatic and customized approach, DNDI has accelerated its transition to generative AI by engaging its employees in secure use of the technology that is focused on their business challenges.