International Data Science Accelerator Programme

What is the International Data Science Accelerator Programme?

The International Data Science Accelerator is a short-term virtual mentoring programme involving mentors and mentees from different National Statistics Offices and international organisations. 

The aim of the programme is to build and enhance data science capability across the national statistics community. The programme is project focused and it prioritises National Statistical Offices (NSOs) in low and in middle-income countries who are looking at developing their data science capability.  

Mentee applicants will need to identify a certain challenge or problem within their business area that may be solved using non-traditional data sources or new data science tools and techniques. 

The project may be experimental but should result in a prototype that can be implemented at the NSO. Through delivering on the selected projects, the mentees are expected to acquire new skills that they can then share more widely with their colleagues and thus contribute to their organisation’s development. We are accepting pairs (or teams of maximum three people) of mentees working on the same project and pairs of mentors as well. 

Contact us at International.data.science.accelerator.programme@ons.gov.uk

Latest news

Cohort 5 of the International Data Science Accelerator Programme is now open for applications.

Data Science project applications can be submitted from 7th October until 15th November. The submitted projects will go through the selection process and results will be communicated by 11th December. The mentoring collaboration will start on the 7th January and end on the 25th April.

Mentees

Want to be a mentee for 16 weeks and learn from an international expert? ACCESS THE APPLICATION FORM.

IMPORTANT!

  • Mentees need to work for the National Statistics Office (NSO) in their country, to be able to apply.
  • This is a project based programme – mentees need to provide a data science project they’ll be working on with their designated mentor.
  • Data needs to be ethically sourced and available to start the collaboration.
  • Approval from line manager and senior management needs to be granted.
  • Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible countries are prioritised. Check here if your country is eligible.

Mentors

Want to mentor emerging international data analysts and contribute to building data science capability, while enriching your own knowledge and skills? DOWNLOAD THE EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FROM.

IMPORTANT!

  • We accept mentor expressions of interest from NSOs, world organisations and academia.
  • Please ensure you have at least 3 hours per week available to dedicate to this mentoring programme.

Find out more about who we are looking for

We are accepting pairs (or teams of maximum three people) of mentees working on the same project and pairs of mentors as well.

How it works

Applications, sifting and mentee or mentor allocations

The mentee submits the application form linked below, detailing a project proposal on which they would like to receive data science mentorship.

Please note that the project proposal must have line management and senior leadership approval at the NSO. They must agree that it fits with the NSO’s data strategy, and the applicant must be allocated time to do the work by their line manager. It’s also important that the mentee has permission to share unrestricted project-related data with their mentor.

Applications will be sifted, and if successful, the mentee will be matched with an experienced data science mentor. Applications will also be sought from data science mentors and will be collated and stored on our mentor database so they can be matched with mentees according to their skills and area of expertise.

There will be a short period before the programme starts where mentors and mentees will be able to familiarise themselves with one another and agree a suitable mentoring day. Mentors will be given access to training materials to support their mentoring role.

Programme structure

During the 16-week programme, the mentee will spend one day per week working on the data science project and will receive remote support from their mentor for two to three hours on their agreed day of the week. If this is not possible, the mentor and mentee can agree a more suitable equivalent to accommodate clashes with schedules, time zones, etc. The mentor and mentee should ideally have access to Microsoft Teams or another video conferencing tool to ensure effective communication throughout the cohort.

Taking the programme further

To ensure the programme continues to flourish, we need more mentors. If you are an experienced data scientist and can give a maximum of 16 days of your time over 16 weeks to invest in the growth of data science globally, please contact us.

Mentee application form

Mentor application form