OCCRP research and data teams have combined forces and we’re thrilled to announce our first ever Research & Data Fellowship Program! We don’t care if you’re a beginner eager to dive into data journalism, someone looking to enhance their OSINT skills, or an experienced researcher. What matters is that you’re excited about investigative journalism and want to take a step forward with us.
Details:
- 8-week hybrid program; kick off is in person Nov. 1-12 at OCCRP’s global HQ in Amsterdam
- 6-8 fellows will be selected; each fellow will be paired with a mentor from the R&D Team and together we’ll focus on honing your data and research skills while developing a story idea
- 3 fellows will be chosen specifically from the countries of Armenia, Ecuador, Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, and Zambia (see details below); the remaining 3-5 fellows will be chosen from any country
- For the grand finale, you’ll get to participate in a separate OCCRP event scheduled for Nov. 11-12: OCCRP’s first hackathon!
Partnering with Open Ownership and EITI
As part of their Opening Extractives programme, Open Ownership and the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) International Secretariat have partnered with us to sponsor three fellows from the following countries: Armenia, Ecuador, Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, Zambia. These fellows will be selected in collaboration with the Opening Extractives team, and will need to pitch a project that looks into company ownership, and/or makes use of publicly available beneficial ownership data relating to the extractive sector.
The Curriculum
We’ll use the first 10 days in Amsterdam to run training sessions on the OSINT and
data tools, databases and techniques we use at OCCRP. You’ll get to meet our team and be paired with a mentor to help you make the most of your time in Amsterdam.
We will work closely with you to scope out your project idea and help come
up with a development plan. Depending on your project, we might also pull in
research or tech experts outside of OCCRP to share their knowledge and coach
you on a specific tool or technique.
During the last weekend of the in-person period, we’ll be hosting the inaugural
OCCRP Hackathon in Amsterdam. It’ll be two days packed full of fun data and
research projects, teamwork, networking and — of course — free pizza. More
details on this are coming soon.
After you leave Amsterdam, we’ll continue working with you remotely to finalize
your story idea and, hopefully, shape it into something you can pitch to a media
outlet. Depending on the scope of your project, we might also help you pitch the
story to OCCRP.
THE LOGISTICS
Opening Extractives and OCCRP will cover your travel, visa, and accommodation
costs, as well as provide a small stipend for the kick off session in Amsterdam. You
will work in our office space with members from the R&D Team and other OCCRP
staff. While we’ll do our best to support you in the travel visa application process,
please note that you will ultimately be responsible for ensuring that all paperwork
is prepared for your travel to the Netherlands for arrival on November 1 and
departure on November 12.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and are open until Friday,
September 29. If you require a visa to travel to the Netherlands, please apply as
soon as possible, as this process takes time.
In the application form, please submit a project idea you want to work on with
our support during the fellowship. This is the most important part of your application. It needs to be a journalistic story idea with a strong OSINT, research, or data
aspect. It should be complex enough to keep you busy for two months, but not too
ambitious — our goal is to get the story published. We don’t expect you to have a
(technical) solution for all the problems involved in your project, but need a good
idea that we can help strategize about. We will do our best to pair you up with
our most knowledgeable team members and will try to introduce you to relevant
experts and/or journalists if you require additional support. All story ideas will be
kept confidential.
If you have any questions about the fellowship, please contact Karina Shedrofsky
and Jan Strozyk at rad@occrp.org and good luck!
