Data Stewardship Program

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Our focus

We reimagine and redesign Data Stewardship as essential human infrastructure. We improve the Data Stewardship capacity and competences of organisations from all sectors and continuosly develop our training syllabus so it is fit for different contexts and technologies. We expect Data Stewards and Data Stewardship teams to roll out across companies, organisations and the public administrations and for this function to help break silos and enable collaborative approaches for responsible data reuse.

We offer a range of courses and programs to develop competencies for the new Data Steward role. You can choose whether to use these resources in – house or take part in one of our open bootcamps and courses. If you’re interested in creating new Data Steward functions or roles in your organisation, or want to develop the skills of the Data Stewards working with you already, contact us now about our training.

Read more about our Data Stewards bootcamps in this article or by reading this piece by The Data Tank’s Co-founder and Principal Scientific Advisor Dr Stefaan Verhulst to get a better idea of the role of the Data Steward.

Info@datatank.org

Data Stewardship: unlocking data for the common good, every single day.

Data Stewardship as we reimagine it involves a set of competences and functions different to those of Data Protection teams. Data stewards are proactive and collaborative in seeking potential for reusing data to improve people’s lives. They take the lead in identifying questions and challenges where data can add valuable insights. They spot the gaps where vital data is missing and should be accessed or reused.

They are focused and strategic. They only gather data that is relevant to the issue in hand, and to what the common good needs. They won’t collect data for the sake of it or leave it unused on servers that add to our carbon footprint.

They are trusted enablers. They create an environment where everyone is confident that the data they share will be reused in responsible ways. Ways that go beyond self-interest and secrecy, and contribute to the greater good.

Executive Courses

The Data Tank, in collaboration with The GovLab are implementing Data Stewards Bootcamps all across the globe. These bootcamps are immersive learning programmes combined with external data domain field visits & guided by expert talks. The bootcamps train the current & future data stewards with the knowledge and skills that are needed to implement and develop responsible data re-use practices. Such practices ensure ethical and legal compliance, all while identifying and fostering data collaboration opportunities that increase the impact of data.

Moreover, participants receive coaching to develop a data re-use strategy and have the chance to network with their peers, coaches, and professors. The program also combines field visits to leading data industry institutions for the participants to be able to see how data-driven initiatives are implemented in practice. By the end of the program, these future data stewards comprehend how to identify and develop open data and data re-use initiatives and balance the opportunities and risks related to them.

These bootcamps can be offered as an 8 week online program, 5-day in-person program, or 4 week hybrid program. If you are interested in co-designing a programme like this one and would like to adapt it to your contextual needs, we are open and happy to support. Our engagement varies from us developing the full programme for you, or us co-designing the programme with you.

What will you learn? Our Learning Modules

Session 1: Introduction to Data Stewardship

Session 2: Defining and Understanding Demand for Data and AI

Session 3: Understanding and Describing Data Supply

Session 4: Matching Demand with Supply to Meet the Value Proposition

Session 5: Governance, Sustainability, and Institutionalization

Practical Information

Requirements

Date & Timing

Time Commitment

Assignments

Language

Upcoming Courses

Data Stewards Intensive Course in Switzerland

Data Stewards Intensive Course 2.0 in Berlin

Previous Bootcamps

The Data Stewards Bootcamp in Turin

The Data Stewards Bootcamp in Turin is taught in interactive, hybrid group setting in Turin, Italy. The sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Stefaan Verhulst and Guest Faculty with a diverse background – ranging from civil society and the private and public sectors – bringing their real world experiences to this immersive learning journey. The Data Tank team is committed to making adjustments to meet the needs of course participants within reason. Please refer to the FAQs for more details regarding the course.

Supported by Fondazione Compagnia Di SanPaolo, The Data Tank & The GovLab held a data stewards bootcamp in Turin, Italy. The program was organized in a hybrid form following a 3-day on-site program in Turin, followed by three weeks online. The entire program was implemented in 4 weeks and started on November 18, 2024. The bootcamp’s theme was Data Re-use in Cities and is open to representatives from the private sector, non-profit, and public.

The Data Stewards Bootcamp in Berlin

The bootcamp in Berlin can be summarised in the following video:
Supported by Bertelsmann Stiftung, The Data Tank & The GovLab held a data stewards intensive course in Berlin, Germany. The course was organized in a one-week intensive format. The course targeted civil society and social sector organisation working in open data topics.

The Data Stewards seminar created an inclusive environment that allowed me to work with other data driven professionals in civic society that allowed me to learn about tools and frameworks to bring data to my organization.

- Nadine Isabel Levin / Norwegian Refugee Council

It was a pleasure to spend the week in Berlin with a cohort of Data Stewards under the instruction of Stefaan Verhulst and the team at the Data Tank. The program was really well run and we had opportunities to meet and work with organisations focused on sustainable and responsible re-use of data for public benefit.

- Mark Herringer / Global Healthsites project

It was a great mix between (applied) theory and practice, inputs from Stefaan (with his vast experience), guest speaker and last but not least the other participants.

- Florin Hasler / Open Data Chapter

The Data Steward Intensive Course is highly recommended. In addition to the wealth of inspiring content, case studies and site visits are used to create practical references. This helps you to transfer the content to problems in your own organization. I took away an incredible amount and can use the knowledge very well when planning and structuring new research projects.

Katharina König / Werner Felber Institut

As it is the varied and gratifying nature of data stewardship that there is no one fits all approach the course and its excellence of teachers and participants is also a great knowledge mixer of in depth international experience.

- Oliver Rack / Politics for Tomorrow

This course was an excellent opportunity to park for some time the "urgent" tasks and the noise, and reflect about the bigger scope when dealing with data. In addition to the excellent lectures provided by Stefaan and the rest of the DataTank team, I found inspiring guest talks and a vibrant cohort of enthusiast that will help shaping the future of data at the public and non-profit sectors.

- Hector Ibarra / Norwegian Refugee Council

I highly recommend participating in this course to anyone who is leading a team. It opens your eyes that working on AI or Data is not enough - you also need the structures and governance to do so. Data Stewards play a crucial role in this.

- Benedikt Göller / Agore Digitale Transformation