in partnership with Opening Extractives

OCCRP research and data teams have combined forces and we’re thrilled to announce our first ever Research & Data Fellowship Program! They 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 them.

• 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, Phil-
  ippines, 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 them 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 avail-able beneficial ownership data relating to the extractive sector.

During the last weekend of the in-person period, They will 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.

Curriculum

They will 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.

They 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.

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 paperworkis 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 their 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 — their goal is to get the story published. They 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. They 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!

Click the link below to apply

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUZ5SyIIwPPOh0xEZrKhg5RGw_xc1S6Bs5dZFS4chYzAnFPA/viewform