DataFest Tbilisi 2020: Call for Applications among journalists and civil society activists

ForSet and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) are happy to invite you to join the DataFest Tbilisi 2020!

The world is becoming increasingly tech-driven. Data-based analytics and communication are going to play an important role in media, NGO, private and public sectors.

DataFest Tbilisi and its section for Journalists and Civil Society Activists is a digital edition developed in times of COVID 19 pandemic when data exchange is fast-paced and the analysis transformed from it is vital as never before for decision making in times of crisis. DataFest Tbilisi will be held on 15,16 and 17 December and will host talks (day 1), workshops (day 2), and datathons (day 3).

The application is open to individuals who are:

1. Citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan.
2. Are a representative of a civil society organization or non-for-profit media;
3. As a part of their job, use open data and public records for:
a. evidence-based policy dialogue with national and/or local authorities;
b. evidence-based advocacy campaigns and actions;
c. independent investigations to raise awareness and inform the general public;
d. developing and supporting IT tools and solutions based on open data;
e. countering disinformation
f. other (please specify).

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to take part in the IWPR supported Datathon Challenge to develop a data-driven solution for the media, journalists, and civil society. Details on challenges will be shared later. The award pool for the best project/s is 1500 EUR.

The application process is on a rolling basis and will be over once the spots get filled. Make sure you apply as soon as possible.

More information about DataFest Tbilisi 2020 can be found here: https://datafest.ge/ or
https://www.facebook.com/DataFestTbilisi/.

For any program-related questions, please contact Teona Tomashvili at [email protected] or Ana Dabrundashvili at [email protected].

***

DataFest Tbilisi 2020 is the fourth edition of an annual international conference about data, technology, and communications, bringing together the data community from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to inspire and encourage and create meaningful connections.

Sessions for journalists and the datathon challenge are supported by the Giving Voice, Driving Change - from the Borderland to the Steppes project that supports democratisation and governance, human rights and independent media across the countries of EU’s Eastern Partnership and Central Asia implemented by IWPR with the financial support of the Foreign Ministry of Norway. https://iwpr.net/focus/from-borderland-steppes

 

Application form can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSengiIRArFNBokzj6HHDmYLEMfww3wZoW62xGaaxqkFN0gr3A/viewform?gxids=7757.