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The India Climate and Health Data Capacity Accelerator
Photo credit: PradeepGaurs, Shutterstock.com
Data.org and J-PAL South Asia launched the India Climate and Health Data Capacity Accelerator in May 2023, with support from Wellcome. The Accelerator aims to create a sustainable and scalable model to strengthen the data capacity of the social sector in India.
To achieve its goal, the Accelerator combines interdisciplinary data skills training with fellowships in social impact organizations. The talent-building programs are anchored at leading Indian universities Ashoka University, BITS Pilani, and IIIT Delhi, while the fellowships are curated by J-PAL South Asia.
About the Capacity Accelerator Network (CAN)
CAN seeks to transform the use of data for social impact by training a new generation of diverse, purpose-driven data practitioners, and enabling social sector organizations to unlock the power of data to meet their missions.
CAN is a global initiative led by data.org. India is the third capacity accelerator created under CAN, following the launch of the United States and sub-Saharan Africa Accelerators, led by the University of Chicago and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, respectively.
What We Do
The India Data Capacity Accelerator gives social impact professionals and organizations vital tools for using data to address critical challenges at the intersection of climate and health.
The goals of CAN are achieved through three main pillars:
- Training a new generation of data practitioners with a focus on social impact.
- Connecting skilled practitioners with social sector organizations like government agencies and nonprofits to address critical, real-world problems.
- Boosting the ecosystem of data for social impact through the development of open-source curricula and templates for data governance, and unlocking new datasets.
The Accelerator’s academic partners will train existing and aspiring data talent on harnessing, analyzing, and applying data to policy problems. J-PAL South Asia will then curate one-year fellowship opportunities for a select group of professionals, placing them in social impact organizations on innovative projects leveraging climate and health data.
This approach builds on J-PAL South Asia’s fifteen years of experience working collaboratively with ecosystem partners to ensure that policy is informed by scientific evidence.
Initiative Partners
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Engage
Join a network of stakeholders committed to using data to drive positive change in India.
Fellows
Are you an aspiring data scientist with a passion for social impact? Join our Fellowship Program and be a part of projects that make a real difference. As a Data Fellow, you'll receive mentorship, training, and hands-on experience in applying data science to critical challenges.
In order to be eligible for a Fellowship, you must graduate from one of the three specialized postgraduate diploma programs created by our university partners:
- Ashoka University: Postgraduate Certificate in Data Sciences for the Social Sector
- Mode: Online; Part-time
- Applications for 2023 Intake: Closed
- Applications for 2024 Intake: To open in August 2024
- IIIT Delhi: Post-Graduate Diploma in Data Science in Health and Climate Change for Social Impact
- Mode: Online (with in-person final examination); Part-time
- Applications for 2023 Intake: Closed
- Applications for 2024 Intake: To open in September 2024
- BITS Pilani (Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad): Postgraduate Diploma in Data Science for Climate and Health
- Mode: Online; Part-time
- Applications for 2023-24 Intake: Coming Soon
Interested and eligible graduates from these programs will undergo a rigorous selection process led by J-PAL South Asia, and successful candidates will be placed for full-time Fellowships (1 year) and Apprenticeships (3 months) with partnering social impact organizations.
Data Fellows
 Alok Arunam |
 Alokita Jha |
 Pravesh Kumari |
 Saurabh Levin |
 Vinoj P Raj |
 Cyrus Graham Reginald |
 Kannan Sobti |
 Anuja Venkatachalam |
 Nikhila Vijay |
 Utkarsh Agarwal |
 Ashish Jha |
 Saurabh Sood |
 Yash Rawal |
 Namya Kumar |
 Saiteja Pamu |
 Ghazal Hashmi |
 Paritosh Swarnkar |
Host Organizations
If you're a nonprofit or government agency working on social impact projects, our Data Fellows (one year) and Apprentices (three months) can help you unlock the power of data. Host a Fellow and gain access to cutting-edge data skills to enhance your climate and/or health data projects. Learn more.
Partner engagement is a three-step process:
- Data maturity assessment: This assessment helps us understand the current data infrastructure, practices, and capabilities within your organization to tailor the fellowship experience to your needs. (25 minutes)
- Partner form: Share details about your organization’s activities, use of climate/health data, and expectations from the fellowship. This allows us to assess your alignment with our program objectives and ensure a mutually beneficial partnership. (25 minutes)
- Eligible organizations will be contacted for further discussions on partnership potential and to explore the climate and health data projects that fellows can undertake.
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Mentors
We are looking for seasoned data scientists and domain experts to shape the next generation of social impact professionals, and engage with exciting, new problem statements in climate change and health. Learn more about the mentorship program and access the application form here.
Mentors
 Mohammad Sarfarazul Ambiya Chief Data Scientist, Khushi Baby |
 Taha Barwahwala Predoctoral Fellow, Columbia University |
 Kiran Bhagavatula Senior Manager, Technology Informatics Design Endeavour (TIDE) |
 Somya Gupta Head of ML and Site Lead, EarnIn |
 Shivaram K R Co-Founder & CEO, Hue Learn |
 Gautam Rajeev Senior Data Scientist, Samagra |
 Avtar Singh Senior Director of Engineering & Chief Architect, RoamBee |
 Madhan Kumar Srinivasan Co-Founder & CEO, Wise Work |
 Sree Vani Mitnala Data Scientist, ICRISAT |
 Vishwas Chitale Senior Programmer Lead, CEEW |
Advisory Committee
 Sekhar Bonu ex-Director General DMEO NITI Aayog |
 Rachna Nag Chowdhuri Senior Vice President - Impact Global Innovation Fund |
 Priyank Hirani Associate Director, Capacity Accelerator Network (CAN) data.org |
 Amir Jina Assistant Professor, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago |
 Shobhini Mukerji Executive Director J-PAL South Asia |
 Shloka Nath CEO India Climate Collaborative |
 Devavrat Shah Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT; Founding Director, Statistics and Data Science Center, MIT; Co-founder, Ikigai Labs |
 Veena Srinivasan Executive Director, WELL (Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods) Labs |
Our Team
The India Climate and Health Data Capacity Accelerator team at J-PAL South Asia consists of research, data, and policy experts working out of multiple Indian cities.
 Tithee Mukhyopadhyay Deputy Executive Director, J-PAL South Asia Provides institutional support and guidance to the initiative |
 Aparna Krishnan Project Director and Advisor, J-PAL South Asia Provides advisory support to the set-up and design of the initiative |
 Aditi Namdeo Director - Strategic Initiatives, J-PAL South Asia Leads initiative vision, strategy, and growth through strategic public and private partnerships |
Supported by:
 Unnati Patel Policy Associate, J-PAL South Asia Supports the team on building the project pipeline and provides key policy support |
Events
G20/C20 Launch Event for India Climate and Health Data Capacity Accelerator on May 15, 2023.
(From left to right) Perry Hewitt (Chief Marketing and Product Officer, data.org), Ranjan Bose (Director, IIIT-D), Suman Kundu (Director, BITS Pilani Goa), Aparna Krishnan (Project Director, J-PAL South Asia), and Pramath Raj Sinha (Founder and Trustee, Ashoka University) engage in a discussion at the launch of the India Data Capacity Accelerator. Credit: data.org
On May 15th 2023, data.org and J-PAL South Asia launched the India Data Capacity Accelerator and announced the names of the three premier universities in India joining the initiative: Ashoka University, BITS Pilani, and IIIT Delhi. In partnership with these universities, the India Accelerator will support the ambitious work of equipping emerging professionals with the interdisciplinary data skills needed to address challenges at the intersection of climate and health.
The launch of the accelerator was celebrated at a day-long convening of leaders across sectors hosted by data.org and the Working Group on Sustainable and Resilient Communities: Climate, Environment, and Net Zero Targets under Civil Society 20 during India’s G20 Presidency 2023. The convening took place at the University of Chicago Center in Delhi, where participants presented expert perspectives and discussed shared goals for impact through the creation of data capacity for climate and health.
J-PAL South Asia & data.org Roundtable on ‘Unlocking the Potential of Climate and Health Data’ on May 16, 2023
(From left to right) Perry Hewitt (Chief Marketing and Product Officer, data.org), Ranjan Bose (Director, IIIT-D), Suman Kundu (Director, BITS Pilani Goa), Aparna Krishnan (Project Director, J-PAL South Asia), and Pramath Raj Sinha (Founder and Trustee, Ashoka University) engage in a discussion at the launch of the India Data Capacity Accelerator. Credit: data.org
This discussion was part of a series of events marking the launch of the India Climate and Health Data Capacity Accelerator. Attendees highlighted topics and priority themes such as participatory data science, cross-sectoral collaboration, human-centered data systems, and amplifying impact through use cases and champions. The discussions unveiled several priorities and opportunities for driving positive change through data-driven initiatives in the social sector.
To learn more about the roundtable including the key ideas and opportunities discussed and the names of the attendee organizations, please click here.
‘Navigating Effective Data Management in the Social Impact Landscape' at charcha 2024
The panel at Charcha 2024 brought together experts to discuss the critical topic of "Navigating Effective Data Management in the Social Impact Landscape." Hosted by NuSocia’s CEO, Dr. Manju Menon, the session featured insightful contributions from Sarayu Natarajan, Aditi Namdeo, and Rahul Kulkarni. The discussion explored the dual aspects of leveraging digital technologies to enhance social impact while safeguarding data privacy. It was a collaborative convening for the development sector, offering a platform for engaging dialogue and exchanging ideas on innovative strategies and ethical considerations in data management in social sector. Aditi Namdeo expanded on the role of data talent in progressing the adoption of data led strategies that can harness hidden impact potential of the grassroot level organisations.
Fireside Chat at Dasra's D4GX 2024 India Annual Conference
Aditi Namdeo, Director Strategic Initiatives J-PAL South Asia joined a fireside chat at the recently held Dasra D4GX event to discuss the the role of research in driving data-driven innovation that has a strong foundation in evidence and steps India's social sector can take so it can leverage the data revolution.
Continuous Development Program (CDP) Sessions for CAN Fellows and J-PAL Staff
NLP and Data Pipelines by Somya Gupta
This session, led by Somya Gupta, focused on advancing participants' skills in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and covered the fundamentals of Data Pipelines. It was designed to meet the learning needs of the CAN Fellows, equipping them with practical knowledge to leverage NLP in their project work. The session included the basics of NLP and Data Pipeline creation.
Data Storytelling by Veda Kulkarni & Sansiddha Pani
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This session highlighted the importance of effectively communicating data insights to various stakeholders and target audiences. Veda and Sansiddha shared their journey in the Data for Impact space and introduced participants to the IDI platform.
Handling Large Datasets with Gautam Rajeev
Through this session, Gautam aimed to cover useful methodologies and best practices for effectively working with large datasets. The session provided context to the work done by CAN Fellows, who are working on extensive datasets like the Census and the NFHS. Handling big data was highlighted as a critical skill applicable across the CAN Fellowship as well as various projects at J-PAL.
News
- Press Release, September 21 2022: Wellcome Awards $6.8 Million to Build Data Workforce for Climate and Health
- Press Release, May 15 2023: India Accelerator Launch and University Selection Announcement
- The Hindu, May 15 2023: Program launched to train 1 million Indians in climate and health data work
- Devex, May 17 2023: The power of data in addressing health impacts of climate change