The innovation fellowship is fundamentally different from the traditional “contractor” relationship. The fellowship enlists passionate technologists and entrepreneurs from outside government to work alongside experts within the civil service. They work to deeply understand the technology and service context and jointly brainstorm solutions, all while sharing knowledge and invigorating latent internal government innovators to explore problems and create novel solutions.

Around the world, forward-thinking governments are using the power of the Internet to change the way they engage with citizens. This civic technology is enabling new approaches to delivering public services and creating new ways to serve citizens better.

Embracing lean principles centred around citizen engagement allows partners to explore new approaches to problems, while understanding what works and doesn’t work early in the development process. Instead of committing large amounts of time and code, creating extensive paperwork, with limited local engagement, this approach saves time and costs through learning-by-doing.

The software built during the fellowship is engineered for re-use and scaling across and within governments. All software is licensed and built with replication, easy modification and adaptation in mind. The goal is to enable government investments in technology to benefit from network effects, as solutions built by one government agency can more easily be deployed by another. Improvements funded by one can benefit all who are using the tool.

Open government and open data are revolutionary. They allow states to become digital platforms for facilitating innovation both inside and outside of the civil service. By opening up data, building public APIs, and engaging with citizens, government service delivery creates network effects by leveraging the ideas, resources and skill sets of innovators and partners outside of government.

The Fellowship Experience

A paid 6 month fellowship to work on problems that matter while harnessing your craft as a developer, designer or entrepreneur.

Be among the first group to join a new incubator facility in Kingston, Jamaica

Access to a global network of experts and mentors from Government, Civil Society, private sector both in the region and in our partner organizations.

Be change agent in a new Caribbean movement.

Join us in making history.

Who are we looking for?

Anyone with the skills and passion to make government in the Caribbean work better using technology. Prospective Fellows should enjoy working in a collaborative environment, and must also have the discipline and initiative to be self-starters. We don’t care if you’re a recent graduate trying to dip your toes into the development pool, or a seasoned practitioner who just wants to give back. All our Fellows will want to see make a difference for the Caribbean and improve the way government works.

How do I apply?

The application process begins with the completion of a simple web form. We’re looking for information about your past experiences and work product, as well as a clear indication of interest in the program. Candidates advancing in the process will be asked for interviews and references. Please see the timeline section below.

Do I need to be a coder?

We need folks who can bring new technologies into civil service and help spread change. As we create serious and innovative technology for the organization, we will certainly need high-caliber developers and programmers. But we are building small project teams here, so we’re not just looking for coders. We’ll also need strong skills in research to determine the needs of the client, project management skills to translate those needs into features, design skills to fashion those features into a usable application, and analytical skills to integrate that application into a sustainable system. We need passionate, smart, diplomatic people who get how technology can help government work better, and can convince others of the value of trying something new. If you’ve made it this far then, coder or not, we probably need YOU.

Where would I be working?