Data Science and Innovation Accelerator

On this page:

• about the programme
• who can take part
• what you will learn
• how to apply
• length of the project

About the programme

The Data Science and Innovation Accelerator is an opportunity for staff working in the public sector to develop their skills in the use of data by working with mentors on a specific project within their organisation.

It is also an opportunity for staff to develop mentoring skills. Mentors work side by side with the participants to provide advice and guidance.

Data science can help you to identify and solve complex business problems.

It uses techniques from a range of scientific and computer science disciplines including statistics, analytics and machine learning. It offers the potential to gain valuable insight and transform decision-making about public services.

Who can take part 

To be eligible, you need to be employed by a public sector organisation based in Scotland in a role where you are responsible for gathering or interpreting data. 

Mentors may have some experience in data science approaches but are not necessarily employed as a data scientist. For example you may have good programming experience and project delivery skills.

What you will learn

As a participant in the programme, you will learn a range of technical skills relevant to your project, these could include:

• reproducible analytics 
• version control
• working with open data
• creating visualisations and/or dashboards
• project management

As a mentor, you will use your knowledge, skills and experience to support participants You will be building your leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.

How to apply

Apply to be a participant

To apply you will first need to register with the Scottish Digital Academy.

Apply to be a mentor

To apply to be a mentor you will first need to register with the Scottish Digital Academy.

Length of the project

Participants

You will work on your project for 12 weeks for one full day each week.

Mentors

Mentors will provide approximately half a day of support a week to participants.