Data.org—a collaboration between the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Rockefeller Foundation—has announced a $2.3 million grant from London-based Wellcome in support of data skills education, training, and workforce development in India.

The grant will fund the India Data Capacity Accelerator—one of three programs in the data.org network—and enable the design and rollout of curricula, resources, and interdisciplinary and experiential learning programs to create and engage top data talent to work in the Indian social sector. Local partners include the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, Ashoka University, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT Delhi).

According to a 2022 report from data.org and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, there is growing demand in developing countries for skilled data professional jobs working in the social impact field, with an estimated 3.5 million job opportunities being created in the next decade.

“[We] need to accelerate training [of] more data practitioners in the social sector to take advantage of the data revolution,” said data.org executive director Danil Mikhailov. “The India Accelerator gets us one step closer to our commitment to training one million purpose-driven data practitioners by 2032.”

“Data for social impact is a growing field in India, but until now, there have been limited academic courses, training, or leadership development programs available,” said IIIT Delhi director Ranjan Bose. “[We] are excited to bring our expertise to this partnership as we work toward increasing capacity in India, and, ultimately, helping improve lives.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Null Plus)