SDG Digital Acceleration Fellowship

Overview

The SDG Digital Acceleration Fellowship (SDAF) is a 6–12 month, action-driven program that equips undergraduate and graduate students to solve real public sector challenges using AI, data, and rapid prototyping, anchored in Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA).

Fellows work in close collaboration with government partners across all levels to identify problems, design solutions, test them in real settings, and continuously improve them through iteration.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is strongly encouraged throughout the Fellowship, not as an end in itself, but as a practical tool to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

You will not graduate with a paper.
You will graduate with a solution co-created and in use.

Where You Will Work

Fellows collaborate directly with institutions across the Philippine governance system:

• Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) – youth leadership and community innovation

• Barangays – frontline services and citizen engagement

• Municipal Governments – local development and service delivery

• City Governments – urban systems and digital services

• Provincial Governments – coordination and scaling of programs

• National Government Agencies – policy, systems, and large-scale implementation

Fellows are not external observers.
They are co-creators working alongside public servants.

What Makes This Different

Most programs simulate real-world problems.

This program works inside them, together with those responsible for solving them.

• Problem-driven, defined jointly with government partners

• Iterative, using build–test–adapt cycles

• Co-creation model, where Fellows and government staff design and implement solutions together

• AI-enabled, with AI used to accelerate analysis, design, and implementation

• Output-oriented, focused on tools that are actually used

Who Should Apply

We are looking for builders who can collaborate, not just analyze.

Open to undergraduate (3rd–4th year) and graduate students in:

• Public Administration

• Social Work

• Development Studies

• Economics

• Data Science / IT (cross-disciplinary applicants encouraged)

Ideal Fellows:

• Interested in real-world governance challenges

• Open to using AI tools as part of problem-solving

• Able to engage effectively with government stakeholders

• Comfortable with iteration, feedback, and uncertainty

• Ready to co-create solutions rather than impose them

How the Fellowship Works

1. Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) Bootcamp

Learn how to break down complex governance problems and use AI tools and rapid prototyping methods to develop solutions using Harvard's Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) method.

2. Problem Co-Definition

Fellows work with SK leaders, barangay officials, LGU staff, or national agency teams to identify high-friction problems, break them into actionable components, and align on priorities and constraints.

3. Rapid Prototyping Sprints

Fellows and government partners run 2–3 week cycles where they build small, practical solutions together, test them with real users, gather feedback, and improve or pivot based on shared learning.

4. Co-Deployment & Integration

Solutions are co-implemented with partner offices and integrated into existing workflows at the barangay, municipal, city, provincial, or national level.

5. Capstone

Fellows and their government partners present the problem journey, iteration cycles, and the final solution and its real-world impact.

Incubation & Scale Pathway

Fellows and teams who develop high-potential solutions are encouraged to continue building and scaling their innovations beyond the Fellowship through a network of university-based incubators and innovation hubs.

The AI for Governance Lab may also function as a co-incubator, working alongside partner university incubators to support teams in refining and scaling their solutions.

Through this ecosystem, selected teams can:

• Enter university incubator and accelerator programs

• Receive mentorship from academic, technical, and governance experts

• Use AI and digital tools to enhance and scale their solutions

• Access faculty expertise, research labs, and institutional resources

• Pilot and expand solutions across multiple LGUs and government agencies

This creates a pathway from prototype to adoption to co-incubation to scale, with AI as a key enabler of impact.

What You Will Build

Fellows co-create solutions with government partners such as:

• Improved barangay service delivery systems

• SK youth engagement and program management tools

• Municipal and city workflow automation

• Provincial data coordination systems

• National program monitoring and reporting tools

Example outputs include:

• AI-assisted document processing tools

• Citizen service chatbots

• Data dashboards for decision-making

• Digital workflow systems

What You Will Deliver

By the end of the Fellowship, you are expected to produce:

• 3–5 co-developed and tested prototypes

• At least 1 solution actively used by a government partner

• A documented PDIA iteration log

• An SDG impact contribution report

What You Gain

• Hands-on experience using AI for governance and SDG acceleration

• Real-world exposure to how systems function and evolve

• A portfolio of solutions built and used in real settings

• Mentorship from practitioners in governance, AI, and development

• A pathway into government, development, or entrepreneurial ventures through incubators and co-incubation support

Our Approach

The Fellowship is built on Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA):

• Start with problems defined with stakeholders

• Break them down collaboratively

• Experiment through small, fast iterations

• Use AI as a tool to accelerate insight and execution

• Learn and adapt together

• Build solutions that fit real institutional contexts

Partner With Us

We collaborate with:

• Sangguniang Kabataan and Barangay Councils

• Local Government Units (municipal, city, provincial)

• National government agencies

• Universities and Higher Education Institutions

• Development partners and civic tech organizations

If your organization is ready to co-create AI-enabled solutions and support pathways to scale, we’d like to work with you.

Applications

Applications open soon.

If you’re ready to work side-by-side with government, use AI to build solutions, and help accelerate progress toward the SDGs, join the SDG Digital Acceleration Fellowship.

Final Word

This program is demanding.

You will collaborate with real stakeholders.
You will navigate constraints and competing priorities.
You will build solutions that need to work, not just look good.

But if you stay with it, you won’t just understand governance.

You will use AI and innovation to improve it.