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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Solutions are co-implemented with partner offices and integrated into existing workflows at the barangay, municipal, city, provincial, or national level.
Fellows and their government partners present the problem journey, iteration cycles, and the final solution and its real-world impact.
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.
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
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
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
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
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 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.
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.