This post builds on the discussion started here.
The OpenCare Fellowships & Awards are a strong value proposition for individuals and projects who wish to engage with us and contribute solid stories, case studies and potential for prototypes over the next two years. Fellowships are also an opportunity to tie together nicely the activities of different consortium partners and reduce redundancy.
We need a timeline of who is going to do what and how to package that in the fellowship process.
Edgeryders offers to package and run engagement in this process, but we need to know in advance what everyone is offering so that we present them as attractive offers to future Fellows.
A proposed timeline is for the first 4-months fellowships is:
- 1 April: launch of Open Care Fellowships Program (consists minimally of The Storytellers Challenge and The Practitioners Challenge) includes -
- published timeline, no. of Fellows, budget, ethical guidelines
- list of criteria for submissions
- list of rewards for each challenge
- road to OpenCare Awards: LOTE6
- 1 April - 30 May: incoming public submissions in say, two steps for each Fellow candidate (to be agreed with Nadia) -
- (1) Share your story: asking candidates what they are working on and what they hope to achieve; this starts community conversations around projects and helps surface the most interesting ones and most dedicated people to achieve results
- (2) Pitch a Case story: asking for longer pieces based on community and peers’ feedback. The long pieces help us select most suitable candidates. After pitching a committee from OpenCare Consortium can select the Fellows.
- 31 May: Announcing OpenCare Fellows (their number depends on your answers to questions below; but initially we’d go for 5 or 6 practitioners, and 5-6 storytellers)
- 1 June - 31 July: Fellows field work - directly contributes to OpenCare delivery for the consortium partners: it can be: help with case study collection, survey design; build prototypes; research existing prototypes etc.
- 31 July: Self-evaluation reports: all fellows submit reports and engaging stories, complying with requirements of OpenCare Fellowship Program
During April-July we will consider launching new Fellowship Challenges, depending on new themes we discover, and rising needs e.g. if OpenCare partners work is heading to new areas or need deeper research. New rounds of Practitioners / Storytellers Challenge can begin while previous ones are ongoing.
We will use this website to communicate about the Fellowship and onboard people who submit, as well as contributors to the conversations: https://edgeryders.eu/en/op3ncare/home (in-the-making, as you know it will launch end of this month).
Questions for you:
1. Think about your activities in the next 6 months and how Fellows can help you.
What format and criteria do submissions need to meet in order for fellows to do work that directly helps your delivery? For example: What kind of profile/background/competences people need to have to be able to complete your tasks? what are your criteria to be met in their final reports?
2. What kind of resources are you allocating? Monetary & non-monetary.
Some examples of how our resources can become rewards for Fellows…
- Stipendium for x fellows for y months under conditions a,b,c of your choice.
- Piggybacking on OpenCare consortium meetings (e.g. Fellows can organise an event under the OpenCare brand & benefit from international network promotion - we need to specify in advance date+location+host partner availability, to a minimum)
- Access to OpenCare partners events/ workshops / monthly webinars on topics x,y,..
- Visits to OpenCare partners (mentorship, research visits, short residencies etc - we need to specify in advance date + location + host partner & facilities)
- Funded travels to organise joint events among OpenCare Fellows
- Mentions in OpenCare publications (we need to specify in advance what mentions would be)
etc.
3. Do you have travel budgets?
Some people might not end up fellows per se, but you would like to meet them or invite them to join OpenCare events. These can also be made available sometime in the selection process.