Promoting usage of data on the Open Data Portal is a key theme in the national Open Data Strategy 2017-2022. The Open Data Engagement Fund is designed to promote awareness and provide support towards improving the usage of public sector data on the Portal https://Data.Gov.ie. It is a competitive fund which encourages applications from any organisation or individual including public bodies, SME’s, students and academia.
This year, particular consideration will be given to projects that use Open Data to address the issue of Covid-19.
The Open Data Engagement Fund (totalling up to €30,000) has been developed in conjunction with the Open Data Governance Board (ODGB) which provides leadership in implementing Ireland's Open Data Initiative and this is the fourth year in which the fund has been made available. Promoting reuse of the data on the open data portal is a key theme in the national Open Data Strategy 2017-2022. Opening up government data provides new opportunities for research, innovation, engagement and greater efficiency for all sectors of the economy.
The call for applications is open until Friday, 9th October and applications can be made for funding to support a variety of Open Data related activities. These include the organisation of outreach and engagement activities, for example, seminars, competitions and hackathons; the building of applications and development of visualisations to demonstrate the use that can be made of open data; or specific research on open government datasets with a view to arriving at outcomes that help create efficiencies in the public service or assist in government decision making as well as research to measure the benefits and impact of Ireland’s Open Data Initiative to date.