The Data Tank in collaboration with Fondazione Cariplo, and as part of the Data Stewards Academy, completed, in the words of participants, a ‘unique’ one-month hybrid Data Stewardship Bootcamp in Milan. The bootcamp brought together and trained 23 participants from across civil society, social enterprises, and local and regional public and non-profit entities. Covering the entire Data Stewards Canvas via a step-by-step approach, the participants worked with several use-cases starting with identifying the demand for data and all the way to measuring impact for data-driven projects or services. The bootcamp combined lectures, including by affiliated guest faculty, with expert-led field visits to data driven institutions active in Milan. With three days in person in Milan and three online sessions, the bootcamp brought together local data and AI voices, but also managed to tap into global ones representing different contexts.
What makes each bootcamp unique?
Our data stewardship bootcamps are designed using an agile methodology that allows us to continuously contextualise both findings and use cases to the specific audience and geographic setting. Data governance regimes and stewardship capabilities are inherently complex and highly contingent on local conditions—ranging from data collection practices and interoperability standards to legal frameworks for data protection and sharing.
For that reason, each bootcamp is intentionally iterative. We adapt content in real time, selecting and refining case studies that resonate most with participants and reflect the realities of the broader ecosystem in which they operate.
In Milan, this meant engaging deeply with a set of contextually relevant cases, including Sustainable Urban Mobility Metrics in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Istat data and accessibility, Cuebiq cases –a location intelligence company that began its journey in Milan and is now advancing data collaborations through geospatial and mobility data.
The bootcamp brought together seven distinguished guest faculty from Italy and beyond, each contributing a distinct perspective on data stewardship in practice. Daniela Paolotti (ISI Foundation) set the stage by highlighting the value of data reuse for the public good. Ludovica Paseri (University of Turin) guided participants through European legal frameworks for data sharing. Gianluca Misuraca (Inspiring Futures Europe) mapped the broader AI and data policy landscape. Brennan Lake (Cuebiq) demonstrated how geospatial data can power cross-sector data collaborations. Alex Hutchison (Forr Data) emphasized the importance of ethical data practices and impact measurement. Finally, Gary Leeming and Emily Rempel (Liverpool City Region Civic Data Cooperative) illustrated how participatory data stewardship models can generate tangible public value.
Together, this combination of local and international expertise exposed participants to multiple entry points into data and AI governance—from legal and technical infrastructures to participatory and impact-driven approaches. The result is not just knowledge transfer, but the cultivation of a new generation of data stewards equipped to navigate—and shape—an increasingly complex and evolving data ecosystem.
In addition to the guest faculty, we also had the opportunity to step out of the classroom and engage in interactive, expert-led field visits.
During our first day in Milan, we paid a visit to Accurat where the team from Systematica and Transform Transport presented some use-cases on conducting research and executing projects to inform sustainable mobility practices in Italy and internationally. During our second day in Milan, we visited the Laboratorio di Simulazione Urbana Fausto Curti part of POLIMI and were introduced to a range of data collection exercises that they had implemented on city planning.
We also had a chance to see some data collection devices and got to wear the ‘architect’ shoes and design the neighborhood with an interactive data tool that the Labsimurb team developed. Finally, we ended our three day bootcamp with a visit to Gallerie D’Italia that allowed us to walk through 19th and 20th century Italy via art.
Incubating Data Collaboratives
Another distinctive feature of the bootcamp is its built-in incubation process for data reuse and collaboration projects. Drawing on participants’ backgrounds and interests, we identified three thematic clusters in advance—Social Innovation and Equity, Climate, and Culture—within which participants could develop concrete ideas for data reuse.
Throughout the bootcamp, participants worked in these groups to shape and refine early-stage concepts. This included exploring how pilot data collaboratives might, for instance, increase the demographic diversity of visitors to cultural institutions in Milan, or help bridge the gap between insight and action in advancing climate-just policies.
Importantly, this work does not end with the bootcamp. It continues through a series of pitch sessions scheduled for June 2026, where each group will present a more developed concept in a rapid, focused format. These sessions are designed to generate constructive feedback from peers, facilitators, and guest faculty, while also testing the clarity, feasibility, and potential impact of each idea.
Beyond reinforcing the practical application of the bootcamp’s core concepts, this incubation approach creates a structured pathway from learning to implementation—positioning selected ideas for further development, partnership building, and potential funding.
Exceeding expectations
We received great feedback from participants, even exceeding expectations for some. The bootcamp came as a positive surprise for some because of its innovative and condensed format, which participants hadn’t necessarily experienced before. The following topics of the programme resonated the most with them: “Moving from Insight to Action: Decision Intelligence” and “Matching Demand and Supply: Governance”. As it emerged from the group discussions, moving from insight to action seems to be one of the challenges among the organisations, hence ideas brought forward on data storytelling, decision theatres, and more resonated with participants. The governance of data collaboration initiatives is another challenge that was raised and our framework based on the 4Ps of data governance (Purpose, Principles, Processes, and Practices) also received good traction.
What participants had to say about the experience:
This bootcamp was a highly valuable experience, strengthening my ability to structure, manage and ethically valorize large volumes of high-resolution meteorological data. It also fostered meaningful connections with organisations working on the social dimensions of climate adaptation, opening up concrete opportunities for future collaboration.
Cristina Lavecchia, Managing Director at Fondazione OMD
A very in-depth and intensive course on data stewardship. Also recommended for those who work in this field to “systematize” their knowledge.
Rainer Maria Baratti, Project Manager at ActionAid Italia
This course is a must for anyone looking to lead in today’s datafied world. It defines the Data Steward not just as a technical role, but as a strategic bridge between those who have data and those who need answers. I walked away with the complete picture.
Riccardo Naidi, Innovation Consultant at CGM
It’s been a really useful bootcamp, hope to join it again in the future.
Simone Licata, Administrative Employee at the Municipality of Milan
Next Steps: Data Stewards Network
As the bootcamp concludes, this cohort will be added to our growing pool of (9000+ learners and 180+ alumni). They will have the chance to follow our bi-weekly “Data Stewardship Trends to Watch” sessions and engage with other fellow alumni. This vibrant active community of data stewards is one of the main reasons we continue to engage in such meaningful work. While advances in data and AI provide a strong foundation for future innovation and scientific breakthroughs, it is the human infrastructure and data stewardship community that makes them possible.
There is a lot of work being done behind the scenes on bringing new data stewardship modules and bootcamps to life, so stay tuned and updated. Also make sure to sign up to The Data Tank’s newsletter to be up to date with our plans and forthcoming programmes!