Machines are making decisions faster than laws can keep up. Democracy is at a crossroads and a groundbreaking new academy is preparing leaders to navigate it.
Data for Policy CIC proudly announces The Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA) with its founding manifesto and the Cambridge Fellowship programme, in strategic collaboration with:
- Cambridge’s Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP)
- Cambridge University Press
- GovLab
- Microsoft
- Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure
A Revolutionary Response to an Urgent Challenge
The Digital Statecraft Academy tackles one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to govern effectively when algorithms, AI, and data systems increasingly drive decision-making. The DSA serves as a hub for visionaries committed to building governance that is ethical, resilient, and future-ready.
Its mission is both simple and urgent: to ensure that technology strengthens democracy and public trust, rather than undermining them.
This groundbreaking initiative builds on ten years of community development at Data for Policy CIC from our inaugural Cambridge conference in 2015 to becoming a premier convening platform spanning regional conferences in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. We also launched the open-access journal Data & Policy with Cambridge University Press in 2019. The Digital Statecraft Academy is the natural evolution of that collaborative foundation.
The Algorithmic Turn in Governance
We are living through what The Digital Statecraft Manifesto v1.0 calls “the algorithmic turn in governance” a moment when AI systems and digital infrastructure are reshaping how societies function, often outpacing our ability to govern them responsibly.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. We face fundamental threats to democratic governance:
- Human agency eroding as algorithmic dependence grows
- Public power shifting to unaccountable private actors and systems
- Traditional institutions struggling to maintain legitimacy in an automated world
But there is also unprecedented opportunity. These same technologies can expand public services, deepen citizen participation, and build more transparent, responsive institutions if we govern them right.
As the manifesto declares: “This is not just digital transformation. It is a fundamental reimagining of governance itself—how it works, who it serves, and how it sustains public trust in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms.”
The DSA Cambridge Fellowship: Training Tomorrow’s Digital Leaders
“The Digital Statecraft Academy emerged from a simple observation: vast expertise in governing with data and AI exists, but it is fragmented across disciplines and sectors. Meanwhile, the leadership skills gap is enormous—current AI developments represent a step change that demands leaders adapt quickly. The DSA brings the scattered pieces together, creating the collaborative space our algorithmic age demands,” notes Dr Zeynep Engin, Founding Director of Data for Policy CIC.
As its first major initiative, The Digital Statecraft Academy is launching the DSA Cambridge Fellowship —a 12-month hybrid programme designed for senior and emerging leaders working at the intersection of data, AI, and policy. The Fellowship combines academic training, mentorship, and global collaboration, equipping participants with the skills and networks to drive responsible digital transformation.
Bringing together practitioners and researchers, the Fellowship focuses on four critical domains shaping the future of governance: Digital Public Infrastructure, Algorithmic Governance, Data for Policy, and GovTech innovation.
Building a Global Movement for Digital Statecraft
The Digital Statecraft Academy represents something bigger than traditional executive education. It is building a global community of leaders who understand that technology policy is democracy policy and who have the vision, skills, and networks to act on that understanding.
The DSA welcomes:
- Individual Fellows: Senior or emerging leaders with strong experience in data science, AI, public policy, or governance
- Institutional Partners: Organisations ready to sponsor high-potential leaders and implement fellowship-derived recommendations
- Strategic Collaborators: Institutions seeking to co-develop curriculum, provide case studies, and build global networks for digital transformation excellence
Ready to Shape the Future?
Applications are now open for the inaugural DSA Cambridge Fellowship cohort, a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of governance transformation in the algorithmic age.
Read and Explore the DSA Founding Manifesto: The Digital Statecraft Manifesto v1.0 and learn more about the Fellowship at: www.digitalstatecraft.academy
The future of governance is being written now. With The Digital Statecraft Academy, we invite leaders everywhere to help shape it.