Our Incubator-organized Bootcamp is a week-long, intensive workshop for leaders of gateways who want to further develop and scale their work. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to help them articulate the value of their work to key stakeholders and to create a strong development, operations, and sustainability plan. Workshop participants will work closely with one another and, as a result, have the opportunity to network and establish relationships with people who are engaging in similar activities.

Participants will learn

• Core business strategy skills as they apply to leading an online digital presence, such as understanding stakeholder and user needs; business, operations, finance, and resource planning; and project management;

• Technology best practices, including the principles of cybersecurity; software architecture, development practices, and tools that ensure implementation of strong software engineering methods; usability do’s and don’ts; and

• Long-term sustainability strategies, such as alternative funding models; case studies of successful gateway efforts; licensing choices and their impact on sustainability; planning for and measuring your impact.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed a "pitch deck" of their sustainability strategy and identified the key action steps to get there. Participants will also build relationships with other participants engaged in creating gateways and learn about the in-depth consultations they might seek from the SGCI.

Teams of project leaders are strongly encouraged to apply. Teams should include both the project “owner” and the tech lead. The person attending as the “owner” may be the project’s Principal Investigator, or the business owner or entrepreneurial lead. If there is a third person you would like to include, please include this in your application. Only one application is needed per team.

Bootcamp sessions are offered twice a year. For each session, we will select 6–10 teams to participate, based on their potential to deliver significant value to the community. Teams with projects that have already launched and have active users are preferred, but early-stage initiatives will also be considered. We can only accept a limited number of teams for this Bootcamp, and sessions do fill quickly. 

There is no cost to participate in the workshop. Breakfast, lunch, and two dinners will be provided. Attendees will need to pay for travel, hotel, and remaining dinners. Upon admission to the program, participants will receive information concerning travel and hotel options.