Open data and responsible data stewardship aren’t just for governments! We work with the private sector too - in their roles as data holders, innovators, and funders of data-focused research.
What are commercial partnerships?
Our vision is for a world where data works for everyone — businesses, governments, communities, and individuals. The essence of our commercial partnerships - an essential part of our institutional core - lies in the indispensable role of industry collaboration; through this, we build strong data infrastructure so that everyone can benefit.
The contribution of businesses, especially large corporations, is vital in shaping, funding, and managing the data infrastructure that underpins our digital world. For nearly 12 years, through strategic partnerships, we have worked with industry leaders to build capability, leverage industry expertise, and facilitate positive engagement in the data ecosystem.
Our partnerships are structured around long-term, goal-oriented collaboration, focusing on enhancing the data ecosystems we are part of. This involves:
- Publishing insightful research and thought leadership on crucial issues, from net zero data strategies to ethical considerations in the use of alternative data in finance
- Establishing networks for peer learning, connecting data stewards and data-enabled organisations worldwide, with an emphasis on publishing open data and climate resilience
- Leading sector-level innovation projects to highlight the value of open and shared data, exemplified by our work with Microsoft on the Education Open Data Challenge and the Data for Local Environments Challenge.
Arup
Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of engineers, designers, consultants and experts working globally. Over more than ten years, we have worked with them to identify emerging cross-sector trends and challenges, combining expertise in the built and natural environments together with expertise in data.
Learn more
Microsoft
In April 2020, we announced that Microsoft had joined the ODI’s Commercial Partnership Programme. The objective of the partnership is to advance the cause of open, trustworthy data sharing and collaboration and to help address the looming ‘data divide’ such that any organisation of any size can more easily collaborate around data and realise its benefits.
Learn morePartnership opportunities
We’d love to hear from organisations with a mission-aligned focus on improving data ecosystems. Please get in touch to discuss opportunities for collaboration.