Last year I had the great fortune to be supported, in the role of a Fellow, by the Shuttleworth Foundation in my work to help Bootstrap the Open Data Ecosystem.

Not only was it great to have the resource to dedicate myself full-time to this area, but as a Fellow you get the (rare) chance to be part of a small, tight-knit group of really smart, interested and, well, just, incredibly nice set of people who share your interests and are able to offer constructive, critical feedback and support on what you are doing — the other place I know like this is the Open Knowledge Foundation .

(By the way, deadline for Spring 2012 Fellowship applications closes on the 1st of Nov and it’s really easy to apply so if you’re interested it’s not too late, just head over to Shuttleworth Fellowship application page right now).

I’ve really enjoyed my time as a Fellow over the last year and I’m delighted to report that Shuttleworth have been kind enough to accept my reapplication and renew my fellowship for a further year. Reflecting the evolution and maturing of the open data ecosystem this year’s proposal was entitled “Scaling the Open Data Ecosystem” to contrast with last year’s “Bootstrapping”.

In a follow up post next week I’ll be outlining what I’m planning to get up to in the coming year with Shuttleworth’s support.

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