GENEVA / BARCELONA — As artificial intelligence and digital transformation reshape the global public sector, academic institutions are facing a critical bottleneck: a lack of specialized curricula to train the next generation of public leaders.
“Our research shows that many public policy programs in the US and Europe are failing to prepare their students for a career in a modern, digital-era public sector,” says Pontus Westerberg, Executive Director of Teaching Public Service in the Digital Age.
A comprehensive review of 200 public policy degrees uncovered that fewer than 30% offer dedicated courses on digital government or AI. According to Westerberg, “What this means is that our future political and public leaders, who will be responsible for shaping how governments and societies adapt to new technologies, can graduate without ever discussing how these technologies work or the risks that they carry.”
To address this systemic challenge, the Datasphere Initiative and Teaching Public Service in the Digital Age are proud to announce the Academic Leadership Training Program, taking place in Barcelona from May 12–14, 2026.
A Global Hub for Academic Excellence
This three-day intensive program is designed specifically for professors, lecturers, and academic researchers who are currently shaping public service curricula. Participants will step away from administrative pressures to focus exclusively on curriculum design, guided by a world-class guest faculty from institutions including:
- Dr. Amanda Clarke, Associate Professor of Digital Government, Carleton University
- Ayushi Roy, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
- Carolina Rossini, Director of Public Interest Technology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Dan Hill, Director, the University of Melbourne School of Design
- Dr. Mila Gascó Hernandez, Associate Professor and Research Director of the Center for Technology in Government, State University of New York at Albany
- Dr. Roxana Radu, Associate Professor of Digital Technologies and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
- Michael Donaldson, Chief Innovation Officer, City of Barcelona
- Sophie Tomlinson, Director of Programs, Datasphere Initiative
- Thiago Moraes, Senior Fellow, Datasphere Initiative
From Theory to Classroom Implementation
Recognizing that many educators lack the bandwidth to build entirely new syllabi from scratch, the program moves beyond theory to provide a tangible “Teaching Toolkit.” “We shouldn’t expect every professor to be a pioneer in isolation,” says Sophie Tomlinson, Director of Programs at the Datasphere Initiative. “Teaching Public Service in the Digital Age has identified a massive gap through their research, and together, we’ve curated this program to share the most pressing trends in AI governance. We are providing new insights and resources that participants can adapt and use on day one.”
Program Highlights include:
- Ready-to-use Materials: Direct access to vetted lesson plans, reading lists, and case studies.
- AI Sandbox Lab: Practical sessions on how universities can use sandboxes for teaching and research.
- Global Alumni Network: Immediate entry into a professional network of over 350 educators from 55 countries.
- Exclusive Site Visit: A technical deep-dive at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.
Empowering the Leaders of Tomorrow
For the organizers, the stakes extend far beyond the classroom. Pontus Westerberg warns that the status quo is “potentially producing a generation of public policy experts who lack the fundamental knowledge to deal with one of the world’s most important policy issues.”
To close the “widening” gap between tech policy practice and academic instruction, the program focuses on practical application. “By providing the foundation to a modernized curriculum,” says Thiago Moraes, Senior Fellow at the Datasphere Initiative and an instructor for the program, “we are ensuring that the civil servants of tomorrow have the tools they need to govern responsibly.”
Applications and Details
The Academic Leadership Training Program is limited to a small, selective cohort to ensure deep collaboration. Academic leaders and researchers are invited to submit their expression of interest through the official program portal.
View program details: https://www.teachingpublicservice.digital/digital-government-academic-leadership-program
About the Organizers
About the Datasphere Initiative The Datasphere Initiative is a think-and-do tank dedicated to responsibly unlocking the value of data for all. By fostering collaboration and developing innovative governance frameworks, the Initiative works to address the complexities of the “Datasphere”—the ecosystem of all data and the technical, social, and legal environments in which it exists. Through its work on data sandboxes and policy innovation, the Initiative seeks to ensure that the digital revolution benefits everyone, everywhere. Learn more at www.datasphere.org
About Teaching Public Service in the Digital Age Teaching Public Service in the Digital Age is a global community of practitioners and professors dedicated to equipping public service leaders with the skills needed for the digital era. The organization provides an open-access syllabus, eight core digital-era competencies, and free “teach-the-teacher” support. Currently used by educators in over 75 universities across 30 countries, its mission is to ensure that public administration and policy programs reflect the realities of modern, technology-enabled government. Learn more at www.teachingpublicservice.digital
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