Commonwealth Data Internship Program

It all started when they were young. Tinkering with technology. Exploring how to solve problems in the world around them. 

The Commonwealth Data Internship Program (CDIP), created in 2014, now connects Virginia agencies, municipalities and localities with students from state colleges and universities. 

Through CDIP, Virginia university students have the opportunity to explore the use of data and analytics and create innovative solutions through research and development of use cases.

How to Participate

Agency 

  1. Obtain approval from the agency CIO to submit a potential collaboration
  2. Contact VIP at vip@vita.virginia.gov to request the business case document (BCD)
  3. Complete the form and submit BCD via email to vip@vita.virginia.gov

University 

  1. Contact VIP at vip@vita.virginia.gov to get involved
  2. Collaborate with VIP to ensure curriculum and internships are applicable
  3. Complete a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Student - Interested students should contact faculty advisors at participating schools 

Supplier - Both the agency sponsor and the university must choose suppliers for participation

Participating Universities

George Mason University

University of Virginia

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia State University

 

 

The History

In the fall of 2014, the Governor initiated the data internship program. The first year involved 20 participating state agencies and 45 graduate student interns. It only took that first year to realize that this valuable experience for the students also helped increase efficiency for the state, as noted by StateScoop. 

In 2015, the Governor renewed the Data Internship Program for another year and handed it over to state Chief Information Officer, Nelson Moe, and it has continued to build momentum ever since. The program has grown to manage several projects and collaborations across the state. Some recent projects can be found on our Innovations page. Below are some of the inaugural projects.

ProjectPartnerDatesPurpose
Data Management Maturity Assessments VCU 2014-2017 Collaboration with 15 agencies to determine how critical data assets are managed in government agencies and how they are positioned to support agency specific goals
Open Data Analytics Initiative UVA 2015 Collaboration with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
Newborn Screening LIMS Application  UVA 2016-2017 Collaboration with the Consolidated Laboratory Services
Charlottesville Data Analytics  UVA 2017 Collaboration between VIP, UVA and IBM to conduct data analytics using BlueMix services. Read more here.