Yoti has officially delayed the 2020 iteration of its Digital Identity Fellowship Programme. The inaugural Programme was launched in April of 2019, leading to a cohort of three fellows selected from a pool of more than 120 applicants from upwards of 30 different countries.

The Fellowship Programme was set up to provide a grassroots perspective on digital identity, and to explore elements of identity that often get overlooked at the corporate level. Last year’s Programme funded one-year projects in Argentina, India, and South Africa.

Like so many other things, the 2020 Programme was postponed due to the coronavirus, and the uncertainty surrounding the current lockdowns. However, Yoti indicated that it will still eventually be moving forward with the Programme, and is planning to accept applications at some point later in the year. 

In the meantime, Yoti will continue to provide technical support to its three current fellows. Many of them can no longer conduct field research or perform in-person interviews due to COVID-19, so Yoti is helping them transition to a remote environment as they work to complete their various projects.

The Fellowship Programme is in keeping with Yoti’s broader humanitarian goals. The identity specialist has since launched a Humanitarian Tech Support Programme to help socially-oriented organizations deliver better technology solutions to remote areas of the world.