Wikimedia Accelerator UNLOCK

We accelerate your ideas.
Together we build the future of Free Knowledge.

An illustration of the key phrase "We accelerate your ideas. Together we build the future of Free Knowledge" of the Wikimedia Accelerator UNLOCK by Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.

Lizenzhinweis

An illustration of the key phrase "We accelerate your ideas. Together we build the future of Free Knowledge" of the Wikimedia Accelerator UNLOCK by Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.
Kati Szilágyi for Wikimedia Deutschland e.V., Wikimedia Accelerator UNLOCK, CC BY-SA 4.0

The UNLOCK Accelerator is being discontinued in 2023

Find out what we are up to instead!
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What is the UNLOCK Accelerator?

We support open source software projects and non- technical projects under free licenses. The UNLOCK Accelerator is committed to promoting solutions that make the world’s knowledge more diverse, more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

What’s in it for you?

We help you turn your idea into a functional prototype. You will be equipped with the right mindsets and skills through needs-oriented coachings, and will be brought together with peers and experts for exchange and collaboration. We also offer financial support.

Who can join?

This fully remote program is designed for change makers, activists, technologists and creative minds who believe in the power of collaboration and open innovation, and who want to shape the future of Free Knowledge with us.

Projects

We are proud to work with exceptional free knowledge and open source enthusiasts who have developed prototypes and impact-driven solutions that are openly accessible to everyone. At UNLOCK, we help get things off the ground and continue our support as the products grow and scale. The following solutions were developed during the previous batches of the program.

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Logo Inclusio
Inclusio

Providing human-generated audio descriptions of visual content to the blind and visually impaired. Learn more here.

Logo macht.sprache
macht.sprache

macht.sprache. fosters politically sensitive translation through a platform for crowdsourcing and discussing politically sensitive terms and their translations, and through a tool to help translate with sensitivity. Learn more here.

IDE GLAS

Encouraging young people in the Western Balkans to familiarize themselves with political decision making processes and expand their knowledge on the importance of political participation. Learn more here.

MOCI SPACE

An open platform to connect activists, grassroot initiatives and civil society actors in the Balkans region. It should become a digital space for them to co-create, publish, and share knowledge in a decentralized and autonomous way. Learn more here.

Logo humAIn code
humAIn code

Establishing an ethics certification for digital applications to make digitisation and technology transparent for everyone. humAIn code seeks to perform a holistic examination of the AI system in the social context, addressing aspects of bias, discrimination of marginalized people and communities, diversity and inclusion. Learn more here.

Abedi

An open source tool to collect and safeguard indigenous knowledge as well as raise awareness about biodiversity with a p2p offline-first methodology. Learn more here.

activist

An open source platform that connects people and organizations across different movements to allow for intersectional participation and support. It should become a platform that breaks down barriers to becoming politically active and organized as well as to collaborate. Learn more here.

FollowTheVote

FollowTheVote is a mobile app that makes political engagement a fun and informative habit for young people by combining facts with gamification. Learn more here.

UNLOCK 2021_GovDirectory_Logo
GovDirectory

The Government Online Presence Directory is a crowdsourced and fact-checked directory of official governmental online accounts and services around the globe. Learn more here.

OpenSpeaks Accessibility

OpenSpeaks Accessibility is an open toolkit for language archivists on how to create permanent, accessible and inclusive audiovisual archives. Learn more here.

The Re:Source Project

The Re:Source Project is a browser extension that informs about working conditions across supply chains. Learn more here.

thinktwise

ThinkTwise is an open source browser extension that detects and highlights the quality of arguments in written, digital texts. Learn more here.

Audiopedia

Audiopedia makes audible knowledge accessible through free content and free technology, focussing on health and nutrition topics and addressing primarily non-readers in the Global South. Learn more here [German only].

Communitybased certification of open source hardware

The platform “Open Hardware Observatory (OHO)” sets new international standards to help collect, document and certify existing technical knowledge on Open Hardware projects. Learn more here [German only].

Face the Facts

Face the Facts is an app which helps users retrieve all important information about political candidates, such as past voting behaviors, controversies or sideline activities by scanning the election poster with their mobile phone. Learn more here [German only].

Futures Probes

Futures Probes is a qualitative survey method that invites people to create visions of the future on specific topics with the aim of capturing marginalized voices in particular. Learn more here [German only].

Unfrequently Asked Questions

Unfrequently Asked Questions is a web-based app that strengthens civic participation by enabling users to playfully engage with their immediate surroundings and experiences through their mobile devices. Learn more here [German only].