Research data governance in low-and middle-income countries

Ferrer Breda, Pedro; Green, Elizabeth; Kendal, Cara; Ritchie, Felix

Abstract

Research and policy development on the governance of confidential research data is dominated by the work of academics and government agencies based in high-income countries (HICs). This leaves three quarters of the world’s population faced with a corpus of theory and good practiced guidelines which, although robust and well-established, makes little or no reference to the specific circumstances of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It may be that the data governance models developed in LMICS may be easily transferable to other contexts (there is some evidence, for example, that human-centred training adapts well), but in general there is little or no examination of this issue. There is however a large demand; a recent announcement of a training course in data governance for LMICS was 10x over-subscribed within the first two weeks of launch.
This is the final report on a virtual workshop held in August 2023 which explored this topic with researchers and statistical organisations across LMICs. The topics included:
• How do attitudes to research data governance vary across countries?
• Are there key gaps in education, training, or information resources?
• Are there general lessons that can be applied across cultures and continents?
• Where and how do we develop capacity?
• Are there specific issues relating to LMICs which are poorly covered in HIC models (e.g. treatment of indigenous peoples)?

• Report Type: Other
• Publication Date: Oct 13, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 13, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 13, 2023
• Pages: 1-25
• Keywords: data governance, confidentiality, research data, low income countries
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11170904
• Additional Information: This is the final conference report. A shorter version was prepared as paper for the UNECE/Eurostat Expert Group on confidentiality