Under public health emergencies, and particularly the COVID19 pandemic, it is fundamental that data is shared in both a timely and an accurate manner. It is imperative, now more than ever, coupled with the harmonisation of the many diverse data infrastructures, to share preliminary data and results early and often. It is clear that open research data is a key component to pandemic preparedness and response.

In late March 2020, the Research Data Alliance ( RDA) received a direct request from the European Commission to create global guidelines and recommendations for data sharing under COVID-19 circumstances. Over 600 data professionals and domain experts signed up and began work in early April. On June 30, they released detailed guidelines, officially titled RDA COVID-19 Recommendations and Guidelines on Data Sharing, to help researchers and data stewards maximize the efficiency of their work and serve as a blueprint for delivering quality data sharing responses in health emergencies.

This webinar provided highlights of the report, with specific focus on clinical and omics data, community participation, indigenous peoples and social sciences.

View recording. 

For more information visit rd-alliance.org.