In response to a direct request from the European Commission, the RDA set up an RDA Working group. Ingrid Dillo, deputy director at DANS, co-chair of the RDA Council and co-chair of this Working Group: “Last March, we asked the 10.000 members of our global data community to share knowledge and ideas regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the Working Group is to define clear guidelines for the sharing and reuse of COVID-19 related research data, so that researchers worldwide can follow best practices and thus maximize the efficiency of their work.”
The guidelines cover the management of data from various data sources and the development of a system for sharing data in the event of public health emergencies. The group also makes recommendations on creating a common framework and the tools and processes needed in research practice. Dillo: “The feedback from the community is processed every week, a new version of the Recommendations and guidelines is opened for feedback every Friday. The goal is to be able to submit a final draft version to the community for the last time on May 22. The guidelines can be used by all stakeholders after formal approval by the RDA Council. We already discuss the dissemination and adoption of the guidelines with parties such as the European Commission, the OECD and the international publishing organization STM Association.”
More information
Like all RDA working groups, the RDA COVID-19 Working Group is open to everyone. To participate, log in to the RDA website (or register for free if you are not a member) and join the group.
A news item about this work can also be read on the RDA website.
