Research data governance in low-and middle-income countries

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)