Data Governance in International Neuro-ICT Collaborations

    05 March 2018


    Data Governance in International Neuro-ICT Collaborations.

    Clarifying current practice, identifying obstacles and barriers, and looking to the future of international research.

    Press Invitation

    Exeter College, University of Oxford, UK

    March 20-21, 2018,  11:30 – 18:20; 09:00 – 14:30 GMT

    From its inception, the Human Brain Project (HBP) has pursued questions of data governance. It has now developed a set of data policy principles and practices that foster research collaboration. The HBP Data Governance working group, in collaboration with the UK ORBIT Project (Observatory for Responsible Research and Innovation in ICT), are co-organising this conference to bring together international expertise and cutting-edge research on the topic of data governance in large collaborative neuro-ICT projects. Our purpose in doing so is to clarify current practice, identify obstacles and barriers and propose and discuss future ways of organising data governance. This is particularly timely in the context of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into effect later this year. The legislation will bring substantial changes with regard to the treatment of personal data and aims to facilitate future research collaboration.

    This conference aims to cover aspects of data governance that need to be considered in order to render collaborative international neuroscience research successful within the framework of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). The success of neuroscientific research and ICT hinges on the question of collaboration, often across institutions and national boundaries. Considering the complexity of the human brain, the efforts required to achieve understandings are significant, and often necessitate exchange of data between different institutions and across disciplinary and national boundaries. The future success of large-scale collaborative neuroscience projects will depend on their capacity to share and access data effectively and responsibly. This, in turn, requires the establishment of data governance principles and practices which will support neuroscience across disciplinary, natural, and cultural boundaries. Data governance in the context of large collaborative biomedical and technological research projects also has social and ethical implications.

    Participants will learn about approaches to Data Governance and ethics in the Human Brain Project and other large-scale, collaborative international Neuroscience and ICT initiatives and have the opportunity to discuss related issues and future directions with experts from the HBP, ORBIT, the US BRAIN initiative, and other projects. The programme (http://dg-neuro-ict.orbit-rri.org/?page_id=10) includes keynote talks by prominent members of these projects, plenaries on specific issues, a panel on HBP-specific data governance, and opportunities for wider conversations about scientific collaboration, data governance, and Responsible Research and Innovation.

    Registration is required and open until March 15th:

    https://store.dmu.ac.uk/product-catalogue/faculty-of-technology/conferences/data-governance-in-international-neuroict-collaborations

    The event is £150 to attend at the full rate, including lunch, tea, and coffee both days. The Conference Dinner at Exeter College’s Old Hall is an additional £50. Subsidised rates (£10, including dinner) and travel bursaries are available for students and Early Career Researchers; childcare can be arranged for those who register before February 20th.

     

    For questions about the Event, contact:

    Dr. Tyr Fothergill, tyr.fothergill@dmu.ac.uk

    Research Fellow, Ethics Management and Researcher Awareness

    HBP Subproject 12: Ethics & Society

    Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility

    Faculty of Technology, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

     

    For HBP project information and interview requests, contact:


    Professor Bernd Stahl

    Human Brain Project

    Ethics Director

    Tel.: +44 (0) 116 2078252

    Email: bstahl@dmu.ac.uk

     

    Peter Zekert

    Human Brain Project

    Public Relations Officer

    Tel.: +49 (0) 2461 61-85175/-9486

    Email: p.zekert@fz-juelich.de

     

    Further Information:

    http://dg-neuro-ict.orbit-rri.org/