International fora and consensus bodies

Work together in international fora, including through international professional organisations, to develop common definitions, data and security standards, and certification processes relating to access to research data and other research-relevant digital objects from public funding and design frameworks to enhance access, including access to sensitive data, across different jurisdictions and national borders. In this respect, adherents should support relevant and appropriate consensus bodies for data policy, standards and good practice.

• Coordinate international efforts: Identify key international bodies, such as the Research Data Alliance (RDA), CODATA, UNESCO, and the Open Science WG in the G7, to establish cooperative links and share objectives for harmonising data policies, standards, and best practices.
• Engage in consensus bodies: Encourage active participation in global fora and consensus organisations to promote adherence to FAIR principles and develop shared frameworks for data access, especially for sensitive data across jurisdictions.
• Foster knowledge exchange: Promote involvement in international communities like Research Data Alliance (RDA) to share experiences and best practices, strengthening global collaboration on open science initiatives.
• Support capacity-building: Advocate for widespread participation from diverse scientific disciplines, particularly data science, to ensure comprehensive and inclusive development of common standards and certification processes.

Implementing international collaboration for shared data standards and frameworks faces significant hurdles, such as: 

• Diverging national priorities and legal frameworks create challenges in aligning objectives, especially when addressing access to sensitive data across borders. 

• The lack of coordination among numerous international bodies, such as European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and UNESCO, results in fragmented efforts and inefficiencies, limiting the impact of global initiatives.

• Insufficient cross-learning and information-sharing mechanisms between groups hinder the development of cohesive strategies. The proliferation of forums and consensus bodies exacerbates the need for a unified approach to avoid duplication and promote synergy.

• Limited capacity of some countries to actively participate in international initiatives, leading to unequal contributions and benefits. Building trust among stakeholders and ensuring broad representation is critical but difficult in practice.

• Developing universally accepted certification processes and operational frameworks requires significant time and resources, further complicating the path to global consensus and practical implementation.