The Ethics and Data Sharing Working Group currently have four funded projects ongoing with support from subgrants awarded in the first round of funding. Our first four funded projects include studies using qualitative and mixed methods approaches to explore both community-level and Ethics Committee engagement with health genomics, scientific citizenship through developing genomics education materials in their first language for school learners, and providing online ELSI training opportunities to researchers and clinicians. As PHA4GE2.0 gathers pace we are excited to also have a new call for applications for subgrants for up to five additional ELSI-related projects.
For this new round of funding, successful applicants will also attend a three-day workshop to refine and develop their protocols and to participate in training relevant to their projects; and each project will have an assigned facilitator to help take the work forward. We especially encouraged by early and mid-career researchers, and those in under-resourced research environments, applying for these grants, and hope that this new programme will contribute to our Working Group aim to build an open and inclusive community of researchers engaging with ELSI issues. We are looking forward to welcoming new awardees to join our ongoing Working Group activities.
Nicki Tiffin (Chair)
Anja Bedeker (co-Chair)
PHA4GE Ethics and Data Sharing Working Group
Bioinformatics conference seeks to make a real difference to disease outbreaks
20th May 2025
At the 2025 ISCB-Africa ASBCB Bioinformatics Conference in Cape Town, UWC’s Professor Alan Christoffels urged students to bridge the gap between academic research and public health. Highlighting the role of bioinformatics and genomics in disease response, Christoffels emphasized the need for data standards, cross-border collaboration, and real-world impact in managing outbreaks across Africa and beyond.
