The UK has invited the Global Pandemic Data Alliance to drive the implementation of the S7 Recommendations to improve safe data access and use for health emergencies. This invitation comes in response to a call from the Science Academies of the Group of Seven (S7) to realize a better level of ‘data readiness’ for future health emergencies, and the June 2021 launch of the G7 100 Days Mission report to respond to Future Pandemic Threats. 

The S7 statement sets out the need to establish health data as a global public good. It argues that the nations of the G7 and beyond should work together to: adopt principle-based governance systems for securing safe sharing and use of data for health emergencies; build and implement the operational systems, infrastructures and technologies for a principle-based and privacy-preserving approach to equitable use of data for health emergencies; and foster the skills and capabilities at all levels – from the general public to health professionals – needed for trusted and accurate use of data.

Formed in 2021, the Global Pandemic Data Alliance currently includes data.org, I-DAIR, the Royal Society, and The Trinity Challenge. Together, these organizations have started work on a two-year implementation roadmap to meet the challenges set out by the S7 to ensure the availability and accessibility of data as a source for critical insights in public health emergencies. This roadmap will lay out a plan to convene a cross-sector, transdisciplinary community, develop a research agenda, build the right technology infrastructure, and upskill public health practitioners in support of better use of data for health emergencies.

The Global Pandemic Data Alliance will work closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Wellcome Trust, and other stakeholders, in particular current and incoming presidencies from the G7 and the G20. The collaboration remains open to interested organizations willing to contribute concretely to international efforts on data-driven pandemic preparedness and response.

For media queries, please contact:

data.org: Nichole Verga at nichole@data.org 
I-DAIR: Léa Nacache at contact@i-dair.org
The Royal Society: Press@royalsociety.org +44 207 451 2508
The Trinity Challenge: Anita Menon-Harding at anita@thetrinitychallenge.org