Prioritisation

We aim to develop recommendations for integrating Responsible Innovation approaches into ethics review processes for digital technology applications in clinical research and practices in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The overall project will address gaps in ethics review processes for National Ethics Committees (NECs) and National Research Authorities (NRAs), and will seek to improve the infrastructure of good governance of digital health technologies. 

The prioritisation activities will involve conducting virtual and face-to-face focus groups, workshops, and policy roundtables with investigators, tech ethics and research ethics experts in Africa and the EU. The discussions will cover various topics including the use of digital health technologies in sub-Saharan Africa for clinical research, the preparedness of ethics committees to review research protocols involving digital health technologies, training needs and offers for RECs, NRAs & Investigators, stakeholder engagement and regulatory capacities in SSA, knowledge attitude and practice of ethical-legal issues in digital health technology, and community awareness and perceptions.