Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa): Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Research (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support research on the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) associated with a new program entitled Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa). The goal of DS-I Africa is to spur new health discoveries and catalyze innovation in healthcare, public health, and health research on the continent through application of data science. A primary goal of this FOA is to explore the ELSI issues impacting data science for health research from an African perspective and contribute to the policy discussions of such on the continent. Through this FOA and related announcements, it is expected that ELSI research efforts will be fully embedded and integrated components of the consortia of activities supported through related DS-I Africa FOAs. Supported DS-I Africa ELSI awardees will work closely with DS-I Africa coordinating centers and DS-I Africa research hubs in considering how to dynamically address core ethical issues that may arise as the larger research projects uncover additional opportunities in this space. The cooperative agreements made through this FOA must be direct awards to African institutions, but applications can include partnerships with organizations from other areas.