In September 2021, a research project application that I conceptualised and drafted was awarded R18 million in funding by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is the world’s largest public funder of health-related research, supporting research worldwide that has an impact on knowledge of health and medicine.
The project will focus on the legal aspects of the use of data science for health innovation in Africa. It aims to provide legal clarity and practical guidance on issues that are critical for scientists. These issues include, inter alia, the processing of persons’ geospatial data, the cross-border sharing of data, and the use of data to train artificial intelligence.
The project will also make recommendations on inter-jurisdiction harmonisation through the lens of Africanisation. It will involve 12 African nations and will be driven by a project team of leading law academics from different regions on the continent. As principal investigator, I will be responsible to coordinate between all the consortium partners and researchers involved.
*The content of this is article does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
Here is a link to the announcement by my University.
Donrich Thaldar 