Data sharing policy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Wellcome Sanger Institute is dedicated to advancing genetic and 
genomic science to the benefit of all. Rapid and open data sharing 
strategically supports this mission by enabling research and accelerating 
translation. However, such policies are only sustainable if scientific 
credit is generated for all parties involved, and the Institute will play 
its part in developing a global research environment which rewards data 
sharing.

The following principles form the basis for data sharing at the Wellcome 
Sanger Institute and the Institute will not consider collaborations that 
do not adhere to this policy.


Access
------

The Institute aims to provide rapid access to data sets of use to the 
research community and will place these in publicly accessible repositories 
when possible. The Institute will support data and interoperability 
standards to maximise access and ensure ease of integration with other 
global resources.


Ethical Considerations
----------------------

Conducting genetic and genomic research carries responsibilities to protect 
confidentiality and the privacy of research participants. Access to certain 
data sets will therefore be carefully managed and granted in a transparent 
manner to all appropriately qualified researchers.


Rights of Data Providers
------------------------

The Institute recognises the need for researchers to be appropriately credited 
for their scientific contribution and investment in data generation. It is 
therefore expected that all researchers both honour agreements in line with 
Fort Lauderdale's data sharing principles [1] and appropriately acknowledge the 
contributions of others [2].


Optimising Translation
----------------------

The Institute recognises that, in specific instances, the use of intellectual 
property protection and attendant potential delays to data sharing may be 
necessary to prevent inappropriately exclusive claims by others and to ensure 
health benefits occur.


References
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1. Sharing Data from Large-scale Biological Research Projects: A System of 
   Tripartite Responsibility. Report of a meeting organised by the Wellcome Trust 
   and held on 14-15 January 2003 at Fort Lauderdale, USA.

2. For information on acknowledging the use of data provided by the Institute, 
   please see the WTSI Guidelines on use of data in publications.