International COVID-19 Data Research Alliance and Workbench
The International COVID-19 Data Research Alliance and Workbench provide a co-ordinated international platform to enable researchers to access global data to derive rapid insights about COVID-19 and speed up the development of treatments.
Our challenge
COVID-19 represents an unprecedented public health, social, medical, and economic crisis.
There is an urgent need to enable access to data that can be linked with other data in a safe and secure way, for the world’s research community to answer key questions. Those answers are urgently needed to save people’s lives now and in the future.
Our vision
Our vision is to unite data from international clinical trials, biomedical and health research to enable discoveries that benefit people everywhere, by reducing the harm of the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the International Alliance
The Alliance is an independent consortium of leading life science, philanthropic and research organisations uniting to respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Convened by Health Data Research UK – the national institute for health data in the UK – the founding members of the International Alliance bring together data assets, expertise and funding.
The Workbench is a new data platform that allows scientists to discover, access and analyse global multi-dimensional datasets whilst respecting confidentiality and privacy. The Workbench will connect to regional or national data infrastructures used by International Alliance members, such as the national BREATHE health data research hub in the UK.
The platform will consolidate data and metadata from numerous federated repositories to allow analysts to work collectively on a target problem. Data access and use will be conducted in accordance with the governance requirements of individual data controllers from any country around the world, in a transparent and ethical manner.
The International COVID-19 Data Research Alliance and Workbench is being established to help respond to the current global challenge. On Wednesday 8 July from 3:30 – 5:00pm BST we held a webinar to learn more about this initiative and ways in which you can become involved. You can view the outputs from the event here.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Foundation seeks to unlock the possibility inside every individual. We see equal value in all lives. And so we are dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals around the world.
Chan Zuckerberg Foundation
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative‘s mission is to find new ways to leverage technology, community-driven solutions, and collaboration to accelerate progress in science and education.
Mastercard
Mastercard operates the world’s fastest payment processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, retailers, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries.
Minderoo
Minderoo Foundation is a philanthropic organisation seeking to break down barriers, and drive positive, lasting change, with AUD $2 billion committed to a range of global initiatives.
Wellcome
We support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone to get involved with science and health research.
Microsoft AI for Health
AI for Health is a five-year philanthropic program from Microsoft, created to empower nonprofits, researchers, and organisations tackling some of the toughest challenges in global health.
African Academy of Sciences
The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a non-aligned, non-political, not-for-profit pan African organisation. The AAS’ vision is to see transformed lives on the African continent through science.
BREATHE
BREATHE – the Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health facilitates safe and responsible access to respiratory health data, sparking research and innovation for the benefit of UK patients.
Generation Scotland
Generation Scotland is a resource of human biological samples and data which are available for medical research. We aim to create more effective treatments based on gene knowledge.
Genomics England
Genomics England’s vision is to transform genomic healthcare by translating novel clinical insights to drive better outcomes in the NHS and around the world.
Global Alliance for Genomic Health
The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health is a policy-framing and technical standards-setting organization, enabling responsible genomic data sharing within a human rights framework.
HDR Network Canada
Health Data Research Network Canada is bringing together health data centres, networks and initiatives to identify opportunities for collaboration and foster innovation.
Infectious Diseases Data Laboratory
The IDDO is a scientifically independent, multi-disciplinary coalition of the global infectious disease community. It provides the methods and governance to translate data into evidence.
SAIL Databank
SAIL Databank is the Trusted Research Environment for BREATHE – the Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health, and the focus for accumulation of a wide range of COVID-19-related data.
NICE
The role of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is to improve outcomes for people using the NHS and other public health and social care services.
Aridhia
The Aridhia Digital Research Environment provides access to secure analytic workspaces that address complex data challenges for research and healthcare teams.
Mastercard
Mastercard operates the world’s fastest payment processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, retailers, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries.
Novartis
Novartis is a pharmaceutical company which develops, manufactures and markets innovative medicines, devices and diagnostic tests which help improve patient outcomes.
UK Secure e-Research Platform (UKSeRP)
SeRP is a Trusted Research Environment (TRE), and is the complete customisable solution for data sharing, linkage and analysis in a safe secure and controlled environment.