Ethics & Trust in Health Data | BioVana Research Africa

Ethics & Governance

Ethical research that respects African communities and ensures data sovereignty.

Our Commitment

BioVana upholds the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in all research activities.

We safeguard the dignity and rights of research participants while ensuring meaningful health improvements across Africa.

Core Principles

Respect

Participants and communities come first

Beneficence

Research that benefits communities

Justice

Fair and equitable practices

Transparency

Open and accountable processes

Research Governance

Three pathways guide our research activities based on our role.

Lead Research

Full institutional review and ethics approval before initiation.

Commissioned Research

Ensuring partners follow ethical review processes.

Collaborative Research

Partners demonstrate ethics approval before data access.

Data Sovereignty

African health data belongs to African institutions and communities. BioVana serves as a steward, not an owner.

Institutions retain full control over their data assets and all access decisions.

Data Governance Pillars

Local Control

Data remains under the control of the originating institution

Clear Processes

Clear data-access processes with documented approvals

Audit Trails

Comprehensive, auditable trails for all data access and usage

Secure Infrastructure

Industry-standard encryption and security protocols

Consent & Community

We respect all research participants’ consent preferences and track withdrawal rights for every record.

Communities understand how their data is used and benefit from research outcomes.

Consent Management

Documented informed consent for all participants
Tracking of consent scope and limitations
Withdrawal rights and opt-out processes
Re-consent protocols for new research uses
Community advisory board engagement

Compliance

We comply with national regulations and international standards.

Local Regulations

Compliance with national health data protection and privacy laws in each operating country

International Standards

Alignment with GDPR principles, ISO standards, and global data protection best practices

Research Ethics

Adherence to ICH-GCP, Declaration of Helsinki, and institutional review board requirements

Benefit-Sharing

Revenue Sharing

Host institutions receive fair financial compensation reflecting the value of their data.

Capacity Building

Investment in training, infrastructure, and knowledge transfer for sustainable growth.

Community Benefits

Research findings shared back to communities for improved local health systems.

Oversight

We comply with national regulations and international standards.

Internal Committee

Reviews all projects and data-access requests for ethical alignment.

Advisory Board

External African experts provide independent ethical guidance.

Clear Channels

Transparent processes for raising and investigating concerns.

Questions about our ethics and governance?

We welcome dialogue with institutions, researchers, and communities about our ethical frameworks.