Independent review
Research involving people should receive the required scientific, ethics and institutional approvals before it begins.
Trust is research infrastructure.
Our work should protect participants, respect communities and make responsibility clear at every stage.
Our commitment
Ethical practice from question to publication.
Genomic and clinical research involves information that can be personal, sensitive and meaningful to individuals, families and communities.
AGES Network supports research conducted under appropriate scientific and institutional review, with informed consent, secure handling of information and clear accountability. Requirements may vary by project and participating institution, but respect for people and communities is not optional.
Principles
Six safeguards for responsible research.
These principles provide a public standard against which collaborators and communities can understand our approach.
Informed consent
Participants should receive clear information, have opportunities to ask questions and decide voluntarily whether to take part.
Privacy by design
Projects should collect only necessary information, limit access and use secure procedures for storage, analysis and sharing.
Community respect
Engagement should be culturally appropriate, responsive to concerns and clear about research purposes, limits and potential benefits.
Responsible data use
Access to participant-level information or biological materials should follow approved protocols and documented oversight.
Transparent reporting
Methods, findings, limitations and conflicts of interest should be communicated accurately to scientific and public audiences.
Working with us
What collaborators should be ready to discuss.
- The scientific question and its relevance to African populations
- Institutional roles, leadership and decision-making
- Ethics approvals, informed consent and community engagement
- Data access, security, authorship and benefit sharing
- Plans for reporting results to participants and wider audiences