This project creates resources and a conceptual schema for developing informed policies that support ethical and responsible research and data practices at academic institutions working with Indigenous Peoples. Although public investment in science has led to numerous societal benefits, research has not always been conducted in ethical and responsible ways, especially in studies involving Indigenous populations. Moreover, efforts to address harmful research practices have tended to be reactive and superficial rather than systematic and collaborative. These issues are addressed by using an innovative Indigenous data governance framework to review institutional norms and practices that promote or inhibit ethical design, outcomes, and approaches across the STEM research landscape and address barriers to developing institutional policies and practices that are responsive to the ethical concerns and priorities of Indigenous Peoples. In so doing it provides research leadership opportunities for early career, women, and Indigenous scholars, and improves institutional guidelines and practices by providing tools to address historical barriers to inclusive and ethical research infrastructures.
This project develops an Indigenous data governance framework by drawing on international norms (i.e., the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and relevant data governance standards (i.e., the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance). These sources are used to form a normative matrix that guides project activities. Major goals include: (1) analyzing scholarly literature and institutional policies to develop indicators for assessing ethical research and data practices when working with Indigenous communities; (2) conducting surveys and interviews to identify strategies adopted in similar colonial contexts (e.g., New Zealand, Australia, Canada); and (3) identifying factors that support or inhibit ethical research and data practices with respect to Indigenous communities. A central feature of the project is bi-directional engagement of relevant constituents, rights-holders, and stakeholders in developing indicators, factors, and resources. Indigenous and mainstream experts and Indigenous leaders and community members will help inform the project’s early stages and participate in co-developing guidelines. These activities will advance knowledge of ethical research practices with respect to marginalized communities, outline methods for increasing ethical and responsible research more generally, and promote ethical and responsible research by engaging diverse knowledge systems and communities to increase research data relevance, quality, and reproducibility.
This project was co-funded by the BIO and CISE directorates.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
