Allyson Lister is the FAIRsharing Content & Community Lead at the University of Oxford, England. In this webinar, she discussed what documentation FAIRsharing holds for African research standards, databases, and more.

FAIRsharing is a curated, global resource that helps researchers find databases, standards, and policies that make data more discoverable and reusable. For African researchers, it’s a way to ensure their work is recognized, accessible, and connected to international best practices. It’s about empowering communities to build reliable and sustainable research outputs.

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The slides are available at https://africarxiv.ubuntunet.net/handle/1/1871

Speaker’s Profile

^{ORCID: 0000-0002-7702-4495; LinkedIn: /in/allysonlister} 

Allyson Lister is the FAIRsharing Content & Community Lead at the University of Oxford. With a background in data standardisation, ontologies, semantic data and integration, she is responsible for FAIRsharing content, as well as for the collaborations with users and outreach across all research domains. Allyson is also an EOSC Future / RDA Domain Ambassador (for standards, databases and policies), and is a co-chair of two RDA working groups.

Questions that were addressed during the session

How can African researchers use FAIRsharing to find the right standards and repositories for their work?

On FAIRsharing, you can search by discipline, region, or data type to find the most suitable standards and repositories. Our goal is to help researchers navigate the overwhelming number of options and choose trusted resources that boost the visibility and impact of their research.

Are there African-led standards, repositories, or policies listed on FAIRsharing?

Yes, and we are always eager to include more! We actively seek collaborations with African initiatives. If you manage a repository, standard, or policy, we encourage you to submit it to FAIRsharing so we can showcase Africa’s contributions to the global research community.

What challenges do researchers face when adopting FAIR data principles, and how does FAIRsharing help overcome them?

A big challenge is awareness—knowing where to start. FAIRsharing helps by organizing information clearly and providing guidance on adoption. We also work with journals, funders, and institutions to make standards adoption a requirement, not just an option, offering a stronger incentive for researchers.

How can institutions and research communities across Africa collaborate with FAIRsharing?

We would love to work more closely with African institutions! Collaboration can happen through contributing resources to our platform, co-hosting training sessions, or providing feedback on how we can better serve local needs. We believe collaboration should be two-way, adapting and growing together.

How African Researchers and Institutions Can Learn and Benefit from the Session with FAIRsharing

Understanding the Importance of Data Standards

African researchers learned how using globally recognized data and metadata standards strengthens the visibility, reproducibility, and credibility of their research outputs. FAIRsharing provides a roadmap to standards adoption, ensuring African research is aligned with international Open Science practices.

Navigating Databases and Repositories with Ease

Through FAIRsharing, African institutions gain tools to easily find and connect with the right databases and repositories for their field. This simplifies data management and enables better sharing, archiving, and discovery of African research contributions.

Showcasing African Research Resources Globally

By registering African-led databases, repositories, and policies on FAIRsharing, researchers and institutions increase the global visibility of their initiatives. This opens opportunities for partnerships, collaborations, and funding support from international agencies.

Promoting FAIR Data Practices Locally

The session highlighted strategies to promote FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles within local institutions. African research communities learned practical ways to advocate for better data practices and influence policy development in their universities and governments.

Building Capacity through Training and Collaboration

FAIRsharing offers avenues for co-developing training materials and workshops tailored to African contexts. Institutions learned how they can build long-term capacity in data stewardship by partnering with FAIRsharing to co-host events, share expertise, and participate in global discussions.

Strengthening Research Funding and Publishing Opportunities

Understanding and implementing FAIR principles, as encouraged by FAIRsharing, increases researchers’ eligibility for grants and improves chances of getting published in reputable journals. The session stressed that adopting these practices is not just good for science—it’s also a career-boosting move.

About this webinar

This webinar session is part of a series co-organized by UbuntuNet Alliance and Access 2 Perspectives as part of the ORCID Global Participation Program.

About ORCID

ORCID is the persistent identifier for researchers to share their accomplishments (research articles, data, etc with funding agencies, publishers, data repositories, and other research workflows.

About AfricArXiv

AfricArXiv is a digital archive for African research communication. By enhancing the visibility of African research, we enable discoverability and collaboration opportunities for African scientists on the continent as well as globally.