Beyond the Digital Divide: Sharing Research Data across Developing and Developed Countries

The primary data collection element of this project related to observational based fieldwork at four universities in Kenya and South Africa undertaken by Louise Bezuidenhout (hereafter ‘LB’) as the award researcher. The award team selected fieldsites through a series of strategic decisions. First, it was decided that all fieldsites would be in Africa, as this continent is largely missing from discussions about Open Science. Second, two countries were selected – one in southern (South Africa) and one in eastern Africa (Kenya) – based on the existence of the robust national research programs in these countries compared to elsewhere on the continent. As country background, Kenya has 22 public universities, many of whom conduct research. It also has a robust history of international research collaboration – a prime example being the long-standing KEMRI-Wellcome Trust partnership. While the government encourages research, financial support for it remains limited and the focus of national universities is primarily on undergraduate teaching. South Africa has 25 public universities, all of whom conduct research. As a country, South Africa has a long history of academic research, one which continues to be actively supported by the government. Third, in order to speak to conditions of research in Africa, we sought examples of vibrant, “homegrown” research. While some of the researchers at the sites visited collaborated with others in Europe and North America, by design none of the fieldsites were formally affiliated to large internationally funded research consortia or networks. Fourth, within these two countries four departments or research groups in academic institutions were selected for inclusion based on their common discipline (chemistry/biochemistry) and research interests (medicinal chemistry). These decisions were to ensure that the differences in data sharing practices and perceptions between disciplines noted in previous studies would be minimized. Within Kenya, site 1 (KY1) and Site 2 (KY2) were both chemistry departments of well-established universities. Both departments had over 15 full time faculty members, however faculty to student ratios were high and the teaching loads considerable. KY1 had a large number of MSc and PhD candidates, the majority of whom were full-time and a number of whom had financial assistance. In contrast, KY2 had a very high number of MSc students, the majority of whom were self-funded and part-time (and thus conducted their laboratory work during holidays). In both departments space in laboratories was at a premium and students shared space and equipment. Neither department had any postdoctoral researchers. Within South Africa, site 1 (SA1) was a research group within the large chemistry department of a well-established and comparatively well-resourced university with a tradition of research. Site 2 (SA2) was the chemistry/biochemistry department of a university that had previously been designated a university for marginalized population groups under the Apartheid system. Both sites were the recipients of numerous national and international grants. SA2 had one postdoctoral researcher at the time, while SA1 had none. Empirical data was gathered using a combination of qualitative methods including embedded laboratory observations and semi-structured interviews. Each site visit took between three and six weeks, during which time LB participated in departmental activities, interviewed faculty and postgraduate students, and observed social and physical working environments in the departments and laboratories. Data collection was undertaken over a period of five months between November 2014 and March 2015, with 56 semi-structured interviews in total conducted with faculty and graduate students. Follow-on visits to each site were made in late 2015 by LB and Brian Rappert to solicit feedback on our analysis.本项目的核心数据采集工作，由获奖研究员Louise Bezuidenhout（以下简称"LB"）在肯尼亚与南非的四所高校开展基于观察法的实地调研。本项目团队通过一系列战略决策选定实地调研点：其一，所有调研点均设于非洲——该大陆在开放科学（Open Science）相关讨论中长期缺席；其二，选定南非（南部非洲）与肯尼亚（东部非洲）两个国家，选取依据为相较于非洲其他地区，两国拥有成熟完善的国家级研究计划。 肯尼亚现有22所公立高校，多数均开展科研活动，且拥有悠久的国际科研合作历史，其中极具代表性的是存续已久的KEMRI-Wellcome Trust合作项目。尽管肯尼亚政府鼓励科研发展，但科研经费支持仍较为有限，国内高校的核心工作以本科教学为主。南非现有25所公立高校，所有高校均开展科研活动；该国拥有悠久的学术研究历史，且持续获得政府的积极扶持。 其三，为贴合非洲本土的科研环境，项目组选取了充满活力的"本土自主"研究案例。尽管部分调研点的研究者与欧美同行存在合作，但所有调研点均未正式隶属于大型国际资助的研究联盟或网络，此为项目设计的既定要求。其四，在上述两国范围内，共选取四个学术机构的院系或研究组作为调研对象，选取标准为统一的学科领域（化学/生物化学）与研究方向（药物化学），此举旨在最小化既往研究中提及的不同学科间数据共享实践与认知差异。 肯尼亚境内的两个调研点：站点1（KY1）与站点2（KY2）均为老牌高校的化学院系，两院系均拥有15名以上全职教职员工，但师生比偏高，教学任务繁重。KY1拥有大量硕士与博士生，其中多数为全日制在读，且部分学生获得了经济资助。与之形成鲜明对比的是，KY2的硕士生占比极高，其中多数为自筹经费的非全日制学生，因此仅能在假期开展实验室工作。两院系均面临实验室空间紧张的问题，学生需共用实验空间与设备，且均未配备博士后研究人员。 南非境内的两个调研点：站点1（SA1）为老牌且资源相对充裕的大型化学系下属的研究组，该组拥有悠久的科研传统。站点2（SA2）为某高校的化学/生物化学系，该高校在种族隔离制度时期曾被指定为边缘化群体专属高校。两站点均获得过大量国家级与国际级科研资助。调研期间，SA2配备1名博士后研究人员，而SA1未配备。 实证数据通过多种定性方法采集，包括沉浸式实验室观察与半结构化访谈。每处调研点的驻留时长为3至6周，期间LB参与院系日常活动、访谈教职员工与研究生，并观察院系及实验室的社会与实体工作环境。数据采集工作于2014年11月至2015年3月的五个月间开展，共完成56份针对教职员工与研究生的半结构化访谈。2015年末，LB与Brian Rappert再次走访各站点，以收集对研究分析的反馈意见。