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SCIENCE FOUNDATION IRELAND ANNUAL REPORT 2015
CASE
4
STUDY
The Magna Carta for Data – Charting the way for citizens ’ rights in Big Data research
Leading the discussion on data ethics in Europe is the Science Foundation Ireland Insight Centre for Data Analytics . Co-director of the Centre Prof Barry O ’ Sullivan is heading up Insight ’ s Magna Carta for Data initiative which aims to objectively weigh the benefits of data research to the public with the privacy and data protection rights associated with this increasingly pertinent field of research .
In November 2015 , Prof O ’ Sulivan presented the concept of the Magna Carta for Data at the Alan Turing Institute in Oxford University . The initiative was shaped in the preceding months through the submission of a discussion document to Brussels and participation in a Day of Action on Data for Health and Science . Ongoing consultations within Insight also broadened the scope of the conversation to include not only business , health science and computer science community but social sciences and the humanities as well . The scale of the initiative shows Ireland is very much leading the field in terms of data ethics , at the same time highlighting the draw of Ireland as a frontrunner in data analytic research .
Prof O ’ Sullivan , was also part of a UCC delegation to the UN headquarters in New York where he presented an overview of data analytics and the challenges posed by Big Data in both the developed and developing worlds .
Amongst the results the barometer found that one in two people in Ireland felt informed in STEM , but 71 % felt that STEM is often too specialised to understand . These have informed the targets and outcomes set out in Innovation 2020 and the National Skills Strategy 2025 . The barometer also identified particular groups within Irish society that are more disconnected from STEM such as the socioeconomic groups categorised as C2DE , in particular those aged 30 – 55 and women . These findings in 2015 will directly inform future education and public engagement activity .
Under the Smart Futures initiative , Science Foundation Ireland launched a new website and volunteer / school visit management system to support creating national access for post primary students to STEM role models . The programme continued to grow partners , achieving over 1,500 trained volunteers from a variety of organisations representing industry sectors such as computing , financial services and pharmachemical . The programme has now reached over 92,000 students since its launch . To support the CAO decision timeline and grow awareness of the Smart Futures programme , a cinema ad was produced in late 2015 which ran in cinemas nationwide during November and December .
Science Foundation Ireland-funded researchers participated in a number of education and public engagement activities in 2015 , including media interviews and interactions , giving over 700 public lectures and demonstrations and paying 1,275 visits to primary and secondary schools .
Over 500 Irish primary schools received the Discover Primary Science and Maths ( DPSM ) Awards of Science and Maths Excellence .
Smart Futures industry mentor programme reached
92,000
students since its launch