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Joint statement on sharing research data and findings relevant to the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak I am writing to ask your organisation to recommit to a joint statement to rapid and open sharing of research data and findings relevant to the coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in China. The text of the joint statement follows below. Please do also share with others who may not be on this list. This statement updates the 2016 joint statement on data sharing in public health emergencies, to which your organisation was a signatory. In light of the urgent global health threat presented by this outbreak, we are asking signatories to reaffirm their commitment to these principles and pledge to also ensure research findings of relevance are shared rapidly with WHO. This statement reflects the public commitments already made by several leading journals over the last few days. It is aimed at researchers globally, and is necessary because of the unprecedented speed and number of research papers in response to the outbreak. We plan to publish this statement before the end of the day on Thursday 30 January, so please let us know by 14:00 GMT on Thursday if you would like to sign. Please reply to my colleague David Carr at Wellcome @wellcome.ac.uk), who will also be happy to answer any questions you have. With best wishes, Jeremy Farrar PROPOSED JOINT STATEMENT Sharing research data and findings relevant to the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China (2019-nCoV) represents a significant and urgent threat to global health. We call on researchers, journals and funders to ensure that research findings and data relevant to this outbreak are shared rapidly and openly to inform the public health response and help save lives. We affirm our commitment to the principles set out in the 2016 Statement on data sharing in public health emergencies, and pledge to ensure that the World Health Organization has rapid access to emerging findings that could aid the global response. Specifically, we commit to work together to ensure: all peer-reviewed research publications relevant to the outbreak are made immediately open access research findings relevant to the outbreak are shared immediately with the WHO upon journal submission, with author approval research findings are made available via preprint servers at or before journal submission, or via platforms that make papers openly accessible before peer review - with clear statements regarding the availability of underlying data interim and final research data relating to the outbreak are shared as rapidly and widely as possible, including with public health and research communities and the WHO journals are clear that data or preprints shared ahead of submission will not pre-empt its publication in these journals ur We will apply the principles of this statement to similar outbreaks in the future where there is a significant public health benefit to ensuring data is shared widely and rapidly. We urge others to make the same commitments. If your organisation is committed to supporting these principles, please contact us @wellcome.ac.uk) and we will add your organisation to the list of signatories SIGNATORIES TO THE STATEMENT ON EBOLA Academy of Finland Academy of Medical Sciences, UK Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) The British Medical Journal (BMJ) Bulletin of the World Health Organization Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation - Gulbenkian Science Institute Canadian Institutes of Health Research The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (to include Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [MMWR]) Chinese Academy of Sciences Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention The Department of Biotechnology, Government of India The Department for International Development (DFID) Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) eLife EcoHealth Alliance The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) EMBO Press F1000 Fondation Mérieux Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) The Global Health Network