Resources

Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre Aboriginal knowledge and intellectual property protocol: community guide

Posted on: 16 February, 2010
Issue: Vol 10 No 1, January 2010 - March 2010
Related to Cultural ways Ethics Research

Orr M, Kenny P, Gorey IN, Mir A, Cox E, Wilson J. (2009)
Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre Aboriginal knowledge and intellectual property protocol: community guide
Alice Springs: Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre

The Aboriginal knowledge and intellectual property protocol community guide is an adaptation of the Aboriginal knowledge and intellectual property protocol written by the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (DKCRC).

Written in consultation with community members and in plain language, the community guide explains the issues addressed in the protocol such as ethics, confidentiality and informed consent. It sets out the ‘rules’ for researchers (such as reporting and publishing, intellectual property, storage of information) and shows how local Aboriginal people and researchers can work together.

The DKCRC, author of the protocol and the community guide, is a national research network linking Indigenous and local knowledge with science and education in desert regions. To avoid the possibilities of Aboriginal people’s knowledge and intellectual property being misappropriated and exploited, the DKCRC developed the Aboriginal knowledge and intellectual property protocol. This resource is designed to guide researchers toward best practice in ethics, confidentiality, equitable benefit sharing and in managing research information. It sets out the ways in which DKCRC research with Aboriginal people should be conducted and how Aboriginal knowledge and intellectual property will be managed throughout the research process.