"The data help us to know what reality is like. Supporting projects with social impact to connect with citizens to generate them is our way of changing the world: it's cooperative, it's available to everyone and it can be done from the couch." This is the will of SalusCoop, a mobile application that connects citizens and research teams securely, focusing on ethical and transparent data management. Powered by Salus.Coop, a cooperative of data donors for the search for the common good, the tool allows participation in various research projects related to the health and social welfare sector. Currently, for example, the CitieS-Health project is open, with ISGlobal, which seeks to find out how pollution affects the cognitive capacity and rest of citizens. So, through the SalusCoop mobile application, participants answer a questionnaire about their habits and customs.
Specifically, the SalusCoop application arose from a meeting between professionals Javi Creus and Joan Guanyabens who wanted to launch a project related to data within the health sector. "Research studies in the health and social welfare sector only have data from hospitals or medical centres, that is to say, they only have profiles of sick people. Javi and Joan realized that it was necessary to have real data, data from everyone", says Ariadna Esteve, collaborator of SalusCoop. "Studies show that civil society is prepared to share its data whenever it is to support clinical research, especially if it is for a non-profit purpose. The data can make it possible to generate studies and analyzes that support theses that help change the world", explains Esteve. The SalusCoop application has two key axes: the anonymity of donors and research as a vehicle for social transformation. "The control of the data belongs to the donor. The data is anonymous and the researcher only accesses what is indicated in the agreement, which is simple and transparent", comments Esteve. "Data is the new personal and social heritage. Your privacy is one of the limits in your sharing. Obviously, you don't bring a stranger into your home. With data, you need to do the same. For this reason, the projects that are part of SalusCoop are projects with guarantees of ethical responsibility and we work to guarantee anonymity and positive impact", concludes Esteve.