Research Data Scotland (RDS) Transition Board - Legal Working Group: terms of reference

Membership

• Alessia Morris SG – Chair
• Nicola Kerr, SG
• Robin Fallas, MacRoberts
• John Thomson, SGLD
• Lorna McCall, Central Legal Office - PHS
• Louise Cullum, UoE
• Nora Kellock, UoE

Purpose

• to provide advice and identifying options with regard to legal models for establishing RDS as a legal entity, including any contractual and regulatory requirements as well as corporate approvals
• to develop a legal model that will deliver the best outcomes for RDS to establish itself as a trusted and credible organisation

Outputs

The outputs will be summary minutes of the Group’s discussions and/or any discussion/position papers produced for the meetings. 

The group will feed its outputs into both the RDS outline and full business case to the as part of the RDS final proposal.

The outputs of the Group will also inform the work of the RDS Transition Board and the wider RDS project and may also be shared with Scottish Ministers as and when required

Timeline

The Group will be short lived and time limited, and is expected to meet monthly until March 2021, or until the formal launch of RDS, whichever occurs first, after which this requirement will be re-assessed. The Group’s operation may be extended with particular regard to the need to follow up any transition issues in relation to the setting up of RDS as an independent organisation.