Recent events of global impact have led the scientific community to re-evaluate and re-affirm the role of science in crisis situations. In particular, the COVID-19 health emergency required the abrupt (re-)allocation of scientific resources to address a pandemic which had demonstrated the vulnerability of science as well as the essential role data science has in responding to a pandemic. In a digital world, data collection, data processing, and data reuse are critical to science and its use for critical decision-making in society’s response. This paper reports a workshop undertaken by the CODATA International Data Policy Committee (IDPC), together with leading international partners, on the role of data policy in times of crisis. A critical investigation of the role of data policy in crisis situations was engaged by a leading group of scientists and data experts representing a wide audience of various scientific disciplines and expertise from inter-governmental organisations. This paper presents preliminary results as to how data policy, specifically designed to address the need for science in crisis situations, can contribute to building a more robust scientific enterprise that is appropriately prepared for and capable of acting with confidence in the urgencies of crises. The workshop identified a need for establishing principles for data policy in times of crisis as developing concrete recommendations to support engagement with the international scientific community and inter-governmental organisations.