🟤Data Storage & Collaboration
Data Storage, Collaboration, and HPC Resources at reNEW, UCPH
Data Storage, Collaboration, and HPC Resources at UCPH
Introduction
Biomedical research at reNEW – The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, UCPH, is data-intensive, often involving large imaging datasets, sensitive patient information, and complex analyses. Effective Research Data Management (RDM) ensures data security, meets legal and ethical obligations (including GDPR compliance), and supports high-quality, reproducible science.
A critical component of RDM is data storage management throughout the Research Data Lifecycle. Each stage—from planning to archiving—requires careful consideration of storage infrastructure, data privacy, security protocols, and collaboration needs, especially in projects that involve personal data or multi-institutional teams.
This guide provides an overview of best practices and the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) facilities supporting data storage, sharing, and high-performance computing (HPC) tailored to the needs of biomedical researchers at reNEW.
The Research Data Lifecycle and Storage Management
At reNEW, researchers must ensure that storage planning and security measures are integrated at every stage of the data lifecycle:
1. Plan & Design Stage
Develop a Data Storage Plan outlining:
Storage options
Backup strategies
Access controls
Data classification and risk assessment (mandatory before data collection) This ensures that legal, ethical, and security requirements are addressed immediately.
2. Collect & Create Stage
As you acquire or generate data (e.g., imaging, genomic, patient-derived data), consider:
Secure data transfer and ingestion
Protection of sensitive information
Version control and documentation
Compliance with UCPH Information Security Policy and GDPR
3. Analyze & Process Stage
Data analysis can require:
Updated storage and backup strategies
High-performance or specialized storage for large-scale analyses
Security controls to prevent unauthorized access
Traceable workflows for reproducibility
4. Evaluate & Archive Stage
At project completion:
Choose suitable repositories (e.g., Zenodo, Dataverse) for sharing
Plan long-term preservation to ensure access and transparency.
Consider confidentiality and ethical sharing of sensitive data.a
Information Security and GDPR Compliance
Handling personal or sensitive data is common in biomedical research. Researchers at reNEW must:
Comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Adhere to UCPH’s Information Security Policy for Researchers
Apply appropriate access controls, encryption, and secure transmission protocols.
Conduct data classification and risk assessments before data collection.
Use only approved UCPH infrastructure for sensitive data.
UCPH Data Storage and Collaboration Solutions
Below is a summary of UCPH facilities suited to various data types and collaboration needs:
Personal Drive
Suitable for small amounts of non-sensitive research data
Not designed for sharing with collaborators
For collaboration among UCPH employees
Ideal for research groups needing shared access
Not suitable for storing sensitive or personal data
S-Drive (Shared Drive for Sensitive Data)
Designed for sharing sensitive data among designated UCPH users
Complies with GDPR
Suitable for storing and sharing confidential or personal data internally
Microsoft OneDrive for Business
Cloud storage meeting UCPH security standards for non-sensitive data
Up to 5TB for sharing with colleagues and external partners
Covered by a data processing agreement with Microsoft
Recommended cloud solution (note: Dropbox and other providers do not have such agreements with UCPH)
ERDA (Electronic Research Data Archive)
Managed by the HPC Center, Faculty of Science
Centralized storage, archiving, and synchronization service
Ideal for non-sensitive research data
Sensitive Information Facility (SIF)
For storing and sharing sensitive information, including personal data
Enables secure sharing with UCPH and external partners
Requires GDPR compliance and pre-approval
Currently provided by the SCIENCE HPC Center; expansion to all UCPH researchers under consideration.
DATA DOI Service
Built on ERDA
Data sharing is open to all UCPH employees.
Facilitates assigning DOIs to datasets for findable, citable research outputs
UCPH Policy for Research Data Management
UCPH Policy for Research Data Management emphasizes:
Choosing an appropriate, secure infrastructure
Supporting collaboration while ensuring compliance with information security policies and legal requirements
Protecting personal data in line with GDPR
Researchers at reNEW must carefully select solutions that meet their data sensitivity and collaboration needs while upholding UCPH policies.
High-Performance Computing (HPC) for Biomedical Research
Biomedical research at reNEW often involves large-scale imaging analyses, computational modeling, and multi-omics integration that require HPC resources. UCPH offers access to both local and national HPC systems tailored to diverse research needs:
Key National HPC Systems Available to UCPH Researchers
Type 1 – Interactive HPC
Focus on interactivity and easy user access
Includes YouGene Cluster hosted at UCPH (via UCloud)
Supports iterative data exploration and analysis
Type 2 – Throughput HPC
Optimized for high-volume data processing
Systems include Computerome 2.0, GenomeDK, and Sophia.
Suitable for large-scale, batch analyses
Type 3 – Large Memory HPC
Designed for workloads needing large, globally addressable memory
Hosted at UCPH
Ideal for complex, memory-intensive biomedical simulations
Type 5 – LUMI Capability HPC
Pan-European pre-exascale system
Located in Finland (EuroHPC initiative)
Suitable for cutting-edge, large-scale computational needs
Special Note: DanGPU HPC at reNEW
Owned by DanStem/reNEW, SUND, and KU
Specialized GPU server for image data analysis
Connects large datasets stored on KU-IT storage for advanced computation
Access and Support
UCloud provides a user-friendly interface for accessing many of these HPC resources, with guidance and application processes streamlined for researchers.
Support is available via UCPH IT and the Faculty of Science HPC Center.
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