Our Trusted Research Environment (TRE)
Accelerating Adolescent Wellbeing Research
Deposit data
If you are a data provider and would like to deposit data to support the BrainWaves programme, our Trusted Research Environment (TRE) is the secure route for doing so. We support the onboarding, governance and controlled access of sensitive research data so it can be used safely by approved researchers for ethically approved purposes. The environment is designed around the Five Safes framework and is operated within an ISO 27001–accredited information security management system, giving data providers confidence that data is managed, accessed, and monitored to appropriate standards.
Contact data@brainwaveshub.org if you are interested in learning more about depositing your data into the BrainWaves Hub.
The BrainWaves Data Hub collates and curates research data from adolescents across the UK, providing a unique, secure, and globally accessible environment to accelerate understanding of mental health and wellbeing.
Operating as a dedicated, theme-specific node within the Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) Data Portal, the Data Hub is integrated with the UK Secure eResearch Platform (UK SeRP) at Swansea University.
This integration enables linkage with existing UK datasets and international partners through the International Initiative for BrainWaves Research, while leveraging proven, high-quality research infrastructure.
By providing economies of shared storage, modular protocol cataloguing, and repositories for analysis scripts, the Data Hub promotes open, transparent, and reproducible science.
PRE-LOADED SOFTWARE
There are a choice of Windows and Linux desktops with varying sizes of memory and CPU count depending on your project requirements. Both of these environments have tools preinstalled to allow you to carry out all of the processing and analysis you need with the tools you are most comfortable with.
FreeSurfer, FSL, OSL, MATLAB, SPM, Python, R Studio
For studies needing specialist of bespoke software, it is possible to create a dedicated desktop to include personalised installation of software.
USE YOUR OWN DATA
Researchers are also able to integrate external data they have approval for, in order to analyse this alongside BrainWaves data. The process of bringing such data in is facilitated by a simple upload to the virtual desktop environment, however a researcher must declare in their application that they wish to include their own data in a study.
SECURE ENVIRONMENT
The data remains on the DPUK servers throughout – Raw data files provided via the Portal are not allowed to be physically removed, only outputs such as results files, scripts and material for publications are permitted. Requests to take files out can be made through the virtual desktop.
A high level of security is in place which requires two-factor authentication via a username & password and yubikey/mobile authenticator to access the virtual machines.
Data management
The BrainWaves Data Hub operates as a data processor, providing researchers with a secure “sandbox” environment:
Secure, Remote Access
The BrainWaves Data Hub operates exclusively as a data processor, according to the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016 and provides an extant, fully auditable, remote access ‘sandbox’ trusted research environment (TRE) facilitating data analysis via a virtual desktop (VMWare). This includes multiple statistical and data management packages (including multi-omic and raw scan processing) alongside the capability to integrate bespoke analysis tools.
The BrainWaves Data Hub is designed as a dedicated, theme specific node within the highly successful Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) Data Portal (https://www.dementiasplatform.uk/), which operates within the UK Secure eResearch Platform (UKSeRP; https://serp.ac.uk/) housed at Swansea University.All analyses are conducted within a fully auditable Trusted Research Environment (TRE) using virtual desktops (VMWare), with pre-installed statistical and data management software, including multi-omic and raw scan processing tools.
Anonymised Data
All participant data undergoes rigorous anonymisation, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with UK Data Protection Act 2018 and EU GDPR 2016.
Streamlined Access
Provides a single point of contact and simplified procedures for data discovery, access, and analysis.
Open Science
To promote open and reproducible science, the Data Hub supports the sharing and reuse of analysis scripts. BrainWaves datasets can also be linked with other UK and international datasets, enabling wider insights and cross-cohort analyses.
Researcher Checks
Only bona fide researchers are granted access following robust governance procedures.
Approved Projects
All project applications are reviewed by the Studies Approval Panel (SAP) to ensure scientific quality and scope alignment.
Disclosure Control
Outputs, including graphs or tables, are checked by qualified staff before release to prevent disclosure of sensitive data.