Data Services
Research Data Services supports researchers to store, manage, and share their research data securely and sustainably across its lifecycle. At the University, this includes providing centrally managed research data storage and guidance to help meet funder, legal, and information security requirements.
People use Research Data Services when they need a reliable place for active research data, to collaborate safely with others, or to ensure their data is handled in line with good research data management practice – reducing risk, avoiding “shadow IT”, and protecting the University’s research reputation.
Our Services
Select the tabs below to learn more about the services we can support you with.
Description and Features
Research IT provides a centralised, tiered storage service for research data, replacing the need for individual or bespoke NAS (Network Attached Storage) solutions. Data is stored in the most cost-effective and appropriate tier depending on how frequently it needs to be accessed:
- Active/Hot storage (Wasabi) – for data in regular use during active research.
- Inactive/Cool storage (AWS) – for data that is accessed infrequently but must remain available.
- Archive/Cold storage (AWS) – for long-term retention of completed project data.
- Secure storage (SDRH) – for sensitive or restricted datasets requiring enhanced security controls.
The service includes backup and archiving capabilities, and the team can advise on the most appropriate tier for your data at each stage of the research lifecycle.
Support and availability
Standard support is available Monday–Friday, 9:00am–5:30pm. Research IT teams are responsible for managing and providing administrative support for the service.
Description and Features
Trusted Research Environments (TREs), also known as ‘Data Safe Havens’ or ‘Secure Data Environments’. In addition to the university offering (SDRH- see below) there are also national and international TREs that may be suitable for some researchers, and we can advise on and assist access to those.
The University of Exeter has a cloud-based secure/trusted research environment (TRE) that provides researchers access to a highly compliant environment to store, access, and manipulate highly sensitive or confidential data. It conforms to NHS Digital Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DPST) and certain National Registry requirements, as well as compliance to ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) which is often required for commercial academic partnerships.
The tool is built using Microsoft Azure to host a Secure Virtual Machine (SVM) running a Windows Virtual Desktop for each project, allowing the confidential storing and analysis of the data using familiar software. With extra security protocols in place for both the users and the system, and clearly defined roles with limited permissions for each, SDRH becomes accessible from anywhere whilst still being highly secure.
The key features of the Secure Data Research Hub are: * Conforms to NHS Digital Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DPST) and certain National Registry requirements. The tool offers compliance to ISO27001 and CE+, often required for commercial academic partnerships. * Using the Azure Cloud and Windows Virtual Desktops for the storage and analysis of data using familiar tools. Specialist software by request - requires relevant licenses. * The University of Exeter is now one of only a handful of institutions that has a defined research data storage environment providing researchers access to a highly compliant environment to store, access, and manipulate highly sensitive or commercially valuable data. * Accessed from anywhere with your University logins with additional security measures in place. * Allows secure collaboration with colleagues within the University according to Role Based Access Control principle. * Grant acceptable, flexible costs based on data usage and number of users to cover the costs of security and administration.
A managed Windows device is required to upload or download data, all other interaction will be performed on a virtual desktop (this can be done using un-managed hardware.
Support and availability
Project files are stored in a secure environment in an off-site cloud service. Researchers can work on their files using Office 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) from a secure virtual desktop. Audio and video files. MP3 and MP4 files can be stored in SDRH. Researchers can stream the files without downloading to a computer. The audio and video file kept in the SDRH can be streamed. There is no known size limitation on the files. SDRH produces audit reports to senior business users so they can track and manage the activity in SDRH and thereby meet security standards All these components are accessible from the Internet using a browser on your computer. SDRH is available 24/7, support is available Monday to Friday 08:00 to 18:00
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Description and Features
The SafePod Network (SPN) is an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) initiative that provides secure, bookable physical environments — known as SafePods — enabling researchers to remotely access sensitive datasets from participating national Data Centres in a controlled and compliant setting.
Through the University's SafePod access, researchers can connect to restricted datasets held by organisations such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the UK Data Service Secure Lab, without the data ever leaving the secure environment.
SafePods are particularly valuable for:
- Researchers working with sensitive administrative or social data that cannot be downloaded or transferred.
- Projects requiring access to linked or otherwise restricted national datasets.
- Ensuring compliance with data access agreement requirements from national data providers.
Support and availability
Please raise a ticket with Research IT using the IT Service Desk for information on booking and using the University's SafePod facilities. Further information is available at safepodnetwork.ac.uk.
Who we work with
Library Services
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Description and Features
Moving large datasets between institutions, national infrastructure, or storage environments can be technically challenging. Research IT can provide guidance and practical support to ensure data is transferred reliably, securely, and efficiently.
The service includes:
- Advice on the most appropriate tools and command-line methods for your specific transfer requirements.
- Support with the University's Globus subscription, which enables fast, managed, and resumable data transfers between configured endpoints inside and outside the University network.
- Assistance with configuring Globus endpoints at both ends of a transfer.
- Guidance on transfer validation, integrity checking, and scheduling large transfers to minimise disruption.
Support and availability
Please raise a ticket with Research IT using the IT Service Desk to discuss your data transfer requirements and to be onboarded to the University's Globus service.
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Description and Features
A well-structured Data Management Plan (DMP) is increasingly required by funders and helps ensure that research data is handled responsibly, stored appropriately, and made available in line with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) throughout and beyond the life of a project.
Research IT can assist with:
- Preparing comprehensive DMPs using the DMPonline tool, which includes funder-specific templates (updated with University-specific requirements).
- Aligning your data management approach with the full range of Research IT storage and infrastructure services.
- Advising on linking data storage to your WorkTribe project code for transparency and institutional tracking.
- Planning for end-of-project data curation, publication, and archiving, including time and cost estimates for inclusion in grant applications.
All research projects — including unfunded work — should have a WorkTribe project code and an associated DMP. DMPs should be treated as living documents, updated as the project evolves.
Support and availability
Please raise a ticket with Research IT using the IT Service Desk to arrange a data management planning consultation.
Who we work with
Library Services, Reasearch & Impact Management Environment
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Description and Features
Research IT provides guidance and support to help researchers share and publish their data in line with the University's Open Access policy and funder requirements, while retaining control over when and how data becomes publicly available.
The service covers:
- Advice on suitable national and international data repositories for your discipline — for example, the UK Data Service for social sciences, or EMBL-EBI repositories for life sciences — many of which are free to use and support embargo periods until manuscript publication.
- Support for curating and compressing datasets that cannot be deposited externally, ensuring data is accessible, discoverable via metadata, and stored as efficiently as possible to reduce long-term storage costs.
- Guidance on complying with FAIR data principles and funder open data requirements.
Using established data repositories reduces the burden on University IT infrastructure and simplifies compliance with funding agency policies.
Support and availability
Please raise a ticket with Research IT using the IT Service Desk for data sharing and curation advice. Early engagement before the end of a project is strongly recommended.
Who we work with
Library Services
Links
Description and Features
Research data often arrives in proprietary, legacy, or inconsistent formats that are unsuitable for analysis, sharing, or long-term archiving. Research IT can advise on and support the transformation of data into open, standard formats that are more widely usable and better aligned with FAIR principles.
The service includes:
- Advice on converting proprietary formats to open alternatives for long-term accessibility.
- Guidance on tools such as OpenRefine for data cleaning and curation, and OMERO for managing and organising image data.
- Signposting to complementary university resources including the Data Connect team and Data Community for tabular data queries.
- For projects with significant data transformation needs, advice on costing Research Software Engineer (RSE) time into grant applications.
Early engagement with this service can prevent costly data quality issues later in the research lifecycle.
Support and availability
Please raise a ticket with Research IT using the IT Service Desk for an initial consultation. For data transformation at scale, consider involving an RSE — Research IT can advise on appropriate time and cost estimates for grant applications.
Who we work with
Research Software and Analytics (RSA)
Links
Description and Features
Some research workflows generate very high volumes of data that require local, co-located storage solutions before data can be transferred to central or cloud-based infrastructure. Research IT provides guidance and support for situations where a local data cache or store is required — for example, adjacent to laboratory instruments or high-throughput sequencing equipment.
The service includes:
- Advice on when local storage is the appropriate solution versus direct transfer to central Research Data Storage.
- Assistance with specifying suitable hardware for local data caches, including capacity, performance, and connectivity requirements.
- Guidance on backup strategies and network infrastructure to ensure reliable onward transfer of data.
This service is particularly relevant for labs generating large imaging, genomics, or sensor datasets.
Support and availability
Please raise a ticket with Research IT using the IT Service Desk to discuss your lab data management requirements.