Project Process

Project Inquiry

• To begin, complete the Project Initiation Document (PID). This document helps us understand your project's needs and we require its completion before any further progress can be made.

Project Feasibility Review

• Submit your completed PID to DaSH. Once received, we will assess the feasibility of your project and provide you with a decision.

Moving Forward

• If your project is feasible, we will guide you through the next steps in the process. If your project does not align with DaSH's capabilities, we will inform you and close the request. Wherever possible, we will signpost you to the relevant team who may be able to support your project at the University of Aberdeen or NHS Grampian.

Project Initiation

• Once you have submitted the completed PID to DaSH, you will receive a unique project ID (DaSH XXX). Use this ID for all communication with DaSH.

Initial Meeting

• DaSH will schedule an initial meeting with you to discuss your research goals in detail. We recommend including your availability for this meeting when submitting your PID. During the meeting, we will work together to:
  • Define your research problem.
  • Explore relevant datasets and potential data linkage needs.
  • Leverage our expertise to assess data feasibility.
• This approach ensures your project aligns seamlessly with your research objectives.

Project Costing and Documentation

• Following the initial meeting, DaSH will provide project costing estimates (if applicable) to support your funding applications and develop key data documentation, including the Data Linkage Plan and specific Data Management Plan. For a breakdown of our costing structure, please visit our Costing page.

Funding and Permissions

• Project Funding: If you successfully secure funding for your project, your next step will be to start applying for the necessary research permissions. If funding is not secured and the project cannot proceed, DaSH will close the project. If you secure funding via a different call in the future, we will be happy to support your project and review data requirements and prior costings (you will receive a new DaSH project ID).
   
• Permissions Process: Once funding is secured, researchers can apply for the necessary research permissions. Find more information about the permissions process here. Once permission applications are underway, your project will transition to the project initiation phase.
   
• International access approval: Researchers needing access to DaSH from outside the UK will require to complete the “Application for Researcher Access from Outside the UK” form. Contact DaSH to provide you the form and guidance. The application is reviewed internally, then forwarded to the appropriate data controller and data protection team(s). This process applies to researchers from outside the UK, collaborating with international colleagues, or accessing any existing DaSH projects from abroad.
   
• Information Governance Training: A valid certificate for an approved information governance training course is also required for the whole duration of the project. DaSH accept the following courses:
   
  • MRC Research, GDPR and Confidentiality Module (free e-learning)
  • ONS Safe Researcher Training course (ONS-SRT) (free e-learning)
     
• External Researchers: For external researchers, a University of Aberdeen affiliate account is necessary. Our Research Coordinator team will guide you through this process and liaise with University of Aberdeen IT Services to provide you with an access account.

Pre-linkage meeting

• Once the necessary permission approvals are in place, we will schedule a pre-linkage meeting with our Analyst team.
• During the pre-linkage meeting you will review the previously selected datasets, dataset variables, cohort specifications, etc., ensuring a well-defined cohort and accurate linked dataset for your research needs.
• You will confirm the format of the data you require, and any bespoke software requirements previously specified in the project initiation stage.
• We will also provide you with a revised timeline for your project, and when the project is likely to be scheduled and data released to you.

Linkage

• During this stage, our analysts will develop a custom extraction code to pinpoint the exact variables and cohorts you require from our datasets.
• If your project involves external data sources, our team will collaborate with the relevant data custodians to securely transfer, cleanse, and convert the data into the appropriate format.
• We prioritise patient privacy by adhering to strict regulations and employing a thorough pseudo-anonymisation process.
• All analyst work undergoes a rigorous double-check and separate sign off process by a senior member of the team to ensure data accuracy and to protect patient privacy and confidentiality.

Getting Ready for Access

• Once your data is prepared, you will be notified by the DaSH team. DaSH will then provide the Generic Data Management Plan with the Investigator Declaration included.
• To proceed with your project using DaSH, you will need to sign our Investigator Declaration.

Investigator Declaration and Sign-Off

• This is typically completed by the study's Principal Investigator (PI) or equivalent.
• External researchers will require additional sign-off from someone with research governance responsibilities at their institution.
• All members of the research team must complete an Investigator Declaration to ensure your understanding of your responsibilities when accessing the DaSH trusted research environment and working with sensitive data.

Pre-Access Call

• After receiving the signed declaration, we will schedule a 30-minute Pre-access call with all researchers requiring access.
• This call will cover details about Safe Haven access, DaSH processes, Investigator Declaration conditions, and answer any questions you may have.

Safe Haven Access Setup

• Following the Pre-access call, the DaSH Research Coordinator team will initiate your Safe Haven account setup.
• Once complete, you will receive instructions and information for accessing the secure research environment.

Validating Your Data

• Upon access, please validate your data against your specifications and data management plan to ensure it meets your needs.
• Early data validation is encouraged, allowing prompt correction of any discrepancies.

Researcher Responsibilities

• Once you have accessed your DaSH project folder within Safe Haven, please be mindful of the following researcher responsibilities:
   
  1. Carefully read and follow the data management plans, investigator declarations, and access instructions outlined for your specific project.
  2. Data should not be shared with anyone who is not a named user in the documents provided to permissions bodies who granted approvals for the study.
  3. No attempt will be made to reuse the data for commercial purposes beyond those stated in the documents provided to permissions bodies who granted approvals for the study.
  4. Approved Users are responsible for reporting to DaSH, without delay, any unintentional disclosure of information from their safe haven project folder.
  5. Approved Users will not attempt to identify any individual within the study data.
  6. Only research outputs that have been approved as non-disclosive by DaSH can be used as part of presentations, publications, papers and analysis.
  7. Approved Users and other members of the project’s research team will not discuss information which could breach an individual’s privacy in a public place, in this context a public place may be taken to be anywhere people not directly involved in the study may be present.
  8. Approved Users will not share their safe haven login password with any other person.
  9. Approved Users will remotely access DaSH only in suitable locations where on-screen work cannot be read by anyone not named as an Approved User.
  10. Workstations must not be left unattended, either log out of the safe haven or lock the computer.
  11. Researchers cannot transfer or copy by any means (e.g. electronically, manually or by generating print outs) individual patient data out with the DaSH secure folder.

Uploading Files to the Safe Haven

• During your project's analysis stage, you can request uploads to Safe Haven. Our Research Coordinators will review your request before proceeding.
• Please follow the upload procedure below:
  • Discuss any upload needs with DaSH first. This helps determine the appropriate transfer method.
  • Files should not contain any identifiable personal information or patient-level data. The Research Coordinator will confirm this during review.
  • Standard uploads include code or report structures without individual data.
  • Publicly available data (which may contain individual data) should not be sent to DaSH directly. DaSH will provide you secure transfer details for such files.

Softare Installation Requests

• During the pre-linkage meeting, we will capture any bespoke software requests, and we will ask you to complete a form with some basic information about any software or associated packages/libraries required. Click here to explore our available software.
• Researchers can install R Packages from a local CRAN mirror and an instruction manual is available. You will receive this document after your Safe Haven access has been set up.
• If you require an R package not available on CRAN, you will need to complete our non-standard software install request form and we will review this for any security issues. Approval is granted on a case-by-case basis.
• Stata modules will require a non-standard software install request form and will be reviewed for any security issues. If approved, DaSH will be able to install these for you.
• DaSH hold a limited repository of Python libraries that have been security reviewed. Any Python library not in the repository requires a non-standard software install request form and will be reviewed for any security issues. If approved, DaSH will submit a request to IT Services to install the relevant libraries for you. Please note that this may have delays of 2-3 weeks due to IT Services processing.

Releasing Results from Safe Haven

• If you wish to release research outputs from the Safe Haven, the only method of removing results, outputs or information from your Safe Haven folder is to contact DaSH and provide the names of the file path, files/folders you want released.
• You requested files will then be assessed by a DaSH Research Coordinator (or an Analyst if appropriate) for risk to patient confidentiality prior to release.
• Our Research Coordinator team will review your request within 3 business days. Within this timeframe, we may contact you with questions before releasing the outputs.

  Note: If you need to make changes to a file after submitting a release request, please:

  • Save a new version of the file to your DaSH specific project folder.
  • Submit a new release request.
  • Clearly indicate what changes were made and where in the file.

What can be released?

• Outputs that are ‘publication-ready’ (e.g. tables / graphs / text rather than excessive SPSS outputs)
• Not include patient level data, however aggregated results can be released once approved by a DaSH Research Coordinator.
• Not include small numbers (generally <5)
• For a more detailed explanation of what might be considered disclosive information, we recommend checking out our disclosire checking guide.

Staying on Track with Permissions

• The Research Coordinator team will keep you informed on when your research permissions are nearing expiration, typically 3 months in advance.

Extending Your Project

• To extend your project, obtain the appropriate permission approval beforehand.
• Include DaSH in any extension or amendment requests (i.e., adding/removing researchers) to update our records. We will discuss and confirm the new project end date with you.
• Please note, there may additional charges incurred for extending access to your project data.

Completing Your Project

• If you do not require an extension, confirm project completion by the agreed end date with the Research Coordinator team.
• Once complete, the PI is responsible for finalising end-of-study reports (e.g., for ethics boards or data custodians) and for keeping DaSH informed about these reports.

Important Note: Projects marked as “completed” by sponsors cannot be amended later. If you need access for further analysis, you must request an extension before the end date.

Archiving Your Data

• DaSH will contact you to confirm project closure and archiving based on your Data Management Plan.
• The standard archiving period is 5 years unless otherwise agreed upon.
• Archived data can be retrieved within the archiving period.
• DaSH will confirm your readiness for permanent deletion at the archiving period's end.