Service Agreement

Prior to the summer of 2026 the VRE was named the VRW. But this name did not create a logical distinction between the project and the data and the workstations (VDI) with which the project are accessed. This link is to the old "Servicedescription VRW" and will be soon replaced by the a new document with the current abbreviations.

These wiki pages are copied from the original VRE Service Agreement for easy access and referral. We try to keep these texts synonymous, but the document to the Service Description of the VRE is the original document.

https://www.rug.nl/society-business/centre-for-information-technology/research/services/service-agreement-vrw.pdf

The Virtual Research Environment (VRE) consists of a virtualized desktop environment, optionally supplemented with various extras such as servers, Dockers, databases, etc., fully tailored to the research, where researchers can conduct data analyses jointly and securely. In this environment, partnerships are possible with researchers from within the organization itself or from other institutions worldwide. These services (applications, data & extras) are available 24/7*. The virtual environment can be provided with additional memory, extra powerful processing facilities, and/or heavy graphics support as required. This environment can also be applied when restrictive requirements are imposed on data sets security, or when additional privacy measures are required.

The Virtual Research Environment is based on non-profit and is intended for work for everyone at universities affiliated with the VSNU and medical centers affiliated with the NFU. Initiatives and partnerships between universities, academic houses and third parties, both commercial and non- profit, are supported under the specific condition that the university or the academic center is the coordinator of the intended research.

It is a place where researchers have full control over their data and results and the risks of data leakage are minimized. You can log in from an existing (own institution) federated account using multi-factor authentication. To ensure that there is no pollution or misuse of data, the internet cannot be accessed directly from the secure work environment. Working in this environment guarantees that your data remains secure, even if your laptop is lost or stolen. The federated account allows you to work safely on several studies at once. Each study has its own closed system, making any direct exchange of data between the studies impossible. The default application landscape is extensive, but specific applications can be incorporated if desired. It is possible to run various versions of the same application simultaneously. The virtual environment components are scalable in capacity if the basic or premium versions do not fulfill your needs. The integrity of the data and results is carefully monitored within the study. For this purpose, various roles are available for each study. A highly secured collaborative environment, role-based, specifically targeted at researchers who work with sensitive data. Great for researchers whose standard university workplace is insufficient and whose applications are not suitable for Linux HPC usage.

The Virtual Research Environment: A reliable, innovative, and fast data analysis environment that considerably lightens the burden of work for researchers. Information can be found at http://www.rug.nl/vre.

Various research initiatives, studies and collaborations within the UG and the UMCG are using this service. VRE enables innovative, collaborative ICT environment while complying to data regulations.

H.S.K. Brouwers, telephone: 050-3639411, email: h.s.k.brouwers@rug.nl