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Data Use Certificates

Several studies within the ELITE Portal contain controlled access data. To access this data, you must submit a Data Use Certificate (DUC). You need to update the DUC to add any new team members, and you must renew the DUC each year, as necessary. All instructions are found below.

Before submitting a DUC:

Please be aware that if you submit a DUC request on behalf of your research group, institution, or organization, you will be responsible for submitting all changes and progress reports on behalf of that group. Access requests cannot be transferred from the original submitter to another member included on the same access request.

Furthermore, Sage Bionetworks cannot submit any updates or progress reports on behalf of the original submitter. If the original submitter is unable to make the required updates or progress reports, a new DUC request must be submitted by another individual in the group.

To submit a new DUC:

  1. Write a description of your proposed research use, known as the Intended Data Use statement (IDU). The IDU should be 500 words maximum (in English) and should include the following:

    • Objectives of the proposed research

    • Study design and analysis plan

  2. Click here to access the DUC form, which you can download and print. Note that no changes are allowed to the text of the DUC.

  3. Using the DUC, gather Synapse usernames and signatures from all the team members at your institution who will need access to the data. The DUC may not include team members from multiple institutions.

  4. Have an official at your institution review and sign the DUC. A signing official is someone from your organization who can speak to your affiliation and has good standing within the organization. You cannot serve as your own signing official.

  5. Scan the completed DUC.

  6. Visit the ELITE Portal study page and click "Request Access" to complete the data access request process, which includes submitting your IDU from step 1, and uploading the signed DUC form.

Expected turnaround is within one week of DUC submission. Once approved, data may be downloaded and accessed for one year.

To add new team members to an existing DUC:

Note: this can only be done by the Synapse user who initially submitted the DUC.

  1. Visit the ELITE Portal study page.

  2. Click Update Request.

  3. Download the existing DUC form.

  4. Check the document version of your existing DUC form to ensure that it matches the most current DUC template document version; the most current version of the DUC template can be found here.

  5. If your existing DUC is using an older version of the document, you must complete and submit the latest version of the DUC; you cannot amend an outdated version of the DUC to add new team members.

  6. Gather Synapse usernames and signatures from all the new team members at your institution who will need access to the data.

  7. Scan the completed DUC.

  8. Complete the online DUC request process by visiting the study page in Synapse.

To complete the annual renewal:

The request submitter will receive two email reminders to renew data access before the expiration date. Follow the instructions in the reminder email or click on the link provided to access the ELITE Portal DUC.

Click Update Request to begin the access renewal. Please ensure you update the following in your renewal request:

  1. Remove any collaborators who no longer need data access from both the Synapse access request and the DUC.

  2. Add any new collaborators to both the access request and the DUC. Ensure they have signed the DUC.

  3. Update your Intended Data Use statement to reflect your progress since your last access request.

  4. Ensure you are submitting the correct version of the DUC. The most current DUC template can be found here. It is ok to resubmit your DUC from the previous year as long as the document version is current and the requestors list is up to date.

  5. If your existing DUC is using an older version of the document, you must complete and submit the latest version of the DUC; you cannot renew using an outdated version of the DUC.

You will receive an email within two weeks of request submission indicating whether your renewal has been approved or rejected. Once approved, data access will renew for everyone listed within the submission.

To request additional DUC support:

If you still have questions or issues related to a DUC, please contact our Access & Compliance Team (ACT). You can use any of the following methods to contact the ACT:

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