DARE-FX: Delivering a federated network of TREs to enable safe analytics

可信研究环境(TRES)是放置数据以供研究人员分析的安全位置。它们托管管理数据、医院数据或任何其他数据，这些数据必须安全地隔离，并且只有经过批准的研究人员才能访问经过批准的查询。然而，研究人员很难跨多个TRE进行分析，例如，当要跨地理或治理边界分析数据时，例如联合王国医疗保健的下放性质。然而，这种能力是迫切需要的。跨TRE联盟的分析将使我们能够及时分析英国范围内分散的数据，以回答紧急问题，就像我们在新冠肺炎混乱中所需要的那样。我们能够做到这一点的技术和标准现在已经可以使用。它们不需要被发明出来。DARE-FX正在汇集来自ELIXIR-UK和HDR-UK的领先技术提供商，与三个TRE提供商和两个领先的分析平台一起，通过一个真实的参考实施展示我们如何使用安全研究对象在TRE之间移动，同时仍然支持管理和保护患者数据的五项安全原则；所有这些都由患者代表监督。对于研究人员如何安全地组合来自许多来源的数据，以及来自任何部门的数据提供商如何使用我们今天已经拥有的技术和标准来安全地实施这一点，将产生重大影响。

Trusted Research Environments (TREs) are secure locations in which data are placedfor researchers to analyse. They host administrative data, hospital data or any otherdata that must be securely isolated and only accessible for approved queries byapproved researchers. However, it is hard for a researcher to perform analysis acrossmultiple TREs, for example when data is to be analysed across geographical orgovernance boundaries, such as the devolved nature of healthcare in the UnitedKingdom. Yet this ability is urgently needed. Analysis across a federation of TREswould enable timely analysis of UK wide scattered data to answer urgent questions,as we needed in the COVID-19 pandemic.The technologies and standards we need to be able to do this are available now. Theydo not need to be invented. DARE-FX is assembling leading technology providers fromELIXIR-UK and HDR-UK, with three TRE providers and two leading analysis platformsto show through a real reference implementation how we can use secure ResearchObjects to move between TREs while still supporting the Five Safes principles thatgovern and protect patient data; all overseen by patient representatives.The impact will be a step change for how researchers can safely combine data frommany sources, and for how data providers from any sector can safely implement thisusing technology and standards we already have today.