IARC opens data to researchers via new Scientific IT Platform

Researchers and IT developers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have launched a new Scientific IT Platform to facilitate data sharing and collaboration between research institutions, in line with internationally recognized data protection standards.

The platform, developed by IT specialists at IARC and hosted on IARC servers, will enable external collaborators to remotely access and analyse data from epidemiological studies such as the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), the Lung Cancer Cohort Consortium (LC3), the International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium (InterLymph), and other consortia initiatives.

The platform has been developed in line with internationally recognized data protection standards and follows the principles set out in the United Nations Personal Data Protection and Privacy Principles as well as the IARC Data Protection Policy. Shared data sets can be consulted remotely, without data ever leaving the IARC Scientific IT Platform. With this approach, IARC seeks to facilitate access to unique data resources for the broader scientific community while ensuring the integrity of confidential data. The initiative follows the Open Science principle that data should be “as open as possible and as closed as necessary”.

The procedures for accessing these resources are outlined in the access policies of the respective scientific initiatives. Access will be granted exclusively to researchers affiliated with bona fide research institutes after a Data Use Agreement is established.

Read the EPIC Access Policy 

Read the LC3 Access Policy