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6 changes: 3 additions & 3 deletions docs/guides/guide-info/sensitive_data.md
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Expand Up @@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ This page summarizes scenarios and requirements for handling sensitive data with
Sensitive data processing in research is governed by several legal frameworks, most notably the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the European Health Data Space (EHDS):

* **GDPR**: Allows the use of sensitive personal data for research when specific safeguards are in place. Under GDPR, processing may rely on different legal bases, such as tasks carried out in the public interest or explicit informed consent from data subjects, depending on the research context and applicable national law. In all cases, measures such as data minimization, pseudonymization, and strict access controls should be implemented, and a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is strongly recommended.
* **EHDS**: Builds on GDPR by establishing a unified framework for secure sharing and secondary use of electronic health data across the EU. The EHDS is defined as "the first common EU data space dedicated to a specific sector, establishing a common framework for use and exchange of electronic health data across the EU" ([Regulation (EU) 2025/327](eur-lex-ehds)). The EHDS aims to improve individuals' access to their electronic health data and enable secondary use for research, innovation, policymaking, health threats preparedness, patient safety, and regulatory activities.
* **EHDS**: Builds on GDPR by establishing a unified framework for secure sharing and secondary use of electronic health data across the EU. The EHDS is defined as "the first common EU data space dedicated to a specific sector, establishing a common framework for use and exchange of electronic health data across the EU" ([Regulation (EU) 2025/327][eur-lex-ehds]). The EHDS aims to improve individuals' access to their electronic health data and enable secondary use for research, innovation, policymaking, health threats preparedness, patient safety, and regulatory activities.

## Environments

* A Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) is a secure and isolated area within a computer system or processor that ensures the confidentiality and integrity of code and data during execution. It aims to protect sensitive computations and data from potential threats, such as malware or unauthorized access.
* A Secure Processing Environment (SPE) is a controlled environment designed to facilitate secure data processing and analysis while maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and privacy. It focuses on secure processing techniques, often including encryption, secure computation, or secure enclaves, to protect data during computation. Under the EHDS regulation, sensitive health data (e.g., genetic or clinical records) can be reused for research, innovation, and policy-making if anonymized or pseudonymized and accessed through SPE ([Regulation (EU) 2025/327](eur-lex-ehds)).
* A Trusted Research Environment (TRE) is a secure and controlled environment specifically tailored for research purposes, providing secure data access, analysis, collaboration, and compliance with legal and ethical requirements. TREs emphasize data governance, collaboration, and knowledge generation while ensuring privacy protection. For TREs, the **Five Safes framework** is particularly relevant as a comprehensive approach to data protection while enabling research access. This framework has been adopted by Health Data Research UK (HDR-UK), NIHR, and other major UK research institutions as the gold standard for balancing data protection with research utility ([What is the Five Safes framework?](ukdataservice-5-safes)).
* A Secure Processing Environment (SPE) is a controlled environment designed to facilitate secure data processing and analysis while maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and privacy. It focuses on secure processing techniques, often including encryption, secure computation, or secure enclaves, to protect data during computation. Under the EHDS regulation, sensitive health data (e.g., genetic or clinical records) can be reused for research, innovation, and policymaking if anonymized or pseudonymized and accessed through an SPE ([Regulation (EU) 2025/327][eur-lex-ehds]).
* A Trusted Research Environment (TRE) is a secure and controlled environment specifically tailored for research purposes, providing secure data access, analysis, collaboration, and compliance with legal and ethical requirements. TREs emphasize data governance, collaboration, and knowledge generation while ensuring privacy protection. For TREs, the **Five Safes framework** is particularly relevant as a comprehensive approach to data protection while enabling research access. This framework has been adopted by Health Data Research UK (HDR-UK), NIHR, and other major UK research institutions as the gold standard for balancing data protection with research utility ([What is the Five Safes framework?][ukdataservice-5-safes]).

!!! note "SPEs vs TREs"
Secure Processing Environments (SPEs) and Trusted Research Environments (TREs) are conceptually very similar and serve comparable purposes in providing secure environments for sensitive data processing. The key difference lies in their regulatory and geographical context: SPEs are specifically required within the framework of the EHDS, while TREs are primarily a UK-developed concept and implementation approach.
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4 changes: 2 additions & 2 deletions docs/guides/index.md
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The ELIXIR-on-Cloud project is an initiative from the ELIXIR Compute Platform.
Our goal is to support scientists across Europe in using cloud environments for their research activities.
We support the use of ELIXIR services as well as open-source software, and the project has close connections with various academic cloud providers.
One of our key focuses is developing and providing software that implements the specifications defined by the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) for federated processing of workloads ([GA4GH Cloud Work Stream](ga4gh-cloud-ws)).
This documentation here offers guidance and best practices on how to use the services, further develop our services, and deploy services within the ELIXIR-on-Cloud Framework.
One of our key focuses is developing and providing software that implements the specifications defined by the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) for federated processing of workloads ([GA4GH Cloud Work Stream][ga4gh-cloud-ws]).
This documentation offers guidance and best practices on how to use the services, further develop our services, and deploy services within the ELIXIR-on-Cloud Framework.