Case Study: Netherlands Cancer Institute advances international cancer research collaboration with SURF Research Cloud

International cancer research collaboration using SURF Research Cloud

The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) faced the challenge of enabling its computational pathology research group to collaborate internationally with sensitive patient data. The challenge was to comply with strict privacy regulations while simultaneously making the research data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). To address this, they worked with vendor SURF and its SURF Research Cloud and SURF Research Access Management services.

SURF implemented a secure, shared workspace on the SURF Research Cloud for storing, using, and sharing approximately 250 GB of clinical, pathology, and genomic data. This solution provided a fast and secure environment with proper authentication, allowing NKI to successfully collaborate with the Integraal Kankercentrum Nederland (IKNL) and the University of Helsinki. The implementation furthered the institute's mission to personalize cancer treatment.

Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI)

Jelle ten Hoeven

Head of Research IT