Resources for Research

The University offers storage facilities, data processing environments, high-performance computing services and solution consultation for the special needs of research and cooperation. You will find links to detailed instructions and presentations on this page. You can find more help from this instructions site by using, for example, the search. If you cannot solve the problem with the instructions, don’t hesitate to contact the IT Helpdesk.

We also recommend that you take a look at the table, which gives you a quick overview of the services offered and their suitability for confidential material, for example.

• Read more about the University’s data support on the University’s public website
• Think Open Blog (Blog text partly in Finnish and partly in English)

Home directory

• Personal storage space associated with the UH user account.
• How to use the home directory (Windows)
• How to use the home directory (Mac)
• How to use the home directory (Cubbli, Cubbli User Documentation -wiki, available in English)

Group directory

• A network storage location belonging to the University’s own server environment, which is available to a specified user group within the University.
• How to use a group directory

OneDrive

• Personal storage space in the Microsoft Office 365 cloud service environment, from which files can also be shared
• How to use OneDrive

Teams

• A collaborative platform in the Microsoft Office 365 cloud environment, where you can set up workgroups and also share files with partners outside the University of Helsinki
• Instructions for Teams and Planner
• Best practices for Teams

Servers

• The IT Center offers customised Linux and Windows servers for internal use at the University of Helsinki
• https://helpdesk.it.helsinki.fi/en/services/server-administration

Dept directory

• A space equivalent to a group directory, acquired for the unit for large storage needs. Further information about gaining access to a Dept directory is available from Helpdesk or your unit’s administrative staff.

Datacloud

• Object storage that uses the S3 interface and belongs to University’s own server environment.
• Suitable for non-sensitive research data, with functionality similar to those of cloud services.
• Files are not edited directly in Datacloud, so it is not suitable as a scratch disk.
• Contact: datacloud@helsinki.fi

Databank

Do you have data that are not in active research use and for which you cannot find a suitable storage location? University of Helsinki Databank offers a location for 5 to 15 years for digital research datasets produced at the University. Research data are stored in Databank in frozen form, which means that their content cannot be edited in the service.

Read more about the long-term storage of research data in the IT Helpdesk instructions.

Data archive

The University of Helsinki Data archive (Digital Preservation service) safeguards the preservation of digital research datasets produced at the University. Research data are preserved in Data archive in frozen form, which means that their content cannot be edited in the service. The service is free of charge to researchers.

Read more about the Data archive

VDI

• Virtual desktops with both Linux and Windows operating systems
• Instructions for Virtual Desktops

WVD

• Windows Virtual Desktop
• Instructions for Windows Virtual Desktops

Computation clusters

• The IT Center’s IT for Science team provides free computing capacity and other advanced services for research needs
• Learn more about computing clusters in the IT for Science wiki

E-form

• An easy-to-use application for surveys that do not contain sensitive material
• Instructions for basic use of e-forms

RedCAP

• A more advanced application for surveys and data collection that is also suitable for sensitive data.
• Instructions: https://projectredcap.org/about/consortium/
• Support: redcap-support@helsinki.fi

• Instructions for encrypting email
• Instructions for encrypting files
• Instructions for deleting files safely
• Umpio storage space – An environment for processing and storing sensitive data in the University of Helsinki’s server environment

The University of Helsinki offers a Gitlab version management environment (e.g. for software development needs) at version.helsinki.fi

Read more about version management

• Read more info about scientific software from Flamma
• Remember also Download Centre
  • See instructions for Download Centre

Instructions for visitors’ access rights

Read more about Generative AI at the University in separate instructions.

Read also more about CurreChat.

• CurreChat is a generative AI tool created for the students and employees of the University. CurreChat uses large language models developed by OpenAI, which are located in the Microsoft Azure cloud service of the University of Helsinki in the EU. The information entered into the service will not be used for further training of the language model. No identifying information of the user is transmitted to the language model. 

The IT Center offers solution consultation for the special needs of units and research groups. Solution consultation typically comprises minor assignments lasting approximately 1–5 workdays with the goal of producing a proposed solution for the client which can be used as the basis for fulfilling a need related to information technology. Typical subjects of solution consultation include market surveys and needs assessments, research data storage needs, minor IT systems and other large-scale purchases.

Contact via IT Helpdesk: helpdesk@helsinki.fi

The Research Software Engineering (RSE) group provide support for research software development and efficient and scaled use of data and computing resources. RSE can provide help and advice for your research code through biweekly help sessions, as well as direct collaboration on software projects. 

See their wiki for more information.

CSC – IT Centre for Science Ltd offers a wide range of computation and storage solutions to higher education institutions. The services are free of charge for research projects, but the researcher in charge must be a member of a higher education institution that has the right to use the services.

IDA

• Storage space suitable for rarely changing research data that is not sensitive: https://www.fairdata.fi/en/ida/

Allas

• Object storage that uses the S3 interface and belongs to the CSC’s server environment https://research.csc.fi/-/allas

SD Connect & SD Desktop

• An environment for processing and storing sensitive data in the CSC’s server environment
•  https://research.csc.fi/en/sensitive-data

CSC cloud computing environment

• https://research.csc.fi/cloud-computing

CSC high-performance computing environment

• https://research.csc.fi/csc-s-servers

eDuuni

• Wiki and collaboration platform available also for cross-organisational projects
• https://info.eduuni.fi/en/home/

Self-study online Research Data Management course

• You can find the self-study Research Data Management course at this link.
• Log in to the course platform (e-learning.csc.fi) with HAKA IDs (select from the list University of Helsinki).
• The course is divided into six sections that go through the life cycle of data management:
  • 1) Introduction
  • 2) Data management planning
  • 3) Data collection, documentation and organisation
  • 4) Data analysis and storage during the project
  • 5) Publication of data
  • 6) Discoverability and reuse
  • The sections include text, videos and slides. At the end of each section, there is a quiz where you can test your skills and at the end of the course you will receive a course certificate.