Navigating the Complex Landscape of Trusted Research Environments in Europe

A new report from the EGI Working Group on Trusted Research Environments and Sensitive Data Management reveals a growing number of Trusted Research Environments (TREs) across Europe. The report identifies over 40, operated by various organisations, including National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), Research Performing Organisations (RPOs), and specific projects.

While TREs offer secure and controlled environments for researchers to access and analyse sensitive data, the landscape is still evolving. Terminology remains inconsistent, and technical challenges persist, such as ensuring interoperability between different TREs.

The report highlights the importance of user experience and the need for standardised methodologies and governance. As AI technologies advance, their potential integration into TREs to generate synthetic data raises new opportunities and challenges.

To further the development of TREs, the report recommends simplifying setup, automating processes, and improving user experience. Additionally, interconnectivity between TREs is crucial to support research and innovation, and adherence to FAIR principles.

The topic of TREs was also addressed in a session at EGI2024 and at the unconference session “As open as possible, as restricted as necessary: EOSC sensitive data exchange” at the recent EOSC Symposium 2024.