Last updated on June 12, 2023
Provides secure, shareable storage space on the UW–Madison campus network. ResearchDrive is a university-wide file storage solution for Faculty PIs, permanent PIs, and their research group members. It is suited for a variety of research purposes, including backup, archive, storage for data inputs/outputs of research computing and others. It is a secure and permanent place for keeping data.
Benefits
- A secure and permanent place to keep research data, as long as you are a PI at UW–Madison
- Data protection and security features based on the NIST Cybersecurity framework including off-site backups, encryption and monitoring by the Cybersecurity Operations Center.
- You control who has access to your data. It is easy to share with anyone on campus through the Campus Active Directory and off campus collaborators through Manifest. Permissions can be set on a folder by folder basis
- Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers on the UW–Madison campus network and remotely from anywhere using WiscVPN
- Self-service file restores from snapshots are available for Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
Requirements
- Must be a UW–Madison faculty member or permanent PI to request a storage allocation.
- Additional security controls are required to store restricted data like HIPAA or CUI in ResearchDrive. Restricted data, may only be stored, with approval, in specific folders that have access managed by authorized data administrators. In addition, workstations used to access and store PHI must meet specific security guidelines.
Getting started
Your local IT support will be an important resource as you begin using ResearchDrive to help you take advantage of it. We encourage you to work with your local IT support, but if needed you can also sign up at ResearchDrive – getting started.
Pricing
New pricing (beginning July 1, 2023)
- 25 TB of storage provided to each PI at no cost.
- $120/TB per year for additional storage space and maintenance on ResearchDrive for PIs who need more than 25 TB (billed to DoIT number).
| FY23 Price |
FY24 Price | |
| No Cost Storage | 5 TB | 25 TB |
| Price (additional storage) | $200/TB/year | $120/TB/year |
Language for Data Management Plan
The text below can be used as a template for referring to the handling of data storage in the Data Management Plan portion of a research grant application:
Note: prices included in DMP language below begin July 1, 2023.
“Data will be stored on ResearchDrive, the University of Wisconsin campus-wide file storage service managed by the Division of Information Technology. This is a secure space with data protection and security features based on the NIST Cybersecurity framework. It includes off-site backups, encryption, and monitoring by the University of Wisconsin Cybersecurity Operations Center. The space required for this project is approximately XX Terabytes. The university provides up to 25 TB of storage at no cost, and additional storage space costs $120/TB/year.”