Become a User

Become a User

Access to Use the BRAINCommons is Tiered:

Zone 1 - Public AccessZone 1 – Public Access

  • Any User can access Zone 1 by registering with a valid email (public access).

Zone 2 - Controlled AccessZone 2 – Controlled Access

  • All Qualified Researchers with Data Access Committee (DAC) approval have access to shared, restricted-access research data.

Zone 3 - Restricted AccessZone 3 – Restricted Access

  • Designated Users with cohort-specific permission have access to individual restricted-access research datasets.

Becoming a General User in the BRAINCommons Zone 1 - Public Access

Step 1: Creating an account

Establish an account in the BRAINCommons by creating a new account or by signing in using a valid Google Gmail account or InCommon account. This prompts an instantaneous verification step.

Step 2: Onboarding

Once you are verified, you will be onboarded into the BRAINCommons, where you will be given the opportunity to review and accept the BRAINCommons Terms of Use and Privacy Notice, as well as populate your profile page by answering questions about your background and interests. Your responses will help us recommend connections with other users in the BRAINCommons community that have similar interests or complementary skill sets.

You will have immediate access to Zone 1 (Public Access) data and tools upon completion of these steps.

Becoming a Qualified Researcher in the BRAINCommons Zone 1 - Public Access Zone 2 - Controlled Access

If you are interested in obtaining Qualified Researcher status, we recommend following the process below.

Step 1: Creating an account

Establish an account in the BRAINCommons by creating a new account or signing in using your InCommon account. This prompts an instantaneous verification step.

To find out if your institution or organization is associated with InCommon, visit https://incommon.org/community-organizations/.

Step 2: Onboarding

Once you are verified, you will be onboarded into the BRAINCommons, where you will be given the opportunity to review and accept the BRAINCommons Terms of Use and Privacy Notice, as well as populate your profile page by answering questions about your background and interests. Your responses will help us recommend connections with other users in the BRAINCommons community that have similar interests or complementary skill sets.

Step 3: Qualifying for access to Zone 2 data

Once you have completed the onboarding process, you will need to request Zone 2 access from your newly populated Profile Page. Clicking on the “Request Zone 2 Access” button will initiate the qualification process and require you to complete the Data Use Agreement which involves institutional sign off from an Authorizing Official and the BRAINCommons Privacy, Data Protection and Security Training to ensure users will act responsibly with the data and tools available. It is recommended that you complete the training ahead of time to expedite the qualification process once you are in the BRAINCommons.

The training will take approximately 45 minutes to complete and you will need to upload your completion certificate into the BRAINCommons platform as a part of the qualification process.

Step 4: Data Access Committee (DAC) Review & Approval

After submission of the required documentation, your request will be reviewed for approval by the BRAINCommons DAC. Upon approval, you will have access to all cohorts (i.e., datasets) in Zone 2. This is a one-time qualification process to enable access to all data contributed to Zone 2 of the BRAINCommons. The approval process can take up to two weeks.

If you are already a Designated User in the BRAINCommons, you will simply need to request Zone 2 access and your documentation will be submitted for review by the DAC.

Becoming a Designated User in the BRAINCommons Zone 1 - Public Access Zone 3 - Restricted Access

If you are listed on a BRAINCommons Data Contributor Agreement (DCA) as a designated user for a particular dataset, you will be authorized to access private data, under that DCA, within the BRAINCommons.

Step 1: Creating an account

You will receive an email from the BRAINCommons (BC) Team notifying you that your account is ready. Create an account in the BRAINCommons by signing in using the email account on file with the BC Team. This prompts an instantaneous verification step.

Step 2: Onboarding

Once you are verified, you will be onboarded into the BRAINCommons, where you will be given the opportunity to review and accept the BRAINCommons Terms of Use and Privacy Notice, as well as populate your profile page by answering questions about your background and interests. Your responses will help us recommend connections with other users in the BRAINCommons community that have similar interests or complementary skill sets.

Step 3: Qualifying for access to Zone 3 data

Once you have completed the onboarding process, you will need to request Zone 3 access from your newly populated Profile Page. Clicking on the “Request Zone 3 Access” button will initiate the qualification process and require you to complete the Data Use Agreement, which involves institutional sign off from an Authorizing Official and the BRAINCommons Privacy, Data Protection and Security Training to ensure users will act responsibly with the data and tools available. It is recommended that you complete the training ahead of time to expedite the qualification process once you are in the BRAINCommons.

The training will take approximately 45 minutes to complete and you will need to upload your completion certificate into the BRAINCommons platform as a part of the qualification process.

Step 4: BRAINCommons Team Review & Approval

After submission of the required documentation, your request will be reviewed and approved by the BC team. Upon approval, you will have access to the private cohort (i.e., dataset). The approval process can take up to a week.

If you are already a Qualified Researcher in the BRAINCommons, you will simply need to request Zone 3 access and your documentation will be leveraged for expedited approval.

Obtaining Advanced Compute Privileges

Advanced compute privileges include the use of the BRAINCommons (BC) Workspace feature with access to Jupyter Notebook and R Studio. Approved users with R or Python experience can use workspaces to access, store and analyze data across multiple cohorts. Our workspaces allow for collaboration and can be shared among members of a project team. Using the integrated, web based, Jupyter Notebook environment, users can perform advanced querying and analysis within and across the BRAINCommons datasets.

Qualified Researchers and Designated Users can request advanced computing services and obtain a BC Workspace to access Jypyter Notebook and R Studio. It is recommended that users have programming experience with R or Python to take full advantage of the BC Workspace feature.

To obtain a BC Workspace, a user must have an activated “Request Advanced Compute” button on their Profile Page. This button is activated once a user has been approved for Zone 2 or Zone 3 and has Qualified Researcher or Designated User status in the BRAINCommons.

After clicking on the “Request Advanced Compute” button on the Profile Page, you will be asked to submit a proposal of your intended analysis as part of the BC Workspace request process as well as sign the BRAINCommons Advanced Compute Contract. The BRAINCommons support documentation for Advanced Compute Workspace provides information for making the most of the BRAINCommons Workspace experience.

For information on becoming a BRAINCommons Partner, Sponsor or Member, click here.