This page contains general terms of use for the service ELN@RWTH (Research instance).

Preamble

The service "ELN@RWTH" represents a web-based electronic lab notebook system that facilitates researchers in recording and processing data in accordance with GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) standards. The service is operated as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for RWTH Aachen University and is supported by the IT Center.

Use of the "ELN@RWTH" Service

All members of RWTH Aachen University as well as their external cooperation partners (e.g., in cooperative research projects) are entitled to use the service "ELN@RWTH" to support their research activities with the instance "research.eln.rwth-aachen.de" ("Research Instance"). Furthermore, the Research Instance may also be used in central administration for documenting internal data collection and analysis.

The terms of use listed here are accepted by users upon signing up for the service. If a user wishes to review the terms of use, the current terms will be published in our documentation portal (IT Center Help), as well as within the electronic lab notebook (ELN) itself.

In case of violation of these terms, we reserve the right to block individual user accounts and prematurely delete data recorded in the ELN.

Costs

Using the service "ELN@RWTH" is free of charge.

Data Storage and Deletion

Type of Stored Data

The data stored in the ELN includes research data, such as measurement data, interview data, documentation, and metadata collected in the context of research projects. This includes certain personal data, such as names and contact details of researchers. These serve solely for documenting research activities (cf. “Guidelines for Ensuring Good Scientific Practice”, DFG, August 2019).

The processing, storage, or archiving of sensitive research data (cf. Art. 9 GDPR) in the ELN is expressly prohibited. The use of the ELN must strictly comply with Good Scientific Practice requirements.

Storing data containing illegal or criminal content is expressly prohibited within the ELN (see also premature data deletion).

Data Deletion

To comply with documentation obligations according to Good Scientific Practice, user accounts and thus created entries within the ELN will be retained for at least 10 years.

• Master Data: User data can be archived by administrators. Thus, all experiments from users are blocked along with their login access to the system being deactivated. Additionally, this personal data can be anonymized upon request through SysAdmins. Complete deletion of data is not provided within the ELN.
• Metadata and Research Data (if personal): To comply with documentation obligations according to Good Scientific Practice, user accounts and thus created entries within the ELN will be retained for at least 10 years. As per current status, they cannot be deleted.

Should it become necessary for operational reasons to delete data (e.g., due to storage space issues), this will only occur after consultation with Team Admins. In such cases, an exported package of deleted data will be made available to users.

Premature Data Deletion

In cases where legal violations are reported by third parties or violations by users themselves occur—when users report violations by Team Owners or Team Admins regarding content uploaded by them—or significant violations against these terms by users arise, RWTH Aachen reserves the right to immediately block access to respective data without consultation with users or delete such data. In instances where legal violations are reported by third parties, RWTH Aachen will provide users an opportunity before deleting any data to submit a counter-statement within a reasonable time frame to substantiate their denial of alleged violations. Ultimately, what measures RWTH Aachen takes regarding legal violations reported by third parties lies at its reasonable discretion.

Data Protection

The collection, use and processing of personal data occurs in compliance with applicable data protection regulations. In particular, no personal data will be unlawfully disclosed to third parties. Personal data will be used for research purposes and for traceability of research results as well as for technical operation of the service. Privacy notices can be viewed on the corresponding IT Center Help page.

Liability

RWTH Aachen is liable without limitation for intent or gross negligence concerning injury to life, body or health. For slight negligent breaches of duties essential for achieving contractual purposes (cardinal duties), liability is limited to damages that are foreseeable and typical based on the nature of business transactions involved. Further liability on part of RWTH Aachen does not exist. The aforementioned limitation on liability also applies to personal liability on part of employees, representatives and organs at RWTH.

Rights and Obligations of the Users

Users are solely responsible for any data entered into the service "ELN@RWTH," its quality and correctness as well as compliance with third-party rights. Compliance with the type of stored data mentioned above must also be observed.

Team Admins

Team admins represent a special user group. They manage their local team which can include an institute or a working group, among others. There can be multiple admins; at least one admin serves as a contact person for central system admins at the IT Center.

Access Credentials

Users are required to treat their access credentials confidentially and protect them from unauthorized access by third parties. In case there is potential misuse of access credentials, local administrators must be informed immediately. Users are responsible for any consequences arising from misuse of their access credentials.