Secure Data Center

On-site access to sensitive data is only available in the Secure Data Center to researchers who can fulfil the following requirements:

• You must be at least at the level of PhD student
• You must be from a recognised research institute
• You must have a clearly specified research project
• You must check any specific access restrictions for the study that you wish to use (these can be found in the studies’ micro-site findable through the GESIS website search function)
• You must be able to travel to one of the designated Safe Rooms to access the data

Applying for sensitive data involves several different steps that must be completed before access can be granted. We will advise you of any outstanding actions and be on hand to answer any queries you may have.

1. Complete a Regional or Geo Data Form if required (check the study’s micro-site for details)
2. Download and read carefully the ‘Applying to the Secure Data Center’ guide which includes the link to the Data Use Agreement
3. Download and complete fully the Data Use Agreement making sure you read the terms and conditions thoroughly to understand your rights and responsibilities
4. Send the Data Use Agreement to sdc(at)gesis(dot)org, this will be checked and forwarded to the data provider for approval
5. Once the project is approved by the data provider, we will be in touch to schedule your visit and prepare your project

A number of technical and organizational measures (leaflet (86 kB)) (104 kB) are also in place that ensure data confidentiality and security are maintained and that allow researchers to use these data safely.

Available on-site access locations

Visits are possible at the following locations:

• The Secure Data Center Safe Room, Cologne – visits possible Monday to Friday 09:00-16:30 (location map)
• The GML Safe Room at GESIS Mannheim - visits possible Monday to Tuesday 10:00 – 16:00 (location map)
• The Safe Room at the UK Data Service SecureLab in Colchester, UK - visits possible Monday to Friday. Please note the UKDS SecureLab has a regular shutdown period for maintenance every Tuesday between 09:00-12:30 (GMT), therefore visits are not possible on Tuesday mornings. (location details)

Please note that closures for Public Holidays will apply in all locations.   

Please note that due to the limited availability of appointments at the GML Mannheim and the UK Data Service, researchers may wait longer for an appointment at these access points. To schedule a visit to any of these locations, researchers must first complete the standard Secure Data Center application process and should state clearly which Safe Room they want to visit when they send their Data Use Agreement.  

Signing a contract (199 kB) for off-site access allows access to selected social science research datasets. Off-site access delivers data to users for a specified time period on condition users honor precise security requirements (leaflet) (217 kB).

Breaches and contractual penalties

Licence compliance policy [.pdf (177 kB)]