Building human networks to drive forward innovations in international data access: Introducing the International Secure Data Facility Professionals Network (ISDFPN)

The International Secure Data Facility Professionals Network (ISDFPN) was set up in 2022 as part of the Social Sciences and Humanities Open Cloud project (SSHOC) with the aim of bringing together international colleagues working in or towards Trusted Research Environments (TREs), to share expertise and experiences, and to spark collaboration as well as develop new ideas. While various international networks and collaborations exist currently, these aim to improve the international data infrastructure landscape, and mainly focus on establishing connections between TREs. However, there is also a Forum needed for those working in these TREs, which provides a platform for regular knowledge exchange as well as opportunities of driving innovation. ISDFPN is not a network for developing infrastructure, rather it is a place to share experience, expertise, and ideas, which is not yet formally available internationally. As the fast-changing secure data landscape evolves, this Network will be a vital resource for collaborative work towards finding solutions for shared and newly emerging problems experienced by TRE staff. Where TREs are at different stages in their development, such a forum is vital as services seek to learn from each another. The ISDFPN held its first virtual meeting on 30 March 2022, and, although the SSHOC project finished in April 2022, has continued to meet twice yearly, co-Chaired by the UK Data Service, and GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences. This paper traces the ISDFPN from its origins and highlights both its aims and objectives as well as its activities so far.