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Collaborative Research Projects with External Partners

Researchers benefit from secure collaboration with international partners through temporary guest access, enabling global research cooperation while maintaining institutional security and data governance standards.

Idea
Plan
Prototype
Pilot
Live

Overview

Value: Researchers benefit from secure collaboration with international partners through temporary guest access, enabling global research cooperation while maintaining institutional security and data governance standards.

Problem: Backup strategies Compliance with institutional and legal data protection policies. Infrastructure should support scaling to accommodate multiple international projects.

Solution: To provide a secure, flexible, and collaborative environment for international research projects, allowing both internal researchers and external collaborators to contribute code, manage data, and share results efficiently.

Who Benefits

Primary

  • UzK Researchers
    • Streamlined international collaboration
    • Secure code sharing
    • Integrated project management
    • Standardized research workflows
  • External Collaborators
    • Secure access to collaborative projects
    • Transparent contribution tracking
    • Professional development tools
    • Real-time collaboration capabilities

Secondary

  • Project Maintainers
    • Centralized collaboration oversight
    • Quality control through reviews
    • Progress tracking and reporting
  • Institution Administrators
    • Controlled external access
    • Compliance with data policies
    • Audit trails for collaborations

When to Use

  • Multi-institutional research projects
  • International collaboration requirements
  • Need for controlled external access
  • Version control for collaborative development
  • Reproducible research workflows

When Not to Use

  • Purely internal research projects
  • Highly classified research
  • Projects without development/coding components
  • Simple document sharing needs

Process

  1. Establish research project repository with internal team access
  2. Create guest accounts for external collaborators with time-limited permissions
  3. Configure branch protection and review requirements
  4. External partners contribute via merge requests and code reviews
  5. Monitor collaboration through integrated issue tracking and milestones
  6. Archive project upon completion with appropriate data retention

Requirements

People

  • Internal Researchers
  • External Collaborators
  • Project Maintainers
  • GitLab Administrator
  • Compliance Officer

Data Inputs

  • Research code
  • Documentation
  • Data analysis scripts
  • Collaborative manuscripts

Tools & Systems

  • GitLab with advanced access controls
  • Institutional SSO
  • Guest account management
  • CI/CD for reproducibility
  • Backup and archival systems

Policies & Compliance

  • International data sharing agreements
  • Institutional IT security policies
  • Research collaboration frameworks
  • Export control regulations

Risks & Mitigations

  • Unauthorized access to sensitive research data

    • Role-based access controls
    • Time-limited guest accounts
    • Regular access audits
    • Data classification and protection

  • Loss of intellectual property

    • Clear collaboration agreements
    • Audit logs for all activities
    • Version control history
    • Legal frameworks

  • Compliance violations with international partners

    • Regular compliance reviews
    • Automated policy enforcement
    • Legal consultation
    • Documentation requirements

Getting Started

To implement this use case, you need GitLab with advanced access controls, institutional SSO integration, and established legal frameworks for international collaboration.

  1. Set up GitLab instance with institutional SSO and guest account capabilities
  2. Develop legal framework and data sharing agreements for international collaboration
  3. Configure role-based access controls and branch protection rules
  4. Establish monitoring and audit procedures for external access
  5. Create templates and workflows for collaborative research projects

Resources

FAQ

How long can external collaborators maintain access?

Guest account access is typically time-limited and project-based, with regular reviews and renewal processes to ensure security.

What happens to shared code when collaboration ends?

Code repositories are archived with appropriate permissions, and external access is revoked while maintaining collaboration history.

How is intellectual property protected in collaborative projects?

Clear agreements define IP ownership, contribution attribution is tracked via version control, and legal frameworks protect all parties' interests.

Glossary

Guest Account
Time-limited user account providing controlled access to specific projects for external collaborators
Merge Request
Mechanism for proposing, reviewing, and integrating code changes in collaborative development
Branch Protection
GitLab feature preventing direct pushes to important branches, requiring review processes
SSO
Single Sign-On - authentication system allowing users to access multiple systems with one login
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