TILDA study pioneers secure, remote data access for researchers worldwide

Posted on: 28 August 2025

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), Ireland’s flagship study on ageing, has launched TILDA-VISTA, a fully operational Trusted Research Environment (TRE) enabling approved researchers to safely analyse sensitive health data. This milestone strengthens TILDA’s and Trinity College Dublin’s position as leaders in research data infrastructure in Ireland.

A new era of secure research access

For over a decade, TILDA has provided secure data access to researchers through a physical safe processing environment based at Trinity College Dublin. While this system allowed for controlled and responsible analysis, it was limited to researchers being physically on-site.

TILDA-VISTA changes this landscape, offering a remote, virtual workspace where approved researchers can log in from anywhere in the world. Within this secure platform, users can access TILDA’s rich dataset and the necessary statistical tools to conduct analyses, all within a fully governed and safe environment.

Dr Siobhan Scarlett, Senior Data Manager at TILDA, said:

“TILDA is a rich data resource for ageing research and has always strived to maximise the accessibility of our datasets for scientific research. While we have years of experience managing access to sensitive health data through our on-site systems, establishing secure remote access presented a significant challenge.

“This is a major step forward in making TILDA data FAIR in line with the European Union’s drive toward Open Data, striving to make our data as open as possible, and as restricted as necessary. We’re delighted to be able to lead this initiative within Trinity College Dublin and build the expertise and partnerships that can guide other research studies facing similar challenges.”

Pioneering infrastructure of its kind

TILDA-VISTA was established in partnership with the Secure e-Research Platform (SeRP) at the University of Swansea, UK. While not the first operational TRE in Ireland, it is the first of its kind set up by a research study, run by the study itself, and fully accessible to researchers internationally. This unique model allows for international collaboration while maintaining the highest standards of security and data governance.

Dr Ann Monaghan, TILDA’s Project Manager, said:

“Our first duty is to protect participants and the information they share with us. For several years, TILDA has been developing a secure remote access platform that meets the highest standards of data protection.

“With the expertise and support of our collaborators at SeRP, and in consultation with our participant representative group (PPI), we’ve created a system that ensures strong safeguards while enabling safe, reliable access. We are now excited to be in a position where external researchers can access TILDA data in a way that is both secure and supportive of high-quality research.”

Enabling collaboration and innovation

By providing a safe and remotely accessible research environment, TILDA-VISTA supports cross-border collaboration, encourages multidisciplinary research, and facilitates the production of evidence that can inform health policy, ageing research, and public health initiatives. Researchers can conduct analyses without the risk of data breaches, while maintaining full compliance with ethical and data governance requirements.

Regius Professor Rose Anne Kenny, founding Principal Investigator of TILDA, said:

“This pioneering platform strengthens Ireland’s position in global ageing research,” said. “TILDA-VISTA sets a new benchmark for responsible data sharing, fostering innovation, driving evidence-based policy, and enabling national, international, and multidisciplinary collaborations, while demonstrating Trinity’s leadership in this field.”

I'm an approved researcher, how can I access TILDA data?

Approved researchers interested in accessing TILDA data through TILDA-VISTA can find more information and application guidance here: https://tilda.tcd.ie/data/accessing-data/

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