FAQs
Who is the Digital Hub for?
The Digital Hub is designed for anyone interested in translational research and personalised medicine. This includes researchers, clinicians, industry partners, policymakers, and the broader scientific community. It is also accessible to members of the public who want to explore trustworthy, structured information about EATRIS services, expertise, and ongoing initiatives.
Why was the Digital Hub created?
The Hub was developed as part of the EATRIS-CONNECT project to make high-quality scientific information easier to find, navigate, and reuse. As translational research becomes more data-intensive, the Hub provides a modern, AI-supported way to discover expertise, resources, and knowledge across the EATRIS network. Its purpose is to reduce information fragmentation, accelerate research planning, and support collaboration across Europe.
What is a curated data lake and where does the Digital Hub get its information?
A curated data lake is a collection of information that has been gathered, organised, and quality-checked from trusted sources. Unlike a random collection of files or internet pages, a curated data lake ensures that the data is relevant, reliable, and up to date. The Digital Hub draws its information from this curated data lake — which may include scientific publications, project reports, validated datasets, and institutional resources — rather than from the open internet. This means that the information you see has already been selected and structured for accuracy and relevance.
What is meant by Digital Transformation for personalised medicine?
Digital Transformation refers to using modern digital tools — such as artificial intelligence, advanced data management, and cloud platforms — to improve the way healthcare and research are carried out. In personalised medicine, this means making it easier to access, combine, and analyse different types of health and research data. The goal is to help researchers and clinicians provide treatments that are tailored to the individual, based on evidence from multiple sources. The Hub is one example of this transformation: it allows faster and more intuitive discovery of knowledge across different domains.
What types of content can I expect to find in the Hub?
The Hub provides access to:
- Descriptions of EATRIS services, infrastructure, and capabilities
- Information from scientific publications and project outputs
- Summaries of validated datasets and institutional resources
- Expert and facility profiles from across the EATRIS network
- High-level guidance on translational research and digital transformation
- All content comes from trusted and curated sources.
How do I search effectively in the Digital Hub?
The Hub is designed for natural language queries — you can simply type your question or topic as you would ask a colleague. For more precise results, you can:
- Specify the context (e.g., “biomarker validation in oncology”).
- Mention what you’re looking for (e.g., “EATRIS services for omics analysis”).
- Ask follow-up questions to refine the output.
The Hub will retrieve the closest matching information from the curated data lake and trusted scientific resources.
Is the Digital Hub/data lake connected to the internet and giving me real-time information?
No. The Digital Hub is not a live internet search engine per se. It works primarily with its curated data lake, which is a trusted collection of sources that has been assembled and validated. However, to enrich the results, the Hub also uses trusted web resources containing peer-reviewed scientific literature (for example, PubMed and similar databases). This ensures that the information you receive is not only reliable and quality-checked but also supplemented with up-to-date insights from authoritative scientific sources. Updates to the data lake and external resources are incorporated in a controlled way, so you can trust both the accuracy and the relevance of the results.
How often is the curated data lake updated?
The curated data lake is updated on a regular basis to include new and relevant content. Updates follow a structured process based on criteria developed by our network of experts, ensuring that only information from validated and trusted sources is added. In addition, the Hub supplements this data with content from trusted web resources containing peer-reviewed scientific literature (such as PubMed), so users also benefit from the latest published research.
How reliable is the information in the Hub?
The Hub relies on a curated data lake built from validated and trusted sources, supplemented by peer-reviewed scientific literature. This ensures a high level of reliability. However, because responses are generated by an AI system, occasional inaccuracies may occur. Users should verify crucial information and consult primary sources or professionals when needed.
What are the limits of the Hub?
The Hub is designed as a knowledge discovery and navigation tool, not as a decision-making system. This means: It does not provide medical advice or substitute for consultation with qualified professionals. It does not replace official regulatory documents or clinical guidelines. It should be seen as a support tool for information discovery and research orientation, not as an authoritative final source on its own. The Hub cannot answer questions that seek medical diagnoses, treatment recommendations, or cures for diseases. In such cases, we urge users to contact qualified healthcare professionals. Users should always interpret results critically and, where necessary, verify them against official or primary sources. Will my input information/queries be stored and what are they used for? Are my queries used to train the model? Your queries are processed so the Hub can return the right information. They may be logged securely to improve system performance, monitor usage, or resolve technical issues — but they are not shared outside the system. Importantly, your queries are not used to train the underlying AI model (such as OpenAI’s model). The model itself has already been trained before being integrated into the Hub. Logged queries may be analysed only to improve the Hub’s own search and retrieval features, not to alter the AI model.
How does the Hub handle sensitive or personal data?
The Digital Hub does not collect, store, or process personal data from users. Queries are processed anonymously and only minimal, anonymised logs are kept for technical maintenance. Any personal data that appears in the curated data lake originates from publicly available, legitimate sources. The system fully adheres to GDPR requirements and operates under the scientific-research exemption of the AI Act. Who can access the Digital Hub? The Digital Hub is open to everyone. You do not need to register or create a user profile to use it. The goal is to make the curated data lake and connected resources as widely accessible as possible, supporting both the research community and the general public. While other tiers might be introduced down the line, the basic functionality of the Hub remains accessible and open. Can I create a user profile to save my queries? Not yet. A user profile allows you to save searches, mark useful results, and return to past queries without re-entering them. For now, you can only use the Hub without a profile, but we know that creating one makes it easier to track your work over time. Stay tuned!
Can I download or export from the Hub?
At present, the Hub does not offer a built-in download or export function. However, you are free to copy information from the interface for your own research or documentation purposes. Future versions of the Hub may introduce more advanced export features based on user needs.
Where can I find help if something doesn’t work?
If you experience a technical issue or the Hub does not behave as expected, you can reach out using the support contact form or email digitalhub@eatris.eu. The EATRIS team monitors these requests and can help troubleshoot issues or redirect them to the technical partners responsible for maintaining the platform.
How can I provide feedback or request new features?
You can share feedback or feature requests directly with the EATRIS-CONNECT team via the contact channels provided on the Digital Hub website (digitalhub@eatris.eu) or through the EATRIS website. User insights are valuable and help guide future improvements and development priorities.
Who maintains and governs the Digital Hub?
The Hub is developed and governed by EATRIS under the EATRIS-CONNECT project. Content curation, data lake updates, and feature development are overseen by EATRIS experts and technical partners. Governance follows clear quality, privacy, and compliance standards to ensure that the Hub remains trustworthy, transparent, and aligned with European regulations.