# Submit a Data Access Request

{% hint style="info" %}
Apollo and Trusted Research Environments licenses are required to use Trusted Research Environments on the DNAnexus Platform. [Contact DNAnexus Sales](mailto:sales@dnanexus.com) for more information.
{% endhint %}

With data access requests, you ask a data provider for access to specific data within a research environment. You define the participant cohort, select the data collections you need, optionally add collaborators, and submit the request for review. This guide walks through the full lifecycle of a request from creation to approval.

To create a data access request, you must be an [Authorized User](/user/trusted-research-environments/roles-and-permissions.md) of the research environment, and the environment must be in the **Active** state.

## Data Access Request Lifecycle

A data access request moves through four states:

* **Draft** — You are building the request. You can edit all details, select cohorts and data collections, and add collaborators.
* **In Review** — The request has been submitted and is being evaluated by assigned reviewers. You cannot edit the request during this state.
* **Approved** — All review steps have been approved. You can create projects and the system dispenses the requested data.
* **In Revision** — One or more review steps were rejected. You can revise the request and resubmit it.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  Draft["Draft"] -->|Submit| InReview["In Review"]
  InReview -->|All steps approved| Approved["Approved"]
  InReview -->|Any step rejected| InRevision["In Revision"]
  InRevision -->|Resubmit| InReview

  %% Styling
  classDef requestState fill:#66C9F9,stroke:#1F519D,stroke-width:2px,color:#000
  classDef approvedState fill:#60F299,stroke:#1F519D,stroke-width:2px,color:#000

  %% Apply classes
  class Draft,InReview,InRevision requestState
  class Approved approvedState
```

## Initiate Your Request

Start from the research environment you want to request data from. You can change the request name and summary later while it's in Draft status, so you can start with a working title and refine it as you define the request details.

1. In **Data Resources** > **Resource Center**, find the research environment you want and open it.
2. On the environment detail page, click **+ New Access Request**.
3. In the **New Access Request** dialog, enter the following:
   * **Name**: A short title for your request, up to 256 characters.
   * **Summary**: A detailed description of your research purpose and intended use of the data, up to 5,000 characters.
4. Click **Next**.

![Create a new data access request.](/files/t8gHtLWLe762hc20hGdf)

{% hint style="info" %}
You can also start a request from **Data Resources** > **Request Center** > **My Requests** > **New Access Request**, or directly from the environment's Data Showcase Cohort Browser when you have a cohort defined.
{% endhint %}

## Define Your Request Details

After initiating a request, you land on the request detail page where you configure three key components:

1. Your participant cohort.
2. The data you need.
3. Your research collaborators.

![Starting a new Data Access Request](/files/3gDlGetIdCR0gNqlPmUY)

### 1. Define Your Participant Cohort

The cohort specifies which participants are included in your data request. You use filters on clinical and phenotypic fields to select the population that matches your research criteria.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Don't see Cohort Selection?** If the research environment [enforces full set selection](/admin/trusted-research-environments/creating-a-tre.md#step-5-configure-data-showcase-and-selection), cohort selection is not available and your data access request includes the full cohort by default. You can continue to [Step 2: Specify Required Data](#2-specify-required-data).
{% endhint %}

1. Under **Cohort Selection**, click **+ Add Cohort**.
2. In the Data Showcase [Cohort Browser](/user/cohort-browser.md), add filters on clinical and phenotypic fields to define your participant population.
3. Under **Cohorts**, rename the *Untitled Cohort* to describe the selected population.
4. Click **Save Changes**.

To edit the existing cohort selection, click the cohort name on the request detail page. To remove it, click **Remove** next to the cohort.

### 2. Specify Required Data

Data collections are predefined sets of data fields and files configured by your data provider. Select the collections that contain the data types you need for your research, such as phenotypic data, sequencing files, or imaging studies.

1. Under **Data Collections**, click **+ Select Data Collections**.
2. In the **Select Data Collections** dialog, select the collections relevant to your research.
3. Click **Confirm Selection**.

The selection summary on the request status updates to show the combined totals for **Participants**, **Fields**, **Total File Size**, and **Files** across your cohort and data collection choices.

### 3. Invite Research Collaborators

You can add other authorized users to your request and the resulting project, allowing them to collaborate on your research.

1. Under **Collaborators**, click **+ Add Collaborators**.
2. In the **Manage Collaborators** dialog, enter a username or email address and click **+ Add**.
3. Repeat for each collaborator. You can add up to 100 collaborators.
4. Click **Close**.

To remove a collaborator, return to the **Manage Collaborators** dialog and remove them from the list.

{% hint style="info" %}
Collaborators must be Authorized Users of the TRE. They gain view access to the request details and view-only access to the cohort. After approval, collaborators can access the dispensed data in the project but cannot modify the request itself, submit it, or manage other collaborators.
{% endhint %}

## Submit the Request

Once your cohort selection, data collections, and request details are complete, you can submit the request for review.

1. On the request detail page, click **Submit Request**.
2. (Optional) Enter a note to include with the submission.
3. Click **Submit**.

The request status changes to **In Review**, and the system sends email notifications to the assigned reviewers. You also receive an email confirmation of the submission.

The right-panel status tracker on the request detail page shows the progress through **Draft Created** → **Review** → **Approval**.

{% hint style="warning" %}
You cannot edit the request while it is in **In Review** status. If you need to make changes, you must wait for a reviewer decision or ask a reviewer to reject the request so it returns to **In Revision** status.
{% endhint %}

## See Your Request Progress

You can check the status and review progress of your requests at any time.

1. In the top navigation bar, click **Data Resources**.
2. Select the **Request Center** tab.
3. In the left sidebar, click **My Requests**.

Use the filters and sort options to find a specific request or to focus on the ones that need your attention. For example, filter by state to see any requests awaiting revision.

Open a request to check where it stands in the review process or to read messages from reviewers.

## Revise a Rejected Request

If a reviewer rejects your request, it transitions to **In Revision** status. You receive an email notification with the reviewer's justification message.

To revise and resubmit:

1. Open the rejected request from **Data Resources** > **Request Center** > **My Requests**.
2. In the **Messages** tab, review the rejection message to understand the required changes.
3. Edit your cohort selection, data collection choices, or request details as needed.
4. Click **Submit Request** to resubmit for another review cycle.

All review step statuses reset to **In Review** on resubmission, and reviewers are notified again.

## Delete a Request

You can delete a request that is in **Draft** or **In Revision** status, if no projects have been created from it.

{% hint style="danger" %}
Deleting a request is permanent and cannot be undone.
{% endhint %}

1. Open the request from **My Requests**.
2. Click **Delete Request**.
3. Confirm the deletion.

## Next Steps

After your request is approved, you can [create a project and access the dispensed data](/user/trusted-research-environments/creating-projects.md).


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