REMS and EGA

[mathob]

Like I guess many others do, I wish to use REMS to manage applications for entitlements to access my datasets held in EGA. However I find it difficult to understand how best this should be done.

A use case and a solution is in docs/architecture/018-ega-integration.md but this is labelled "NB: Support is removed 2024-01-18. If a something like this is required in the future, consider using plugins. See #3239" The issue referenced says "we can implement a better version on top of the new entitlement push and plugin ideas if needed". So- plugins! But I don't know where to start. I had hoped that resources/plugins/LS-AAI-GA4GH-push.md might give me a clue but it is not implemented.

It would be great to read about examples of how managers of REMS instances (particularly outside of Europe, like me here in Australia) have set things up so that REMS facilitates interactions with an EGA DAC.

[meericsc]

Thank you for your question!

We removed the support for the EGA integration because some of the systems it relied on changed which resulted in it not working anymore.

Just to make sure I understand the use case. Do you mean the kind of setup where, when a user finds a dataset in the EGA catalogue they would be directed to your local access management system (REMS) to request access to the data? This is what we do in the Finnish Federated EGA, but I believe using this kind of setup would require discussion with the EGA.

At the moment, in the EGA the authorization process is handled in their own DAC Portal, which doesn't use REMS, and as far as I know there aren't plans to integrate the two. The DAC Portal uses EGA accounts, and I’m not sure whether those can be linked with LSAAI.

About the LSAAI plugin The idea originally came from the LSAAI team in Czechia. Currently, they have to gather the entitlements from several REMS instances, so we were planning that it could be easier if REMS could push entitlements to LSAAI directly. Unfortunately this hasn't been implemented yet.

Does this answer any of your questions?

[mathob]

Thanks, yes that is the gist of it. Currently with one of our datasets on EGA an applicant has to make an access request at EGA and then another access request in our REMS system, and then we have to approve the request in REMS and then also approve in EGA. I am just seeking advice about any way to make this less cumbersome.

[meericsc]

Yes, I understand your issue. I recommend discussing with EGA, if it would be possible to redirect users to your own access management system, but it could be they only offer this option with the Federated EGA use case.