RDM Tools

Open-source command-line tool to manage, synchronize, and transfer files between local storage and cloud storage providers. Ideal for automated cloud backups, multi-cloud synchronization, and scriptable file management.

Highly powerful tool with an increased risk of user error. Seek guidance from a data steward if you are not accustomed to working with the command-line interface.

Open-source command-line tool to synchronize and transfer files efficiently between local directories or remote systems. Ideal for fast delta-transfers, automated server backups, and incremental file mirroring.

Highly powerful tool with an increased risk of user error. Seek guidance from a data steward if you are not accustomed to working with the command-line interface.

Desktop data backup tool to execute scheduled file backups, restorations, and two-way synchronizations across local drives and network locations. Ideal for straightforward Windows file synchronization with a graphical interface.

Do not use for processing confidential data or personal information. Use at your own responsibility; central IT services cannot provide support or data recovery if backup failures occur.

License: free

Git is a high-quality version control system on your local device, available via the UHasselt Software Center or via:

License: free (Github Enterprise access Github Campus Program)

GitHub is a cloud-based platform to store and maintain Git repositories facilitating collaboration. Requesting a GitHub Enterprise Repository:

1. Submit a ticket to ICT to request your repository.
2. Provide the repository name in this format:
   github.com/UHasselt-[faculty/researchinstitute]-[researchgroup]
3. List the administrators / users: every admin/user needs a personal account. Please add your GitHub username (@username) so that the IT department can link it.

GitLab is a platform where you can store code and collaborate on software projects, while also managing the development process.

Use a dedicated UHasselt GitLab server, set up following good data security practices (RBAC, encryption, logging, etc.).

PsychoPy is an open-source software tool used to design and run experiments in psychology, neuroscience, and related fields, enabling precise presentation of stimuli and recording of participant responses. It supports both graphical and code-based workflows and can run studies in the lab or online.

Only use trusted plug-ins. Not verified plug-ins may contain malware.

Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language used for tasks such as data analysis, automation, scientific computing, and software development. Available via software centre or:

Jupyter Notebook is a coding notebook used to document the entire data analysis workflow by combining live code, explanatory text, and visualizations in an interactive, web-based document. This approach allows researchers to execute code cells in real-time and save both the code and its outputs directly within the file for immediate sharing and exploration.

Only use trusted notebooks. Opening an untrusted notebook can allow hidden, malicious scripts (like HTML or JavaScript) embedded in the saved outputs to run automatically in your browser.

R Markdown is a coding notebook used to document the entire data analysis workflow by combining plain text, executable code chunks, and formatting instructions in a single, version-control-friendly file. This lightweight approach allows researchers to dynamically render their analyses into highly formatted, reproducible reports, PDFs, or presentations.

License: free with an institutional account

DMPonline is a web-based platform for writing your Data Management Plan, containing your funder's DMP templates and UHasselt Guidance. More information on DMP

LinkAhead is used to manage and integrate heterogeneous research data by combining a flexible, schema-free data model with powerful querying capabilities. This approach allows researchers to easily organize, connect, and search diverse datasets from different sources within a single database.

Bambook is a reusable, erasable notebook used to quickly sketch analog ideas and scan them into digital files via a mobile app.

Do not store notes within the Bambook application. Instead, transfer your scans immediately to a secure institutional environment and delete them from the app. The Bambook application offers limited guarantees regarding privacy and data security.

FAIR Metadata Wizard is a web-based JSON-LD editor used to load, edit, and create machine-readable metadata files through a user-friendly form with automated ontology autocomplete suggestions.

Goodnotes is a tablet application used to write, organize, and search handwritten notes and annotated PDFs.

Microsoft OneNote is a collaborative digital notebook used by research teams to collect unstructured notes, media, and meeting minutes in a shared workspace.

Notion is a collaborative workspace database used to organize project documentation, tasks, and literature lists in one central place.

Only use a licensed enterprise version of Notion when processing confidential or personal data. A Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is only available for business customers, and the free version lacks the necessary security measures.

Obsidian is a plain-text markdown application used to build an interconnected network of personal research notes stored locally on your computer.

reMarkable is an e-ink tablet used to read, annotate, and write on a paper-like screen.

License: via Hilde Kelchtermans

Mandatory for UHasselt clinical trial projects

Castor EDC is a cloud-based Electronic Data Capture platform used by clinical researchers to build compliant eCRFs, collect high-quality patient data, and manage clinical trials in real time.

License: via RDM helpdesk

eLabFTW is an open-source, web-based electronic lab notebook used by researchers to document experiments, manage laboratory inventory, and share protocols in a highly customizable workspace.

REDCap is a secure, web-based metadata-driven application used to build and manage online databases and surveys for academic and clinical research projects.

SciSure ELN is a scientific management platform used to document experiments, track sample inventories, and automate compliance workflows within a single, integrated digital laboratory notebook.

License: via RDM helpdesk

Signals Notebook is a cloud-based electronic lab notebook used to record interdisciplinary research data, featuring chemistry drawing tools and integration with analytical instruments.

7-Zip groups multiple files into a compressed, encrypted archive for safe storage or sharing. It is ideal for shrinking large folders while adding strong security before sending them online.

AES Crypt encrypts single files directly through your right-click menu. This makes it an efficient choice for locking down individual sensitive documents without configuring complex settings.

AxCrypt automatically encrypts selected files and folders on your computer or cloud storage. It integrates smoothly into daily workflows, allowing you to edit and re-save protected files seamlessly.

BitLocker is a built-in Windows tool that protects your entire hard drive. It requires a one-time setup, then runs automatically in the background. It prevents unauthorized physical access to your device's data if your computer is lost or stolen.

Cryptomator encrypts your files on your device before uploading them to cloud storage like Google Drive or OneDrive. This ensures that cloud providers and third parties can never read your personal files.

FileVault is a built-in macOS tool that protects your entire Mac hard drive. It requires a one-time setup, then runs automatically in the background. It keeps all system files and personal documents secured behind your Mac login credentials.

GnuPG uses digital key pairs to secure emails, text messages, and software packages. It is widely used by privacy-conscious users to verify senders and ensure communications remain untampered.

VeraCrypt creates a secure virtual drive (or "vault") on your computer to store confidential files. You can mount it like a regular USB drive whenever you need to access your protected data.

Online self-assessment tool designed to raise awareness and educate researchers on making datasets Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable before deposit. Through a structured questionnaire, it evaluates FAIR maturity and provides actionable recommendations for data stewardship without requiring any dataset uploads.

Interactive self-assessment tool that helps researchers evaluate the FAIRness of a dataset and identify key areas for data management improvement. It uses a repository-neutral survey framework to calculate immediate FAIR scores without ingesting dataset contents.

Automated web-based tool designed to assess the FAIRness of published research data objects using persistent identifiers (DOIs or URLs). It automatically parses public metadata to measure compliance against FAIR-Aware metrics and programmatically generates detailed evaluation scores.

Curated registry of data standards, repositories, and data policies across all academic disciplines. It helps researchers discover, adopt, and build upon domain-specific standards to make research data Findable, Interoperable, and Reusable.

TreeSize is a storage analyzer for your device and network drives, providing a visual overview of disk usage to help you identify and clean up large files and folders.

dupeGuru is a duplicate file finder that identifies identical or similar files by their content or metadata, helping you to declutter your storage and free up space.

Bulk Rename Utility is a versatile file renaming tool for Windows, providing a comprehensive interface to quickly change filenames, replace strings, and edit metadata across multiple files at once.

Cookiecutter Data Science is a standardized project structure for data science work, providing a logical and flexible template to organize your code, data, and documentation for better reproducibility and collaboration.

Belnet FileSender allows research and higher education institutions to securely execute a one-time share of large files. Files remain available for a limited number of downloads or a set period before being automatically deleted.

Globus is a high-performance data management platform designed for researchers to manage, move, and share large datasets across different systems and cloud storage locations.

Use only the licensed version when processing confidential data and personal information.

WeTransfer is an online file-sharing platform that allows users to send files to email recipients or generate download links with minimal setup.

Performs extensive tracking and user profiling.

HandBrake is an open-source video transcoder designed to convert video files into widely supported formats. It allows users to compress large video files, adjust quality settings, and optimize media for storage or sharing.

FFmpeg is a powerful open-source command-line framework for processing, converting, and streaming audio and video files. It supports virtually all media formats and is widely used for automated, high-performance media manipulation workflows.

Agouti is an open-source platform, co-developed by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), designed for managing camera trap images and video data. It streamlines data organization, annotation, and species identification for wildlife studies.

Qualitative data analysis tool to code, analyze, and visualize relationships in data.

Supported file types: Text, PDF, audio, video, images.

Key capabilities: Network visualization, relation modeling, and AI-assisted coding.

Qualitative data analysis tool to code, analyze, and evaluate data.

Supported file types: Text, PDF, audio, video, images, surveys, focus group transcripts.

Key capabilities: Mixed-methods integration and statistical evaluation.

Qualitative data analysis tool to code, analyze, and query data.

Supported file types: Text, PDF, audio, video, images, web pages, social media content.

Key capabilities: Advanced matrix coding, cross-tabulation, and high-volume dataset handling.

Qualitative data analysis tool to code and analyze data.

Supported file types: Text, PDF, images.

Key capabilities: Document categorization, fast text coding, and integration with statistical software.

Open-source qualitative data analysis tool to code and analyze data.

Supported file types: Text, PDF, Word documents.

Key capabilities: Basic text tagging and highlighting (no multimedia support).

Use only the local installation when processing confidential data and personal information.

Quantitative data analysis tool to execute biostatistical analysis, fit curves, and design publication-ready graphs.

Supported file types: Prism Project (.pzfx), CSV, Excel (.xlsx), text files.

Key capabilities: Non-linear regression, curve fitting, automated graphing, and biostatistical test selection.

Desktop software suite designed for conducting statistical and bioinformatic analyses of DNA and protein sequence data.

Supported file types: MEGA (.meg), FASTA (.fasta), Nexus (.nex), PIR, Clustal, Phylip.

Key capabilities: Phylogenetic tree reconstruction, sequence alignment, evolutionary distance estimation, and molecular clock testing.

Open-source statistical computing environment to program data analysis, statistical modeling, and data visualization.

Supported file types: CSV, Excel (.xlsx), RData (.RData/.rds), JSON, SQL databases, text files.

Key capabilities: Programmatic data manipulation, advanced modeling, and extensible package ecosystem.

License: free with an institutional account (download via software center)

Quantitative data analysis tool to run statistical tests, predictive analytics, and decision trees via a graphical interface.

Supported file types: SPSS Data (.sav), Excel (.xlsx), CSV, SAS, Stata, SQL databases.

Key capabilities: Point-and-click statistical testing, descriptive statistics, and regression analysis.

An opinionated collection of R packages designed for data science, data manipulation, and statistical modeling.

Supported file types: CSV, Excel (.xlsx), RData (.RData/.rds), Feather, Parquet, JSON, SQL databases.

Key capabilities: Data wrangling (dplyr), advanced data visualization (ggplot2), tidy data transformation (tidyr), and functional programming (purrr).

Technical computing tool to execute symbolic calculations, numerical modeling, and algorithm development.

Supported file types: Mathematica Notebook (.nb), JSON, CSV, Excel (.xlsx), CAD formats, 3D graphics.

Key capabilities: Symbolic mathematics, differential equations, dynamic visualizations, and high-performance computation.

Online survey tool for creating quick forms, polls, and structured surveys seamlessly integrated with the Google Workspace environment. Ideal for lightweight data collection, automated spreadsheet sync, and simple collaborative editing.

Open-source online survey tool for creating customizable web-based questionnaires with complex branching logic, advanced question types, and complete data ownership. Ideal for researchers needing high data control and self-hosting flexibility.

Data processing and storage occur by default in the US. Use only EU server locations or local hosting when processing confidential data and personal information.

Online survey tool for creating simple questionnaires, quick polls, and basic quizzes directly integrated within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Ideal for straightforward data collection with lightweight reporting and real-time response tracking.

Online participant recruitment platform designed to source vetted target audiences for research surveys, behavioral experiments, and academic studies. Ideal for collecting high-quality survey responses from paid, pre-screened human participants.

License: free with an institutional account

Enterprise online survey tool for designing highly complex research surveys with advanced logic, automated workflows, and in-depth statistical reporting. Ideal for large-scale institutional research, experience management, and sophisticated data analysis.

Free open-source web application designed to assist manual audio and video transcription directly within the browser. Ideal for self-paced manual transcribing without sending audio files or private data to external servers.

Live streaming and transcription platform to broadcast video content across multiple channels with automated captions. Ideal for multi-platform broadcasting, though data handling protocols require strict caution for confidential material.

Do not use for processing confidential data or personal information. The platform requests excessive data permissions, processes data in the US, and lacks transparency regarding sub-processors.

AI-powered automated transcription service designed to convert speech from audio and video files into text across multiple languages. Ideal for fast automated transcriptions, though restricted to non-sensitive material due to data compliance limitations.

Data processing and storage occur in the US, and no Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is available. Do not use for confidential data or personal information.

Web-based illustration platform designed for creating scientific diagrams, protocol figures, and medical graphics using a pre-drawn icon library. Ideal for researchers needing publication-ready biological and chemical figures.

Online graphic design platform for creating presentations, infographics, and visual content using templates and drag-and-drop elements. Ideal for general visual design and quick creation of marketing or educational material.

Scientific desktop application for drawing chemical structures, reaction mechanisms, and biological pathways with high precision. Ideal for researchers needing publication-ready chemical diagrams and structure-based visual representations.

Free open-source diagramming application for creating flowcharts, network diagrams, and process maps locally or synced to cloud storage. Ideal for technical diagramming with complete data privacy when saved locally.

Cloud-based visual collaboration platform for creating flowcharts, process models, system architectures, and organizational charts. Ideal for complex process mapping and team collaboration.

Use only the licensed version when processing confidential data and personal information. The free version offers limited guarantees regarding privacy and data security.

Enterprise vector graphics and diagramming application integrated within the Microsoft ecosystem for creating detailed flowcharts, engineering schemas, and organizational structures. Ideal for complex institutional process mapping.

Digital collaborative canvas integrated into Microsoft 365 for real-time brainstorming, visual note-taking, and interactive team meetings. Ideal for internal collaborative sessions with institutional data protection.

Visual collaboration platform providing an infinite canvas for digital whiteboarding, mind mapping, and agile project planning. Ideal for remote team brainstorming and visual workflows.

Digital workspace for visual collaboration, guided brainstorming, and interactive workshops with structured templates. Ideal for facilitated team workshops and creative planning.

Use only the licensed version when processing confidential data and personal information. Selecting EU-based data storage and processing is only available in the licensed version.