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Terms of Use Agreement for the Use of Cluster Infrastructures Federated by the Institut Pasteur#

Version: 02/06/2025

This Terms of Use Agreement (ToU) defines the conditions and rules for the proper use of computing clusters, server resources, storage space, and web services provided by sites federated under the Institut Pasteur through the NNCR (https://www.france-bioinformatique.fr/calcul-et-stockage/). This agreement is subject to the specific ToU of the Institut Pasteur site accessed, as well as the policies of its host institution. It may be updated periodically in line with evolving practices within the federation and its member institutions.

The Institut Pasteur provides access to:

  • Computing and storage resources
  • Services including open-source databases and software, training and learning programs, website and virtual machine hosting, scientific expertise, and bioinformatics support for research in biology and related fields

The infrastructure is intended for biologists, bioinformaticians, and bio-statisticians with moderate to high computational needs (typically hundreds of gigabytes) and a bioinformatics environment (software, databases, technical support, etc.). The Institut Pasteur reserves the right to redirect projects requiring very large-scale computing resources to national supercomputing centers when appropriate.

Access Conditions and Infrastructure Usage Limits#

Access to Infrastructure#

To use the IT resources of the Institut Pasteur, users must submit an access request via the account creation form available on the national portal or directly on one of the federated sites. Access is granted only after validation by the site team and acceptance of this ToU, the site-specific ToU, and the policies of the host institution.

Access authorization is personal, non-transferable, and temporary. It will be revoked if the user’s role no longer justifies access, or in case of non-compliance with this agreement, the site-specific ToU, or the host institution’s policies.

Commitments of the Institut Pasteur#

Each user account on a federated site provides access to the following services:

  • Login server access: Account passwords must be changed every 12 months. Accounts inactive for 12 consecutive months will be deactivated. Users will receive an email notification prior to deactivation. Any data stored in the user’s space will be permanently deleted in accordance with the data retention policies of the accessed site.
  • Storage space and quota allocation: Storage availability depends on the capacity of the specific site. Different types of storage are available, including:
  • Project directories (may be replicated and/or backed up)
  • Temporary workspaces (known as "scratch") — data not accessed within a defined period (set by the site) will be automatically purged
    To request additional storage, users must contact the system administrators of the site or the NNCR administration team. Requests will be evaluated by the site’s management and may require a formal quotation depending on the case.
  • Access to databases hosted on the domain
  • Bioinformatics software environments
  • Technical support: Available within the limits of staff availability
  • Computing access: The Institut Pasteur strives to minimize service interruptions but cannot guarantee 100% uptime. Planned maintenance that affects service availability will be communicated in advance to users.
  • Computational quotas: Quota limits vary between sites. To request increased computing time, users must submit a request to the site’s system administrators or the NNCR team. Requests will be reviewed and may require a formal quotation.

Installation of Software or Genomic Databases#

Users must ensure that any software or genomic database they install complies with applicable intellectual property laws. Users must be able to provide valid licensing documentation upon request (this applies to all users, including those using Galaxy).

The installation of software or tools that could compromise system integrity is strictly prohibited.

Requests for multi-user software or database installations can be submitted via the Institut Pasteur Core Cluster support portal (hpc.pasteur.fr). Installation will be carried out by the platform’s system administration team, based on criteria such as scientific relevance, resource availability, installation complexity, and software dependencies.

Conditions of Use of the Infrastructure#

Submission of Computational Jobs#

Computational resources are managed via a job scheduler, which may vary between sites. Users must submit all jobs through the official scheduler on the accessed site. Bypassing the scheduler or violating its priority rules may result in immediate termination of the job and possible suspension of access.

Users are fully responsible for all tasks they submit, whether on the login server or on computing nodes. They must monitor their jobs and manually cancel them if issues arise.

Login servers are reserved exclusively for:
- Remote login
- Data transfer
- Code compilation
- Testing commands
- Submitting jobs to the cluster

Any data processing executed directly on the login server will be automatically terminated without prior notice by system administrators.

Data Storage#

Users must use only the disk space strictly necessary for their work and must make efficient use of compression and archiving tools. Temporary files generated during computations must be deleted after use.

Project storage spaces are initially granted for a default period of 12 months. Users will be notified a few weeks before expiration and may request an extension.

It is the user’s sole responsibility to manage their data, including organization, volume, relevance, and lifecycle. The NNCR does not provide data archiving services.

For detailed information on data storage policies, backup procedures, and retention rules, please refer to:

User Information and Password Security#

  • Users must promptly inform the support team of any changes to their personal information (email address, lab affiliation, phone number, group, etc.).
  • Users must protect their account with a strong, unique password and update it at least once per year.
  • Users are fully responsible for any misuse of their account, especially if the password has been shared or compromised.

Communication and Notifications#

Information regarding infrastructure management — including policy updates, new service rollouts, maintenance schedules, and service outages — is communicated through the communication channels of the accessed site (e.g., newsletters, email alerts, site announcements).

All communications will be sent to the email address provided during account registration. Users agree to stay informed and comply with all guidelines issued by the NNCR administration or the Institut Pasteur platform team via these channels.

Data Confidentiality#

Upon account creation, user directories are assigned default access permissions in line with site-specific practices. Users are responsible for managing their own file permissions using standard tools (e.g., chmod command). By default, all user files are private.

Any attempt to access, read, copy, or intercept another user’s data without explicit permission is strictly prohibited and constitutes a breach of this agreement.

Ownership and Valuation of Results#

All results generated using the Institut Pasteur’s infrastructure remain the exclusive property of the user’s research laboratory. The laboratory retains full rights over the use, publication, and commercialization of the results.

However, research teams are required to acknowledge the Institut Pasteur and the specific platform used in any publication or public communication, using the following statement:

"We are grateful to the Institut Pasteur and the [Name of the Platform] platform for providing computational and/or storage resources and technical support."

In the case of collaborative projects that do not involve formal service contracts, teams are expected to involve the platform’s engineers in any resulting publications, ensuring proper recognition of their contributions.

Ethical and Professional Conduct (Deontology)#

Use of the infrastructure implies acceptance of this ToU, the site-specific ToU, and the policies of the host institution.

Site administrators reserve the right to suspend or revoke access in cases of:
- Exceeding allocated quotas
- Violation of this agreement or site-specific rules
- Non-compliance with the host institution’s policies

For projects involving confidential or sensitive data, the user remains fully responsible for ensuring data confidentiality.
Staff from the accessed site cannot be held liable for any loss, leakage, or unauthorized disclosure of user data.

Sensitive or Human Health Data#

The Institut Pasteur’s computing infrastructure is not certified for Health Data Hosting (HDS). Therefore, no health data collected during prevention, diagnostic, medical treatment, or social and medical follow-up activities may be uploaded, stored, or processed on the platform.

By using the infrastructure, users certify that they will not upload, store, or process any health-related data in violation of Article L.1111-8 of the French Public Health Code.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)#

With the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on 25 May 2018, we wish to inform you transparently about the collection and processing of your personal data by the sites federated under the Institut Pasteur via the NNCR.

When you create an account — to access the cluster, use a web service, or access hosted databases — the following personal data may be collected:
- Full name (first and last name)
- Affiliation (institution, laboratory, department)
- Email address
- Optional: telephone number

These data, as well as any scientific or project-related data you upload to your allocated storage space, will not be made public or shared with third parties.

Connection logs are retained for one year for legal and security purposes.

You have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal or scientific data at any time. Please contact the support team of the relevant platform using the official contact email address listed on the site.