In some cases, extra resources are needed to prepare datasets for a research project. These may include interviews that often contain personal data such as names and titles.
Therefore, a GDPR-compliant solution may be required to obtain additional help with dataset preparation. As an AU employee, you can generally use three types of resources:
| 1. Software |
Any software for which AU already has a license and a valid data processing agreement can be used freely. If you are unsure whether your software is covered, write to tto@au.dk to confirm that AU still has a valid agreement, as some agreements expire annually. AU has licenses for several programs that facilitate transcription, including Office365 and Panopto. You can find guides here for uploading video files, generating texts, and downloading text files in Panopto. However, the IT department recommends using AU's new transcription tool, Whisper. Whisper can be accessed through UCloud and can transcribe audio to text in many languages, including Danish. All employees and students at AU can use the tool, but it is important to note that there is a framework data processing agreement between AU and the University of Southern Denmark. This agreement allows the storage and processing of sensitive data on the UCloud platform. Therefore, researchers must contact their head of department for approval to use Whisper in their project. Read more about how to use Whisper here. |
| 2. Internal employee resources |
If you receive help from a person employed at AU, the solution is compliant when using AU software and devices. Therefore, this is often an easy solution. Student assistants are AU employees and can therefore easily assist with transcribing and translating personal data. Note that this applies across the university. Language Services at BTECH focuses on grant applications and academic publications, but if there is time, they are also happy to help with tasks such as translation. Thus, this can be a good alternative to an external provider if the task is not too extensive. |
| 3. External resources |
There is also the possibility of obtaining help from external translation or transcription agencies. However, contracts and data processing agreements must be made by AU's Technology Transfer Office (TTO). To increase the likelihood that TTO can support with a contract, you should as a researcher be aware of the following criteria when searching for providers: Look for options within the EU and look for companies that describe themselves as having a GDPR-compliant solution for their customers. |
The above options will vary over time and depend on the financial resources available in the research project. Feel free to contact your local IT support, TTO or your local FISU contact for help in moving forward.