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A Letter From the Desk of Michael Kurilla - NCATS Director, Division of Clinical Innovation

An Important Update on the N3C Platform and Next Steps for Our Community

We are writing to share an important update regarding the N3C platform. Unfortunately, the current instance of the N3C data enclave and research platform is paused indefinitely. We are working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine the best long-term path forward.

This pause is not due to concerns about the N3C’s value or scientific merit. N3C remains one of the most impactful, secure, and collaborative research resources ever created at the NIH. This pause reflects broader HHS data infrastructure changes involving shared technology systems that also affect the N3C environment.

Our team is working around the clock with NIH and HHS leadership to restore access as soon as possible through a structured transition plan that ensures data security, institutional trust, and continued scientific momentum. Our top priorities remain protecting the integrity of your work, the privacy of your data, and the future of our research community to tackle important questions on all health outcomes.

Please know:

  • This is not the end of N3C. The program and its mission will continue.
  • The data remains secure and preserved within the N3C framework and NIH’s controlled environment.
  • We are committed to reopening access once we have HHS approval for a sustainable solution that serves the research community.

We deeply appreciate your patience, partnership, and dedication. Since the very beginning, N3C has prided itself on being a community-driven effort, and that spirit of collaboration will guide us once we are able to work on shaping the next chapter. We are determined to make N3C stronger, more flexible, and more valuable to researchers, and in turn to science and public health. We will be in touch with this community as soon as we have the approval of HHS and have more to share.

For now, our immediate priority is to ensure you have the support and time needed to retrieve your work. Please read the following action plan and timelines carefully.

CRITICAL: Action Required to Back Up Your Work

We will temporarily reopen the N3C platform for a 10-business-day period to allow all investigators to back up their project code and submit final download requests. This is meant for back-up of code/artifacts only and no novel research, operations, or work should be done during this time.

  • Platform Access Re-opens: 12/1/2025
  • Last Day to Submit Download Requests: 12/10/2025
  • Platform Access Ends: 12/12/2025

During this window, we ask that you prioritize the following:

  • Back up your project code. Please log into your projects and manually save all your code (e.g., scripts, analyses, definitions).
  • Submit final download requests. This will be the final opportunity to submit download requests for your project results. The last day to submit requests is December 10, 2025.

Our team is fully committed to supporting this process. Every single download request submitted during this period will be reviewed in a timely manner to ensure investigators are able to get as much of their work out as possible.

After the 10-day Window

We strongly urge every investigator to use the open period. However, we will make an intake form available after the platform closes for a limited time, located here:
https://n3c-help.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/73

  • This intake form can only be used to request a backup of your project code.
  • This form cannot be used to retrieve data or submit new download requests.

Optimally, all investigators will take full advantage of the 10-day open platform period to secure both their code and their final data downloads.

Thank you again for being a part of this incredible endeavor. If you have any questions please send them to ncatsn3cclinical@mail.nih.gov.

Stay tuned.

Sincerely, The N3C Leadership Team

Office Hours & Support

To further support you during the temporary reopening of the N3C Platform, we are hosting N3C Office Hours over the next two weeks (12/1–12/12). Our N3C technical team will be available to answer questions about backing up your project code, download requests, and any other process-related needs.

N3C Office Hours

Enclave Support Ticket:
If you are experiencing any platform issues, please submit a support ticket here:
https://unite.nih.gov/workspace/issues-app/

Support Desk
If you are experiencing any other issues, please submit a support ticket here:
https://n3c-help.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/2

Last updated on December 4, 2025