Castor is a data management software that is available to FGB researchers, particularly those conducting medical research. You can find all the information you need to work with Castor in this manual. However there are some additional rules (“spelregels”) you must follow to use Castor at the Faculty.

  1. You must use the Castor billing code.
    1. While it’s possible to create an account and run a small study for free, if you do so without the billing code, the data are not sufficiently protected and you are not following GDPR requirements
    2. You can request the billing code via
  2. Ensure that you are using the Netherlands server for data storage
    1. The Dutch version is accessed via https://data.castoredc.com/
  3. You must activate two-factor authentication when you create your Castor account and you must keep this active the entire time you use Castor
    1. Instructions on this are found here
  4. You are strongly advised to read the Castor manual, particularly the EDC manual
    1. The following sections are particularly important:
      1. How to use Castor EDC system in a secure way - Best practices
      2. Castor EDC/CMDS Tips and tricks - Before starting
      3. The structure of Castor EDC/CDMS
      4. Field properties: validations (edit checks) and dependencies(field logic) in EDC/CDMS
      5. The ‘Users’ tab (User Management) in EDC/CDMS
      6. Encryption module
      7. EDC/CDMS Tips for Data Managers
  5. You should encrypt fields in Castor that contain highly sensitive information
    1. This is a minimum requirement for information like name, date of birth or other direct identifiers
    2. If a single field contains a lot of detailed information about a participant, such as an open text field, this should also be encrypted
  6. When you complete your research you should follow the Castor guidance on ending a study. Additionally you must do the following:
    1. After all data have been exported from Castor, they should be securely stored on a VU storage option.
      1. If the data are still being analysed, you can find an appropriate solution via the VU Storage Finder
      2. If all analyses are complete and the data only need to be archived, the exported data must be archived in a VU archive
    2. Once all of the data have been securely stored or archived at the VU, contact Castor Support to have all of the data stored by Castor deleted. Otherwise the data will be automatically stored on Castor’s servers for 25 years.