WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded the Coleridge Initiative a contract with a maximum potential value of $7.5 million over a five-year period to provide a secure data enclave service through Coleridge Initiative’s Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF), a FedRAMP-authorized, cloud-based computational research platform.  This secure data enclave solution will make USDA data more accessible for researchers while protecting privacy and confidentiality. The solution will also enhance data stewardship capabilities by improving the ability of the USDA to manage data access requests, agreements, and reporting metrics. 

The ADRF is a FedRAMP-authorized AWS GovCloud platform with a security architecture designed to meet federal government protections regarding confidentiality, integrity, provenance, and availability of government data. This platform will facilitate data analysis in economics, agriculture, and nutrition by research universities, NGOs, and government researchers.

“This contract enables USDA employees and approved external users to securely collaborate and conduct research with restricted-access datasets,” said Dr. Ahu Yildirmaz, President and CEO of the Coleridge Initiative. “As  our collaboration grows, we remain committed to providing comprehensive services, including secure researcher access, advanced tools for data stewardship, and  scalable resourcesility. Our platform enables researchers to harness food scanning and consumer survey data to inform program decisions. Our team is dedicated to delivering the highest standards of service and security for our partners, enabling broader access to data and empowering its use for informed decision-making that serves the public good.”

About The Coleridge Initiative, Inc.

The Coleridge Initiative is a nonprofit organization working with governments to ensure that data are more effectively used for public decision-making. Coleridge provides agencies with the opportunity to enhance their data literacy and collaborate within and across states to develop new technologies through the secure access and sharing of confidential microdata. Coleridge provides secure data enclave services to a diverse range of clients, including 24 state government agencies and several federal agencies, through the Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF). The ADRF is a FedRAMP-authorized cloud-based platform that enables government agencies to link their longitudinal data with other states and agencies. Learn more: www.coleridgeinitiative.org

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