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UKB-RAP is the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform: the cloud workspace where approved researchers work with UK Biobank data without downloading it. This page explains what it is, how the account and project sequence works, and where it sits next to the rest of the UK Biobank access process. Facts below were read from the platform’s own documentation on 8 November 2026.
What UKB-RAP is
The UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform (UKB-RAP) is, in its documentation’s words, an informatics platform that provides access to, and analysis of, UK Biobank data for its registered researcher community. It was announced on 28 September 2021, enabled by DNAnexus and powered by AWS. The data are held securely in the UK by AWS on behalf of UK Biobank, and researchers bring their analyses to the data rather than download it.
You use UKB-RAP for the data fields listed in your approved UK Biobank access application. It is a workspace, not a way to obtain access: approval comes first. For that step, see the CASRAI guide to UK Biobank data access.
Who runs it and what it covers
UK Biobank follows 500,000 volunteer participants. Its resource is open to bona fide health researchers in academia and industry, in the UK and overseas, and UKB-RAP is the platform through which that registered community reaches the data. DNAnexus provides the platform technology. At launch the hosted data were reported as 11 petabytes (a launch-time figure from the 2021 announcement, with a projection of more than 40 petabytes by 2025; it is not a current size). The same announcement said AWS pledged $1.5 million in research credits for researchers from low- and middle-income countries and early-career researchers.
The platform holds two kinds of data:
- Phenotype data, such as diagnosis or gender. The root directory of a project holds the phenotype data.
- Bulk data, such as VCF files.
Participant-level data are a genomics resource as much as a clinical one; see what is genomics for background on the file types involved.
How access works, step by step
The platform overview gives a three-part quickstart:
- Create two accounts and connect them. First a UK Biobank Access Management System (AMS) account, then a Research Analysis Platform account, and connect the two.
- Create a project and have data dispensed to it. Dispensal can take over an hour; progress is visible on the project list.
- Add colleagues. Collaborators must be named on the same approved access application to be added as project members.
- Open the data. The Cohort Browser is the tool the documentation names for accessing UK Biobank data and building cohorts.
Sign-in links and current screens are on the platform documentation’s getting-started pages. The command-line side of the underlying DNAnexus platform is covered in the CASRAI DNAnexus guide.
Costs and credit
According to the platform overview, each account has an initial credit of GBP 40 toward usage charges. Before that runs out, billing must be set up; users who hold grant credits set up a grant organisation instead. Budget compute use in your data management plan; see data management plan (DMP).
Strengths and limits
| Aspect | What the documentation says |
|---|---|
| Where analysis happens | Inside the platform, next to the data held on AWS in the UK, rather than on downloaded copies. |
| Who can use it | Registered researchers with an approved access application; collaborators must be named on that application. |
| Cost | GBP 40 initial credit per account; billing or a grant organisation must be set up afterwards. |
| Timing | Data dispensal to a project can take more than an hour. |
Alternatives
UKB-RAP is specific to UK Biobank data. Other cloud research environments exist for other health datasets; they are alternatives in kind, not substitutes for UK Biobank data.
| Environment | What it is, per its own site | Source (read 8 November 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| All of Us Researcher Workbench | A cloud-based platform where registered researchers can access All of Us Registered Tier and Controlled Tier data. Genomic data are available only through the Controlled Tier, which requires institutional Data Use and Registration Agreements. | https://www.researchallofus.org/data-tools/workbench/ |
FAQ
Is UKB-RAP the same as DNAnexus?
No. UKB-RAP is the UK Biobank platform enabled by DNAnexus and powered by AWS. DNAnexus is the technology provider; the data and access rules belong to UK Biobank.
Do I need approval before using it?
Yes. The platform is for the data fields in your approved access application, and project members must be named on it.
Is it free?
Each account starts with GBP 40 of credit; after that, billing or a grant organisation is needed.
Can I download the data?
The platform is designed so researchers bring their analyses to the data rather than download it.
Sources
- UK Biobank RAP documentation, platform overview: https://dnanexus.gitbook.io/uk-biobank-rap/getting-started/platform-overview (read 8 November 2026)
- UK Biobank RAP documentation home: https://dnanexus.gitbook.io/uk-biobank-rap (read 8 November 2026)
- All of Us Researcher Workbench: https://www.researchallofus.org/data-tools/workbench/ (read 8 November 2026)
- DNAnexus press release on the platform launch, 28 September 2021: https://www.dnanexus.com/press/innovative-cloud-based-research-analysis-platform-launched-to-increase-scale-and-accessibility-of-resource (read 8 November 2026)
