Hello, I have approval to data access from NCBI dbGaP. Now I want to access the data, and I’m instructed to create an account on Terra and connect to the external identity with eRA. However, this does not work, as it seems to require additional identification which is US specific. I am a researcher at a European institution. As I do have permission to access the data, what is a suitable option for data access?
Hi Martin,
Thanks for your question. You will be able to access the data on AnVIL from dbGaP as a researcher at a European institution. First, there are some steps you’ll need to take in order to connect your AnVIL/Terra account with your access.
I suggest following the steps in this support article. https://support.terra.bio/hc/en-us/articles/32634034451099-RAS-Integration-for-AnVIL-Data-Released-3-25-26
Specifically, for non-US based researchers and institutions, the guidance is to use ID.me as the external identity provider, rather than login.gov. See the screenshot below:
Let us know if you have additional questions.
Best,
Natalie
Hello, thank you for the assistance. I connected the AnVIL/Terra account with verification through id.me. This worked, but I don’t see the data.
The request for the dataset phs000424.v11.p2 on dbGaP is approved. The raw sequencing data is to be found on AnVIL according to the corresponding page for this dataset (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000424.v11.p2). On Terra, the RAS link is confirmed and activated. I renewed this, I also unlinked and re-linked the RAS.
But the information remains as “Resoucres: not authorized”.
How can I access the data?
Thanks,
Martin
Hi @Martin_Kuhlwilm,
Where are you seeing the “Resources: not authorized” message?
When you click through to the dataset on the AnVIL Data Explorer, does it say “Request Access” on the top right?
Thanks!
Ava
Hi, the “Resources: not authorized” is the Terra - External Identities - RAS (see below).
In the AnVIL Data Explorer, it does show the same as your image: “Access Required” (which is the case as per dbGaP).
Best,
Martin
Here also as shown in dbGaP.
Looks like you still need to link your eRA Commons ID to your ID.me account. Please see the support page here for the next step.
Thanks!
Ava
Hello, thank you so much! Finally it did work and I do see the dataset.
Best,
Martin
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Hello!
I have the same issue here.
I have active dbGaP access to GTEx phs000424.v11.p2 / phs000424.v11.p2.c1, valid through May 4, 2027. as shown on my dbGAP account, signed in through Login.gov
My Login.gov identity is successfully linked to my eRA Commons identity, and Terra RAS correctly recognizes my eRA Commons ID.
However AnVIL does not seem to recognize my GTEx authorization.
Could you check whether my dbGaP authorization has propagated to the AnVIL/Terra authorization group?
Under “Resources”, under “Not Authorized”, I could see “dbgap_phs000424_c1” listed as one of the options. I don’t know if this is just a complete list or if this means it’s in the process of propagating, but it has been more than 6 hours since I linked the accounts.
Hi @heyudou ,
I see that you are using a Gmail account. Please ensure your Login.gov or ID.me account is configured with a CADR-compliant email address as your preferred email address.
CADR-compliant email addresses include:
- NIH-issued email addresses
- Federal government email addresses
- University, research institution, hospital, or employer-issued email addresses
- Email addresses from approved InCommon Federation member organizations
The following email addresses are not permitted to access CADRs:
- Personal email accounts from free email providers (such as Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com, Hotmail, etc.) and other prohibited domains identified by NIH
You might find these pages helpful:
- Terra: Service Notification - Oct 7, 2026 (NIH Researcher Auth Services (RAS))
- AnVIL Portal: Before you begin: Use your institutional email for Terra
Thanks!
Ava
Hi Ava,
I have updated everything to be only affiliated with my university email.
However, it is still showing up as unauthorized:
I would appreciate any tips at this point. Thanks!
Hi @heyudou ,
If you have already followed the troubleshooting steps here, there are few other things that might be happening:
- If you linked your RAS account prior to linking your eRA Commons ID, please Renew your RAS link. You might unlink and re-link it.
- Permissions my take up to 24 hours to populate, although in many cases they populate sooner.
Thanks!
Ava
Hi Ava,
Thank you for continuing to help with this. Unfortunately, I have now exhausted the troubleshooting steps and the issue has persisted for more than 24 hours since my last update
My Login.gov, eRA Commons, dbGaP, and Terra/RAS identities are now all correctly using my Johns Hopkins institutional email, my gmail has been completely deleted in all profiles and logins. Terra correctly identifies my eRA Commons ID as heyudou, and dbGaP shows Data access GRANTED for GTEx phs000424.v11.p2.c1.
I have also renewed RAS and completely unlinked/relinked it multiple times, but Terra continues to report Resources: Not authorized.
Could you please escalate this to the Terra/RAS engineering or authorization team and have them inspect the GA4GH/RAS authorization claims for my account, specifically whether my phs000424.v11.p2.c1 entitlement is being returned and mapped to dbgap_phs000424_c1?
At this point I don’t think there are additional account changes I can make on my side, and I don’t want to keep unlinking/relinking a configuration that is now correct.
Thank you very much.
Hi Ava,
Just wanted to update that I have now have access to the dataset. it seems to just needed longer (2+days) for the permission to populate.
Thanks for all the help! The email tip was essential.
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