Cloud Research Computing
NIH STRIDES
Accelerating Research with AWS and Google Cloud Overview
The Science and Technology Research Infrastructure for Discovery, Experimentation, and Sustainability (STRIDES) Initiative is an NIH program that helps researchers take advantage of commercial cloud services in a secure, cost-effective, and compliant way.
Through STRIDES, NIH-funded researchers and their institutions gain discounted cloud pricing, training opportunities, and access to large public biomedical datasets—all while retaining control over their data and research environments.
STRIDES removes administrative barriers, promotes reproducibility, and allows research teams to scale their work quickly using the same tools trusted by the global life sciences community.
Cloud Providers in STRIDES
Baylor University has established a STRIDES agreement with both Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to deliver research computing environments for biomedical and data-intensive research. Each platform offers unique discounts and advantages.
AWS STRIDES Program Discounts
Service | Discount |
AWS Products via NIH STRIDES and Biomedical Research | Flat 12% discount on most AWS Products |
AWS Products for all other Research | Flat 4.5% discount |
Additional AWS STRIDES Benefits
Direct Technical Support from AWS
Data Egress Fee Waiver (data leaving the cloud and returning to Baylor University)
Access to 12 Petabytes of diversified biomedical and life sciences data sets
Google STRIDES Program Discounts
Service | Discount |
Google Products via NIH STRIDES and Biomedical Research | 10-25% depending on specific product(s) selected |
Google Products for all other Research via Internet2 Net+ discount | 5% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Any researcher with an active NIH grant or stated Biomedical Research Project is eligible to receive the larger STRIDES discounts. All other research may receive the lower non-STRIDES discount.
Data egress refers to costs associated with data leaving a cloud provider and returning to Baylor University data storage destinations. No data egress costs are passed to the researcher through either AWS or Google.
Data is approved at the Public and Non-Public data classification levels. Research that includes data in the Protected, Restricted, or Government-Classified levels are not permitted at this time.
No, the Baylor AWS and GCP computing environments are not configured for the additional cybersecurity controls required for these data types at this time.
Baylor University facilitates billing recovery back to the researcher consuming the services. During onboarding, the researcher provides a Baylor account number that will be invoiced for cloud charges. The discount is managed by Baylor ITS with invoices reflecting the discounted charges when billed to the researcher.
No, Baylor University has established the master service agreements and terms for the program.
No. To receive the benefits associated with the agreements between AWS, GCP, and the university, you must register with your Baylor email address.
Getting Started
Baylor University researchers interested in establishing an AWS or GCP account for research using the STRIDES discounts are encouraged to contact research_technology@baylor.edu to establish an account. For additional program information visit cloud.nih.gov.