Commercial Access T’s & C’s

This page lists the Terms & Conditions for Commercial Academic Access to the Crop Diversity HPC Service.

  1. Purpose and Scope

    1.1. These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern the commercial academic subscription to the Crop Diversity High-Performance Computing (“HPC”) Service (“the Service”) provided by The James Hutton Institute (“the Institute”). These Terms apply only to aspects of the subscription relationship not already covered by the Acceptable Use Policy, GDPR Privacy Notice, or Service Level Agreement. Use of the Service requires acceptance of all four documents.


  1. Subscription and Access

    2.1. Access is provided on a per-user annual subscription basis.

    2.2. Access is granted at the Institute’s discretion and may be suspended or revoked if these Terms or any associated policy is breached.


  1. Fees and Payment

    3.1. Access to the Service is provided on a commercial subscription basis.

    3.2. Fees for access, storage, and any additional services are agreed on a case-by-case basis between the Institute and the User or their institution.

    3.3. The Institute will confirm the applicable fee and the subscription period in writing before access is granted.

    3.4. Invoicing arrangements, including timing and method of payment, will be agreed separately with the User or their institution.

    3.5. Failure to pay an agreed invoice within the specified timeframe may result in suspension or termination of access.


  1. Storage Entitlement

    4.1. The subscription includes up to 15 TB of backed-up primary storage (home plus projects areas).

    4.2. Additional primary storage may be purchased at an agreed rate.

    4.3. Scratch storage is unlimited but is not backed up, and files older than 180 days may be automatically removed.

    4.4. Users are responsible for managing their own storage usage within agreed limits.

    4.5. Users must comply with all requirements and restrictions set out in the Data Storage & Management Policy, including any dynamic limits or corrective actions applied in cases of storage misuse.


  1. Data Retention After Subscription Ends

    5.1. When a subscription expires or is terminated, the Institute will retain the User’s data for up to 60 days.

    5.2. After this period, the Institute may delete the data without further notice.

    5.3. Users are responsible for ensuring they have retrieved any data they wish to keep before the retention period ends.


  1. Intellectual Property

    6.1. Users retain ownership of all data, research outputs, models, and results they generate using the Service.

    6.2. The Institute retains ownership of all system software, configurations, documentation, and infrastructure.

    6.3. The Institute does not claim rights over User-generated results unless explicitly agreed in writing.

    6.4. Users grant the Institute a limited licence to store and process their data solely for the purpose of providing the Service.

    6.5. Users are responsible for ensuring they have the legal right to upload or process any third-party data or software.


  1. User Responsibilities (Beyond Acceptable Use Policy)

    7.1. Users must:

    7.1.1. ensure that all data they upload or process complies with legal, ethical, and contractual obligations;

    7.1.2. maintain secure credentials and not share access with others;

    7.1.3. ensure that their subscription covers all individuals using the Service under their account;

    7.1.4. maintain independent backups of important data.

These responsibilities apply in addition to, and do not replace, those in the Acceptable Use Policy.


  1. Liability

    8.1. The Service is provided on a best-effort basis.

    8.2. The Institute is not liable for: (i) loss of data, (ii) loss of research outputs or anticipated results, (iii) interruption of service, (iv) corruption of files, or (v) any indirect or consequential damages.

    8.3. The Institute’s total liability for any claim arising from use of the Service is limited to the total subscription fees paid by the User in the preceding 12 months.

    8.4. Users are responsible for validating and backing up their own work.


  1. Termination

    9.1. The Institute may terminate access if the User breaches these Terms or any associated policy, if payment is overdue, or if the User’s activities pose a risk to the system or other users.

    9.2. Upon termination, the data-retention rules in Clause 5 apply.


  1. Amendments

10.1. The Institute may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.


  1. Governing Law

11.1. These Terms are governed by the laws of Scotland. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Scottish courts.