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The HBS Research Computing Platform (RCP) in the cloud will transform how computational research is supported at HBS.

Designed to meet the demands of modern research, this platform provides an array of computational tools in a project-based centralized system that facilitates collaboration, data management, and compliance.

What Does the RCP Offer?

  • Extensible cloud storage and compute power, including graphics processing units (GPUs)
  • Access to popular data science and statistical analysis tools including Jupyter Notebook, RStudio, Spyder, STATA, and Visual Studio Code, and cloud services like Amazon SageMaker
  • Project-based interface and customizable workbench based on user experience research

What About Cloud Costs?

  • All costs will be covered by DRFD and HBS IT through FY26 using a reimbursement model. After the initial rollout, cloud costs incurred on the platform will be covered through an automatic reimbursement process up to a limit, set to cover most faculty and usage.
  • To ensure cost transparency, Project Owners can view cloud usage and associated costs directly within the RCP.
  • As the platform is a shared institutional resource, we encourage the research community to act as responsible stewards by actively monitoring and managing usage and costs, and by using the platform efficiently. The RCP includes built-in cost management controls, such as faculty-level AWS subaccounts. RCS is also available to assist with code optimization and data management strategies to support efficient use of the platform.
  • Through the remainder of FY26, cloud usage and cost data will be collected to inform the development of a sustainable budget model for the RCP.
  • To learn more about Cloud Costs on RCP, please see our billing section

Quick Start

💬 Try our chatbot!

You can ask questions such as, "How do I obtain an RCP account?" or "How do I transfer data to the RCP?"

This tool is only available to individuals with an HBS login and you must be logged into ChatGPT with your HBS account. If you receive a 404 error when clicking the link, log into ChatGPT and try again.

  1. To request an account and invite your team to request accounts, please use one of the links below. HBS faculty, staff, doctoral students and their guest collaborators are eligible for RCP accounts.
  2. Login to the platform: https://researchcloud.hbs.edu/. We suggest doing this as soon as you've been notified your account is ready, as it impacts your ability to access project spaces.

  3. Request a project space.

    Note that to request a project space, you:
    - must be an HBS faculty member or doctoral student - must have an RCP account - must have logged into their RCP account at least once

    Project owners must put in their own requests; one may not request a project on behalf of someone else.

  4. If you are the project owner, review our documentation around how to manage your project.

  5. Start using the RCP! See our documentation on:

Feedback and support

Important

Guest Users: For expired passwords and password resets, please contact RCS.

If you have any questions or encounter issues, please let us know! You can contact our support team directly by emailing research@hbs.edu. We are here to help.