Universities & research

Data recovery for universities.

We do a lot of work for universities and research groups — and academic data is often irreplaceable. Based in Bristol, we provide university and research data recovery in Bristol and across the UK: when a research array fails, a departmental server goes down, or a student’s drive dies weeks before submission, we recover it in-house, by our own engineers, and keep it confidential. Your data never leaves the UK.

Free 48-hour diagnostic
Handled in-house
No fix, no fee · most jobs
// in short

Irreplaceable research, recovered in-house.

Research RAID and NAS storage, departmental servers and student drives recovered by our own engineers — confidential, GDPR-compliant, and never leaving the UK.

Research data
Datasets & results
RAID & NAS
Research storage
In-house
Never outsourced
No fix, no fee
Most jobs
// what we recover

Academic data we recover.

From a research group’s storage array to a student’s thesis drive — recovered in-house and kept confidential.

01

Research data & datasets

Years of results, datasets and analysis on failed research drives, arrays and storage.

02

Departmental servers & RAID

Departmental and lab servers and RAID arrays holding shared research and admin data.

03

Research NAS storage

Synology, QNAP and other NAS units used for research and group storage.

04

Theses & student work

A PhD or final-year student’s external drive or laptop that’s failed before submission.

05

Lab & instrument data

Data from lab instruments, microscopes and acquisition PCs on failed local drives.

06

Student & staff records

Administrative records and databases, recovered and handled under the UK GDPR.

Related: RAID · NAS · Servers · External drives.

// confidentiality & GDPR

Research and records, handled properly.

Research data and personal records are handled confidentially and in line with the UK GDPR.

Research data and personal records handled confidentially, only by our own engineers in-house.
Your data never leaves the UK — never sent overseas or to a third party.
ICO-registered (No. ZC173784) and compliant with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
NDAs and confidentiality agreements on request — useful for funded or commercially sensitive research.

More on how we handle your data: Data security & confidentiality.

// irreplaceable data

When the data can’t be re-created.

A failed experiment can be re-run; years of collected data usually can’t. We see research that represents an entire PhD, a multi-year grant or a dataset that simply can’t be gathered again — so we treat it accordingly. We image every drive read-only before we touch the data, rebuild failed arrays virtually so nothing is written to your originals, and recover the maximum that’s physically there. Working to a submission or grant-reporting deadline? Tell us when you get in touch and we’ll prioritise the job.

// how it works

How it works for departments.

A secure path from failure to verified return.

01

Get in touch

Call, email or WhatsApp with what’s happened — we’ll advise on the safest next step.

02

Free diagnostic

Drop the drives off or send them in insured; we confirm what’s recoverable.

03

Written quote

A fixed, written quote and turnaround before any chargeable work starts.

04

Recover & verify

We recover in-house, verify the data, and return it on fresh encrypted media or secure download.

For a research RAID or NAS: take the drives out, label each with its bay order, and send the disks only — we image each read-only and rebuild the array virtually, so nothing is written to your data.
We can invoice the university or department and accept purchase orders, with 30-day terms for established accounts.

Other sectors we work with: Legal · Healthcare · Finance · Business & enterprise.

// sending your device in

Two simple steps.

Send us your device for a free diagnostic, and tell us a little about what happened — an engineer will review it and confirm your exact quote in writing before any work begins.

1

Send us your device

Recovering your data starts with getting the device to us. Pack it safely, add your contact details, and send it over — after we run a free diagnostic, we’ll confirm your exact price in writing before any work begins.

How to pack it
  • Package the device into a small, sturdy box or padded envelope.
  • Leave out caddies, cables and power supplies — we won’t need them for the recovery.
  • Include your details inside the package: name, address, phone and email — on a slip of paper, or use our shipping form — then seal it up.
Post toBristol Data Recovery
Castlemead, Lower Castle Street
Bristol BS1 3AG
Shipping formPDF · print & include with your devicePDF ↓

Posting it in? We recommend a tracked, insured service. Prefer to drop it off? You’re welcome Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm — please still package the device as above.

2

Need more information?

If you need more information on our data recovery service, fill out the form with more detail about your issue and an engineer will review it and give you a custom quote.

An engineer reviews every enquiry personally — we usually reply within 30 minutes during the day. Prefer to call? 0117 332 1137.

Thanks — your message is in.

We’ll be in touch shortly. For anything urgent, call 0117 332 1137.

// faq

Common questions.

Quick answers to what people ask most.

Yes. We image each disk read-only and rebuild the array virtually, even with multiple failed drives. Take the drives out, label each with its bay order, and send the disks only — not the enclosure.

Yes, this is one of the most common jobs we see. We recover external drives and laptops that have failed; tell us the submission deadline when you get in touch and we’ll prioritise the job.

Yes. It’s handled only by our own engineers in-house, never leaves the UK, and we’re ICO-registered and GDPR-compliant. We can sign an NDA on request, which is useful for funded or commercially sensitive research.

Yes. We can invoice the university or department and accept purchase orders, with 30-day terms for established accounts.

No — we don’t offer on-site recovery or collection. You can drop drives off or send them in fully insured. For a research array, take the drives out and send the disks only.

It depends on the device: single drives are £300, RAID and NAS start from £500 — all plus VAT, with a free diagnostic and a written quote first. No fix, no fee applies to most jobs.

Yes. We’re based in Bristol and recover research and academic data for universities and research groups in Bristol and across the UK. Drop drives off at our Bristol premises by appointment, or send them in fully insured — and your data never leaves the UK.

// research data lost?

Array down or a thesis at risk? Let’s recover it.

Free diagnostic and a written quote — handled in-house, confidential, and never leaving the UK.

Call us — 0117 332 1137
Mon–Fri · 9am–5:30pm · No fix, no fee
Start a free diagnostic →