The EDPS released a new preliminary opinion on data protection and scientific research. Noting that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) assigns to scientific research a special regime, but with only few guidelines or comprehensive studies regarding the application of data protection rules to research. The document is structured as follows: first, its sketches out the landscape of scientific research in today's digital age and the issues which arise. Second, it aims to narrow down what we understand by scientific research in the GDPR. Then it outlines the wider governance framework for research in the EU within which data protection is situated, particular as regards clinical trials. In the following section, it presents a preliminary analysis of some key principles of the special regime for data processing for the purposes of scientific research as set down in the GDPR.