Webinar

After VALO: the Finnish Health Data Space 

This webinar explores the proposal for the Finnish Health Data Space (FHDS), a national initiative to unify Finland’s fragmented health data infrastructure. It is part of a webinar series discussing collaboration in the secondary use of health data across the Nordics and Baltics. 

Schedule

Tuesday 18.08.2026 at 16.00-17.30

Registration

Register for the webinar

GMT/UTC+3

See also

Safe space principles

The VALO – Value from Nordic Health Data project ends in October 2026. The project has demonstrated that cross-border federated data analysis using either the OMOP Common Data Model or secure processing environments is feasible in the Nordics.

Now, as the project comes to a close, attention turns to how the lessons learned and capabilities developed through VALO can be taken forward. Who will take the next step in further developing the datasets, data access practices and the underlying infrastructure?

In this webinar, the focus is on the proposal for the Finnish Health Data Space (FHDS), a national initiative to unify Finland’s fragmented health data infrastructure, enabling secure, ethical and efficient use of health data for healthcare, research and innovation.

The FHDS is designed to consolidate Finland’s currently fragmented health data systems into a cohesive national infrastructure, supporting healthcare management, biomedical research and commercial innovation. It addresses challenges such as regional data silos, inconsistent data quality and limited interoperability, which have previously hindered the full utilisation of AI and data-driven healthcare solutions. FHDS aligns with the European Health Data Space (EHDS), ensuring that Finnish health data can be used both nationally and across EU member states while respecting privacy and ethical standards.

The FHDS is organised into three interconnected entities:

  • Tieto (data infrastructure) collects, harmonises and ensures the quality and security of health data, providing access to high-performance computing resources for research and AI applications.
  • Lupa (authorisation authority) centralises and streamlines the approval processes for data use, ensuring compliance with GDPR, the Secondary Use Act and other relevant regulations.
  • TKI (research, development, and innovation coordination) coordinates researchers, companies and public authorities to facilitate studies, innovation projects and commercial applications. 

We will discuss the foreseen timelines and opportunities for stakeholders to get involved in the initiative, including through cross-border cooperation.

The series will continue with webinars exploring developments in other Nordic and Baltic countries. Details of upcoming events will be announced soon.

More information

Mikael Rinnetmäki

Specialist, Future Well-being solutions

See also