in content lists or on the content page.Value from Nordic health data – VALO
The use of health data will become easier in the coming years as new European Union legislation is implemented. The VALO project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, aims to establish common principles in the Nordic countries for implementing the European Health Data Space regulation, streamline RDI activities and test the use of data across country borders.
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What is it about?
Health data has long been used in the Nordic countries for research, development and innovation. The utilisation of the data has often been difficult, especially in situations where it is necessary to obtain information from patient registers in several countries.
The European Union is working to remove the barriers of cross-border data use with the European Health Data Space (EHDS).
The Nordic countries’ strengths lie in the quality of their social and health data registers, collected over a long period of time, and in their secure use. The use of personal identifiers makes it easy to link data from several registers. In addition, the Nordic countries adopted electronic health record systems relatively early.
The Nordic Council of Ministers launched the VALO (Value from Nordic Health Data) project, which aims to establish common principles for the implementation of the European Health Data Space regulation, and to explore ways to make the most of the opportunities offered by Nordic cooperation in research, development and innovation (RDI). The aim is to strengthen the Nordic countries’ leading position and competitiveness in this field.
What do we do?
The VALO project will build on the Nordic countries’ solid experience in the secondary use of health data and create guidelines for vibrant RDI activities in a changing environment, both in the short and long term. Secondary use refers, for example, to the use of patient data for purposes other than individual care, such as research, development and education.
The project will conduct research based on federated analysis using the international OMOP common data model to harmonise data from patient registers. In federated analysis, data is analysed at its location, in this case in at least three Nordic countries. The pilot is also intended to concretise value creation.
The project has four main objectives:
- to strengthen Nordic cooperation and the use of health data in research, development and innovation
- to jointly prepare for the European Health Data Space by starting to implement changes and reforms and sharing best practices
- to test in practice and demonstrate the effectiveness of cross-border Nordic cooperation in the use of health data
- to achieve and maintain Nordic leadership in the secondary use of health data
Results arising from the VALO project.
- A Nordic cooperation model will be created for the secondary use of health data and value creation.
- An EHDS2 Competence forum will be established for exchanging information between the Nordic countries and for coordinating the preparation and implementation of the European Health Data Space. The ministries, government agencies and authorities involved in the project will be able to enhance the implementation of EU legislation and the Health Data Space.
- Nordic cooperation will be demonstrated by piloting research based on federated analysis and increase knowledge on how to work technically and semantically with distributed health data in the Nordic countries.
The project is fully funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The first project started in February 2024 and is due to end in October 2025. The follow-up project will run partly in parallel from April 2025 to October 2026.
Who is involved?
VALO is a joint project between Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, with Estonia and Lithuania as observers with access to all project materials and the possibility to participate in meetings.
The following organisations are involved in the project:
- from Denmark: Danish Health Data Authority, with Danish regions as observing members
- from Finland: Sitra (the coordinator of VALO), The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL, financial administration of VALO), Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) and the Finnish Social and Health Data Permit Authority Findata
- from Iceland: Ministry of Health, Directorate of Health, University of Iceland
- from Norway: Norwegian Institute of Public Health
- from Sweden: Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, The National Board of Health and Welfare, Swedish eHealth Agency
- from Estonia (observing member): Ministry of Social Affairs
- from Lithuania (observing member): Ministry of Health, National Health Insurance Fund, Vilnius University Hospital Santaros klinikos, The Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno klinikos, Lithuanian National Cancer Institute, Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine Science Center
Contact us
The coordinating team
Events
VALO Stakeholder Forum: Nordic Health Data Summit
VALO stakeholder forum: Nordic health data collaboration
2nd VALO EHDS2 Competence Forum
VALO EHDS2 Competence Forum