The Secondary Use Act Will Be Reformed in 2026, Streamlining the Use of Data in Research

The reform of the Secondary Use Act will establish a new decentralised process, in parallel to the current centralised permit model in which Findata grants all data permits. As a result, processing times are expected to shorten.

The Act on the Secondary Use of Social and Health Data will be reformed in stages in 2026. The reform will simplify permit processes, improve transparency, and ensure alignment with the EU’s European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation.

According to Mariann Lassenius, RWE Lead at Medaffcon, the core of the reform is reestablishing a decentralisation of data permits, in parallel with keeping the centralised model with Findata. Researchers are expected to benefit from shorter application processing times, improving the efficiency of both national and EU-level research projects.

“The new legislation means that researchers can choose the process to apply for a study permit, the centralised model where Findata grants the data permit, or decentralised process reaching out to all register holders individually for individual permits. The reform enables more direct interaction with data controllers, such as wellbeing services counties,” Lassenius explains.

Findata Will Continue to Coordinate Permits

Data from the national Kanta services or from private social and healthcare service providers, as well as those organisations that have delegated the permit processing responsibilities to Findata will still be processed here. This means that some permits will remain under Findata’s responsibility, and all studies using data from multiple registers, can still apply via Findata.