The law does not specifically restrict who can apply for a permit to use social and health data. However, Findata does not grant permits to just anyone or for any purpose. A permit can only be issued for the purposes defined in the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data and for projects that meet the legal criteria for approval.
Each permit application is assessed individually. Before a permit is granted, the application undergoes a careful review. Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the data minimisation principle, a permit can only be granted for the use of data that is essential for the execution of the project.
Data permits are official administrative decisions. The decision process has two stages: the application handler acts as the presenter, and the Director of Findata or their deputy makes the final decision. The proposed decision does not always lead directly to a permit being granted: sometimes the application is returned for further preparation or requires modifications.
Read more: Conditions of data permit