VALO (Value from Nordic Health Data) Pilot

This preannouncement is not an invitation to tender nor a procurement announcement. The information given in this announcement is preliminary and may change as preparations progress. The forthcoming procurement is part of the project Value from Nordic Health Data - VALO. The VALO project started on 1 February 2024 and is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra coordinates the VALO project and is the primary customer and contact point regarding the procurement. Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare – THL is responsible for the financial management of the VALO project and the procurement. The procurement is a joint undertaking by Sitra and THL. The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra is an independent fund operating under the Finnish Parliament tasked with promoting Finland's stable and balanced development, economic growth and international competitiveness and cooperation. Sitra's duties are defined by law. Sitra's operations are guided by a vision of Finland as a leader in sustainable well-being. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare - THL is an is an independent state-owned expert and research institute operating under the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. THL’s key duty, as established in national legislation is to carry out research and expert work, that provide reliable information for decision-making and activities in the field of health and welfare. THL’s goal is to promote the welfare, health, and safety of the population. The VALO project has four main objectives: - Strengthen Nordic co-operation in the secondary use of health data; - Jointly prepare for and implement the European Health Data Space (EHDS) legislation in the Nordic countries. Share experiences and advice; - Experiment in practice with cross-border Nordic co-operation in health data reuse and demonstrate its effectiveness; - Contribute to reaching and maintaining a leading position for the Nordic countries in the secondary use of health data. VALO will showcase Nordic collaboration by piloting a Nordic federated data analysis example and increase knowledge on how to work technically and semantically with distributed health data in the Nordics. The Scope of the Federated Analysis Study - To coordinate and conduct a federated analysis study using the OMOP Common Data Model in at least three Nordic countries; - Analyse the results and create a study report. Aim of notice of preannouncement Tendering time in the fall 2024 will be very limited. Therefore, Sitra and THL recommend interested tenderers to start preparations before the publication of the tender. Especially identifying potential partners and identifying research question(s) are topics to consider. Sitra and THL expect all tenderers to have a letter of commitment of partners included with their proposal. Given the limited timeline of 30 days from the publication of tender to a deadline for submitting tenders it is advisable to begin the consortium building before the publication of tender. Recommended preparations for interested tenderers - Determine the clinical or other suitable health topic area(s) where the data holders in question have similar OMOP-modelled data available, to support federated analysis; - Identify research question(s) which will be answered using OMOP-converted data, and which will bring added value to the Nordic region; - Identify and contact potential data holders in Nordic countries; - Get familiar with OMOP-based studies conducted by DAWRIN EU https://www.darwin-eu.org/index.php/studies. Questions and comments If you have any questions or comments, please contact cloudia@sitra.fi. Questions and comments will be taken into consideration when drafting the procurement call.