NFBC user policies

The data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohorts - Research program for health and well-being can be requested for research collaboration projects with University of Oulu.

After granted permission to access the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) and/or 1986 (NFBC1986) data or other cohort data (such as Oulu1935 or Oulu1945), and by using the data, the user/research group agrees to be bound by the following terms and conditions:

1. Data is to be used solely for teaching and academic research purposes according to the research plan approved by the NFBC project center (NFBC PC).
2. Data is to be used only by persons indicated in the NFBC material request.
3. Data will not be transferred in whole or in part to anyone or anywhere else. (Note: Data is provided with project specific ID and cannot be compiled with other projects.)
4. Data will not be used, either alone or in conjunction with any other information, to establish the individual identities of any of the subjects from whom data was obtained.
5. All data are prepared at the NFBC PC which ensures the accuracy and the quality of the information.
6. The material request must be amended if the research plan is changed from the original NFBC material request.
7. Permission to use the data is for five years, beginning from the approval date.
8. At the end of the research period, or at the end of the five-year period, the access to the NFBC project folder (at the University of Oulu, UO, server or secure data environment in use) will cease.
9. The user/research group will submit to the NFBC PC any new modified data generated from analysis of NFBC data upon completion of analyses.
10. The user will send to NFBC PC a manuscript containing information on authors and results obtained from analysis of data at the latest 15 days before submitting the manuscript. In the manuscript the user will follow the instructions for data referral and acknowledgements set forward by NFBC PC.
11. The user/research group will also take into account comments given to the manuscript by NFBC Scientific committee and NFBC PC.
12. The user/research group will include as authors persons identified by NFBC PC who have played a key scientific role in the generation of results as agreed during the material request process.
13. The user/research group will provide a copy or a link to the accepted publication that result from the use of NFBC data within two months of the publication. Publications will be sent to NFBC PC (NFBCprojectcenter@oulu.fi).
14. The user/research group is responsible for NFBC data user fees and publication fees.
15. The user/research group will comply with all ethical and legal regulatory requirements applicable to the research project including the use of data from other registers.
16. The user/research group accepts that the Data is protected by and subject to international laws, including but not limited to the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing EC Directive 95/46/EC), and that the user/research group is responsible for ensuring compliance with any such applicable law.

The document is signed by the researcher submitting the material request and the principal investigator (PI) of the project. The signed document is attached to the material request.

In the case of a new researchers applying access to an existing project folder, the document is signed by the researcher and the PI of the project. The signed document is sent to NFBCprojectcenter(at)oulu.fi.

NFBC User Policies v.1.2 (13.1.2025)

User policies document as PDF available from the link below: