Open Science

FinnGen is highly committed to promoting the open use of the scientifically valuable data resource constructed during the study. Below, we present several complementary approaches that enable making either the data, results or the tools widely accessible while following the best practices and regulations related to sharing personal data.

In order  to  make the biggest possible contribution to global biomedical research, complete results and summary statistics of the FinnGen GWAS analyses are made available publicly to the whole scientific community following a one year embargo (https://www.finngen.fi/en/access_results). Public data releases are made twice a year, and the results can either be browsed with interactive web utilities (FinnGen PheWeb browser) or downloaded free of charge. By May 2024, we have received more than 21,000 download requests from researchers all over the world. Furthermore, since June 2021, the results have also been incorporated into the popular OpenTargets Platform and Genetics portal. 

The genomic data produced by FinnGen is returned to Finnish biobanks and researchers around the world can apply for access for further research projects. Thanks to FinnGen, Finnish biobanks will contain genome data of over half a million Finns. This will provide a basis for new academic research projects, industrial partnerships, drug trials, monitoring studies, and other private-public projects. 

During FinnGen, a significant effort has been put into creating meaningful clinical endpoints based on the digital health record data from Finnish health registries. These are publicly available and the research community can learn more about the best practices related to forming specific disease endpoints through the Risteys tool or by visiting the Clinical endpoints page. FinnGen is also working on the conversion of Finnish ICD codes to the standard OMOP-CDM data model, in order to maximise interoperability with other global biomedical research efforts.

Lastly, FinnGen has established and developed computational analytics pipelines and tools suitable for storing and analysing big genomic data. These tools are widely available for the scientific community and the knowledge acquired during the study is widely shared within the scientific community in Finland, other European countries and globally.