On 2 October, Catalonia.health took part in the conference “European Health Data Space in Catalonia” at CosmoCaixa Barcelona, organised by AQuAS in collaboration with the Directorate for Health Research and Innovation of the Department of Health. We were represented by Roser Alba, project coordinator, and Jordi Barretina, board member. The event presented the Health Data Access Body for Secondary Use (ODAS), which AQuAS will manage following its designation by the Government, formalised in an agreement of 25 August 2026.

What ODAS is

ODAS stems from the European Health Data Space (EHDS), in force since March 2025, and will manage access by public and private entities and companies to the health data of the population of Catalonia, for reuse in research and innovation. According to the Department of Health, Catalonia will be a pioneer in having a body of this kind. AQuAS is not starting from scratch: since 2017, PADRIS has handled 700 data requests and signed 115 agreements with 180 entities.

How it will work

Researchers will browse a data catalogue, compiled with CatSalut and SISCAT, and will be able to request access to it. The ODAS team will assess each request and, where appropriate, grant access to the data, which will always be anonymised, in a secure processing environment from which only the results can be exported. For transparency, the results of the research will be published, along with the approved and rejected requests. Under European regulation, access extends to the whole EU, and Catalan centres will be able to request data from other member states.

What it means for our members

Unlike PADRIS, ODAS will allow companies to access the data and also to contribute their own.

Timeline

ODAS is due to be formalised in March 2027. Between 2029 and 2031, clinical, omics and clinical trial data will be progressively incorporated.

Aragon’s experience and the debate

Carlos Tellería, head of the Aragonese Health Data Space (BIGAN), explained the opportunities offered by building data cohorts. A round table moderated by Ramon Maspons, director of the Innovation Area at AQuAS, then brought together representatives of the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, the BSC and the Dr. Torrent-Farnell Foundation. The closing remarks were given by the Minister of Health, Olga Pané.

The Director General for Health Research and Innovation, Antoni Plasència, stressed that the new body “democratises access to data”. The most repeated words of the day were science, innovation and trust. Catalonia.health will follow the rollout of ODAS and will keep its members informed of any developments that affect them.