Apply for data access
The SCAPIS portal opens on March 17, 2021
The first public release of data is planned for March 17, 2021. All researchers based in Sweden, or international researchers in collaboration with a researcher based in Sweden, will then be able to apply for data. Applications will be submitted electronically on the SCAPIS portal (accessed via this website).
The SCAPIS recruitment phase, when data, bioimages and biological samples were collected from 30 154 individuals, was completed in the end of 2018. SCAPIS aims to gradually release these data resources for use in research in a form that is comprehensive, of high quality and easy to use.
The following are required to access SCAPIS data:
Connection to a research institution in Sweden
To apply for data, you have to be connected to a research institution in Sweden such as a university or a regional health care authority.
The responsible researcher must have a PhD
The researcher responsible for the project must have a PhD, but the application itself can be registered and filled in by someone who does not have a PhD. In the case of an approved application, however, it is always the responsible researcher who ultimately receives and is responsible for data provided by
Approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Board
An approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Board (Etikprövningsmyndigheten) for the research project is obligatory before an application for data from SCAPIS. Obtaining the ethics approval is the responsibility of the individual researcher or research group. You can find the templates on Etikprövningsmyndigheten’s website.
Specific wordings that are recommended for inclusion in ethical applications concerning SCAPIS data, can be found here. We strongly recommend reviewing these.
Individual ethics approvals are also necessary for researchers with their “own” local data generated within the SCAPIS project (“local sub-studies”).
With regard to ethical approval, the SCAPIS office will review the following:
that the approval clearly refers to the project applying for data from SCAPIS
that the population described in the ethics application matches the population in the application to SCAPIS
that the project’s Principal Investigator is involved in the ethics application
that the organization responsible for the project (”forskningshuvudman”) which applies for data from SCAPIS is specified in the ethical application
that requested data is relevant to the project based on the description in the ethics application and the description in the project application
Guarantee no overlap with SCAPIS core publications
Within SCAPIS, there are specific scientific topics that are of strategic importance and provide significant value to the SCAPIS cohort. These topics are defined and prioritized as core publications, and they will be coordinated by the SCAPIS team. Applications with similar research questions will not be granted data access during a limited time period. A list of the core publications is available here.
Return of new variables to SCAPIS
Researchers will be asked to return any new variables created from SCAPIS data or other SCAPIS resources to the SCAPIS database in a predefined format.
Administrative fee
An administrative fee will be charged before data sharing.
Populations and data that is available
The SCAPIS study included a total of 30,154 individuals at 6 six different sites (Göteborg 6,265 participants, Linköping 5,057, Malmö 6,251, Stockholm 5,039, Umeå 2,506, Uppsala 5,036). Of he 30,154 individuals, 14,646 were men and 15,508 women. In addition, a pilot study was conducted in Gothenburg the year before the main study started comprising 1,111 individuals. When applying, either the entire SCAPIS cohort can be selected or a selection based on one or more specific site / s. The pilot cohort can also be selected as a selection.
Data presently available is presented under the section “First release”. In the SCAPIS portal you can see the complete selection of all variables that are currently available. Available data comes mainly from the SCAPIS study's core surveys, ie surveys conducted on all sites. However, there is also some data from local sub-studies within SCAPIS that have been performed on some or all of the cohort participants at a particular site. Data from local sub-studies will be released gradually over time.
Data that will be shared in March 17, 2021.
More than 1000 data points (variables) will be open for access March 17, 2021 covering areas such as:
Body measurements
General laboratory data
Blood pressure
Lung function measured by spirometry
There will be some possibility to access accelometric data, showing physical activity and inactivity
Questionnaire data relating to dimensions central to the research aims.
Data from some registries of major interest such as the Pharmaceutical Register of Prescribed Drugs are also planned to be open for access.
Data from structured radiologist judgement of all images
In the SCAPIS portal you can see the complete selection of all variables currently available. Available data originates mainly from the SCAPIS core examinations (all sites). There is also some data from local substudies, i e local researchers have performed an extra investigation on some or all of the cohort participants at a particular site. Data from local substudies will be released gradually over time.
The complex task of building a management system for bioimages obtained in SCAPIS and biobank sample information is ongoing.
Data from approximately 100 local substudies will be possible to access successively under certain conditions. They will cover subjects such as microbiota, fitness, ecochardiography, sleep apnea and cognitive tests.
Bioimages will be available for sharing successively beginning in 2021.
A plan for the release of blood samples will be presented at the opening of the data base March 2021.
Genetics data and more advanced laboratory data will be released for the complete cohort 2022-2023.