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November 16, 2025
Journal Article
Title
Context-Agnostic Data Visitation to Exchange Personal Data for Health Research: The Example of PADME PHT
Abstract
Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force - and indeed even before - there have been numerous observations as to the fact that certain provisions of European Union (EU) data protection law serve to prevent possibilities for the exchange of personal data between health researchers, for health research purposes.1
The provisions of EU data protection law, however, seek to secure a high level of protection for individuals’ rights in relation to the processing of personal data, whilst at the same time seeking to permit the processing and flow of personal data - including in relation to health research. Accordingly, the question is not which sets of purposes -those of health research or those of EU data protection law - should win out, but rather:
How can the purposes of health research and EU data protection law be optimally reconciled, such that health research can proceed to the maximum extent possible, whilst simultaneously respecting the rationale, and complying with the specifics, of EU data protection law?
The provisions of EU data protection law, however, seek to secure a high level of protection for individuals’ rights in relation to the processing of personal data, whilst at the same time seeking to permit the processing and flow of personal data - including in relation to health research. Accordingly, the question is not which sets of purposes -those of health research or those of EU data protection law - should win out, but rather:
How can the purposes of health research and EU data protection law be optimally reconciled, such that health research can proceed to the maximum extent possible, whilst simultaneously respecting the rationale, and complying with the specifics, of EU data protection law?
Author(s)
