When the project ends

When the validity of a user licence expires, research datasets must be destroyed regardless of how they have been delivered.

Continuation of licence

The licence recipient is responsible for ensuring that the licence is valid for the necessary period and that a possible continuation of the licence is applied for in good time.

If the research is unfinished and you apply for a continuation of the user licence before the user licence expires, the application is processed faster than if you apply for continuation of the user licence only after the licence has expired. Submitting a continuation application also prevents the commencement of the automated dataset removal process.

If you apply for a continuation of the user licence only after the previous user licence has expired, you must fill in the application similarly as when setting up a new project. Then all the used datasets must be selected on the application, grounds must be given for the need to use the datasets and all mandatory appendices must be submitted. In such cases, the time in the queue is longer and a fee according to the price list is charged for reopening the project.

If the datasets were in FIONA

When the validity of a user licence granted by Statistics Finland ends, researchers' access to the remote access system is closed and the automatic removal process of datasets starts. Invoicing of remote access ends according to the normal invoicing practices.

If the project ends before the user licence expires and access to the FIONA remote access system can be closed prematurely, notify the Research Services in writing that the project has been completed and access to the datasets is no longer needed. Datasets are then removed from Fiona and invoicing finishes at the end of the current month.

Transfer of outputs and codes from FIONA

Transfer the outputs intended for publication and any necessary codes to your email well before the user licence expires. The transfer is made by means of the FIONA output review tool and it must follow the normal output review process.

If the datasets were released

After the expiry of the user licence, the researcher no longer has the right to use the released datasets. The dataset released outside Statistics Finland must be destroyed once the user licence has expired. All copies taken and intermediate files formed of the data must also be destroyed.

The researcher is responsible for destroying the data and it must be reported to the Research Services.

Notify the Research Services of the publications

Notify the Research Services (tutkijapalvelut@stat.fi) of the project’s publications where unit-level data from Statistics Finland were used. A list of research projects is published on the Research Services website.

Obligation of secrecy does not expire

The obligation of secrecy is in effect even after the user licence expires.