NAKO e. V. makes the data and biosample material of the German National Cohort (NAKO) available to scientists from research institutions in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) for scientific purposes. These projects and applications are also reviewed by the UAC and the NAKO e.V. Board of Directors and must be approved by both bodies before data or biosamples are released.

We handle your data and biosamples responsibly and ensure that they are only transferred to countries with an appropriate level of data protection. This applies to countries within the European Union and a small number of other countries.

Standardised data protection guidelines apply within the European Union, in particular the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR currently applies in all EU member states.

In principle, NAKO data can also be transferred to countries outside the EU if the European Commission has determined an adequate level of data protection in the respective countries or if NAKO has agreed binding agreements with the research partners abroad to guarantee an adequate level of protection. The European Commission has currently established an adequate level of data protection for the following countries (adequacy decision): Andorra, Argentina, Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Israel, Japan, Jersey, Canada (only commercial organisations), New Zealand, Switzerland, South Korea, Uruguay, United Kingdom, United States of America (USA, only in relation to organisations participating in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework). In the case of adequacy decisions with restrictions (currently Canada, USA and United Kingdom), it will be examined on a case-by-case basis whether the planned transfer of data and biosamples falls within the scope of the adequacy decision.

A continuously updated list of all countries with an adequacy decision can be found on the European Commission’s website.