What OPEN - Forskerstøtteenhed Region Syddanmark does

OPEN (Open Patient data Explorative Network) is the shared research support infrastructure for all five public hospital units in Region Syddanmark, Denmark, headquartered on the third floor of Odense University Hospital (J. B. Winsløws Vej 21, 5000 Odense C). Founded in 2018 as the consolidated expansion of an earlier unit, OPEN is operationally attached to Klinisk Institut at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and governed by a 15-member steering committee representing all hospital units, OUH's executive board, and SDU institutes. The unit serves health researchers — physicians, nurses, and allied professionals at Region Syddanmark hospitals and SDU Klinisk Institut — providing infrastructure and consulting across the full research lifecycle: electronic data capture via REDCap, statistical analysis through OPEN Analyse (with free Stata, R, and NVivo access), registry and epidemiology support via a managed database at Statistics Denmark, biological sample management through OPEN Biobank (integrated with the Danish Biobank Register), GCP monitoring and clinical trial administration (OPEN CTU), project coordination, user involvement (CBF), and Data Science/ML advisory. Flagship supported projects include the Odense Child Cohort (2,509 children, 300,000+ samples), CHOICE (AI clinical decision support for osteoporosis risk), the Vestdansk Hjertedatabase, the PLUS lung cancer screening pilot, and the Danish Brain Collection.

OPEN's business model is primarily a publicly funded non-profit: core services are free to eligible institutions (up to 30 consulting hours per project across modules, and 200 GB of storage), funded by Region Syddanmark and OUH. External institutions — other SDU institutes, hospitals outside the region, and entities with data responsibility outside Region Syddanmark — pay project-based fees (REDCap at 36,000 DKK; OPEN Registry with Stata at 52,000 DKK; OPEN Qualitative with NVivo at 60,000 DKK) or hourly rates (788 DKK/hour for external public institutions, 985 DKK/hour for out-of-region entities with data responsibility, 2026 levels), plus enrolment and authorisation fees (e.g., 10,000 DKK Statistics Denmark startup, 10,000 DKK Health Data Authority startup plus 3,000 DKK annual). Distribution is direct via online application and admission meetings offered within 7 working days, with no commercial sales motion. The organisation has 35 staff, tracks 1,411+ projects, and in 2026 absorbed two new mandates: hosting ATMP Syd (advanced therapy medicinal products regional coordination) and national biobank coordination linked to Sundhed.dk under Denmark's Personalised Medicine Strategy.

Name

OPEN - Forskerstøtteenhed Region Syddanmark

Legal name

OPEN - Open Patient data Explorative Network

Website

https://open.rsyd.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OPEN is the shared research support infrastructure for the five public hospitals of Region Syddanmark and SDU, providing REDCap-based data capture, statistical and ML advisory, biobank, registry, GCP, and clinical trial services to health researchers, funded primarily by Region Syddanmark and OUH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical research support services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Site Start-Up & Activation (Regulatory/Ethics/Contracts) (HLAGACAC)

Keywords

• Clinical research support
• Health research infrastructure
• Data management services
• Biostatistics consulting
• Biobank management

Headquarters

HQ city

Odense

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Funded by Region Syddanmark and OUH. Services provided free to eligible institutions (public hospitals in Region Syddanmark and Klinisk Institut SDU) up to 30 hours per project. GCP unit is free for general inquiries.
2. Project-Based Services for External Institutions: External institutions (other SDU institutes, hospitals outside Region Syddanmark) pay project-based fees. REDCap costs 36,000 DKK, REDCap with OPEN Analyse costs 44,000 DKK. Time-based pricing at 788 DKK/hour (2026 level) for external public institutions, 985 DKK/hour for entities with data responsibility outside Region Syddanmark.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OPEN is the unified research infrastructure for all five public hospital units in Region Syddanmark, providing health researchers with data capture tools (REDCap), statistical and qualitative analysis environments (Stata/R/NVivo), biobank services, Danish register database access, GCP monitoring, and clinical trial unit support. Services are delivered free up to 30 hours per project for eligible public institutions (Region Syddanmark hospitals and SDU Klinisk Institut), with project-based fees for external institutions.

Product overview

OPEN is a unified research support infrastructure for all hospitals in Region Syddanmark, headquartered at Odense University Hospital. The offering is a platform-plus-modules architecture comprising: the core OPEN infrastructure providing project coordination and access; REDCap as the primary electronic data capture platform; OPEN Analyse (with Stata, R, NVivo) for statistical and qualitative analysis; OPEN Storage for large file storage; OPEN Registry for Danish registry research; OPEN Biobank for biological sample management; OPEN Statistics and Data Science for biostatistics and machine learning; OPEN GCP-enheden and OPEN CTU for clinical trial quality and management; CEBMO/Cochrane Denmark for evidence-based medicine; and CBF for user involvement. The modules are designed to work together, with REDCap providing data capture that feeds into analysis platforms, and all projects receive an OP number for integrated access across facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OPEN CTU: Clinical Trial Unit offering administrative and scientific services to researchers and departments at OUH for planning and execution of randomised clinical trials.
• GCP-enheden
• CEBMO
• OPEN Biobank

Products and services

• REDCap Browser-based electronic data capture platform for building surveys, CRFs, and questionnaires for clinical research; supports small to large multi-site projects with automated export to SPSS, SAS, Stata, R, and Excel. Offered free for projects admitted to OPEN.
• OPEN Analyse Secure analysis platform providing free access to Stata, R, and NVivo software for processing research data in compliance with data protection requirements. Supports clinical, qualitative, and registry research.
• OPEN Storage Secure platform for storing and processing larger research files such as images, audio recordings, and sensor data; complements OPEN Analyse. 200 GB free per project, with overage pricing of 2,000 DKK per additional 300 GB.
• OPEN Biobank Service for secure collection, storage, and management of biological samples for health research with standardized handling and a searchable database integrated with the Danish Biobank Register.
• OPEN Registry (Register og Epidemiologi) Registry and epidemiology consulting including Danish registry advice, data extraction specifications, and handling of registry data; manages a register database at Statistics Denmark with access to national register subsets.
• OPEN Biostatistik Statistical consultation and assistance for health researchers including study design, methodology, and interpretation of results, with in-depth involvement in research project planning and execution.
• OPEN Qualitative (Kvalitative metoder) Qualitative research support including NVivo access for transcription, structuring, coding, and analysis of qualitative data from interviews or observations, plus guidance on qualitative methods.
• OPEN GCP-enheden Good Clinical Practice unit providing guidance and quality control from planning to completion of investigator-initiated drug trials and clinical trials of medical devices; acts as OUH's high-level administrator for CTIS (Clinical Trials Information System).
• OPEN CTU (Clinical Trial Unit) Clinical Trial Unit providing administrative and scientific services for planning and conducting randomised clinical trials at OUH; supports both investigator-initiated and industry-initiated trials from idea to implementation.
• OPEN Data Science Machine learning and data science consulting offering guidance on model selection, predictor processing, optimisation, training, validation, and software use (R, Python); advice covers decision trees, neural networks, and language models (LLMs).
• CEBMO / Cochrane Denmark Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense providing research methods consulting focused on systematic reviews, with additional advice on clinical research, guidelines, and randomised clinical trials.
• Center for Brugerinvolvering i Forskning (CBF) Centre for User Involvement in Research providing guidance on incorporating patient and relative representatives in research projects at OUH.
• OPEN Projektkoordinering Project coordination service including project registration, ongoing support, licence agreement creation, project promotion, and reminders regarding data processing and storage permission expirations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 30 hours of free assistance per project for eligible institutions (hospitals in Region Syddanmark, SDU Klinisk Institut)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ATMP DanmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026OPEN hosts ATMP Syd (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products South) - a new regional unit established by Region Syddanmark's Regional Council. ATMP Syd coordinates and supports advanced therapy research, development, treatment and production. OPEN serves as the home base and binds ATMP Syd to the national ATMP Denmark network and relevant authorities.
• Sundhed.dkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026OPEN received a national task as part of the Strategy for Personal Medicine. OPEN will identify and map biobanks in Region Syddanmark and serve as the link to a national IT platform that will aggregate and make biobank information accessible to citizens via Sundhed.dk.
• CEBMO/Cochrane Denmark (Center for Evidensbaseret Medicin Odense)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEBMO is affiliated with OPEN OUH and is also an independent research unit at Klinisk Institut, SDU. CEBMO advises and assists researchers in research methods with focus on systematic reviews. OPEN CTU meetings include CEBMO staff to provide comprehensive methodological advice.
• Syddansk Universitet (SDU) - Klinisk InstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPEN is operationally attached to Klinisk Institut at SDU. The Research Unit OPEN conducts research at international level focused on epidemiology, patient safety/quality, and user involvement. Research leader Katrine Hass Rubin leads this unit.
• Institut for Regional Sundhedsforskning (SDU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPEN's steering committee includes representation from Institut for Regional Sundhedsforskning. Head of institute Jakob Grauslund serves on OPEN's steering group.
• All Hospital Units in Region SyddanmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2018, OPEN serves as a shared research infrastructure for all five hospital units: OUH Odense, Sygehus Lillebælt, Sygehus Sønderjylland, Sydvestjysk Sygehus, and Psykiatri Sygehuset. Each unit is represented in OPEN's 15-member steering committee.
• Danmarks Statistik (Statistics Denmark)coreTechnology or IntegrationOPEN manages a register database at Statistics Denmark holding large subsets of data from national registers. OPEN provides researchers access to this database after data security training, with project-specific financing.
• Sundhedsdatastyrelsen (Danish Health Data Authority)coreTechnology or IntegrationOPEN has authorization from Sundhedsdatastyrelsen to access health data for research projects. Startup fee of 10,000 DKK plus 3,000 DKK annual fee for project use.
• Trial NationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational coordinator network established in 2014 by Danish government and private industry to attract clinical trials to Danish hospitals. Pharma Coordinator at OPEN serves as point of contact for industry-initiated research inquiries.
• Danish GCP Units NetworkmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOPEN GCP unit collaborates with other GCP units across Denmark. For multi-center trials, the GCP unit contacted will automatically involve other Danish GCP units to cover all sites. Shared website at gcp-enhed.dk.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DEFACTUM: Public-sector research and development unit under Region Midtjylland offering health research support, evaluation, and patient-reported outcomes services. Directly comparable to OPEN as a Danish regional government research support infrastructure with overlapping clinical and population health research offerings.
• OpenClinica: Open-source clinical trial data capture and management platform. Competes in the same niche as REDCap (which OPEN uses), offering CDM, EDC, and eCRF capabilities to academic researchers and sponsors, making it a technology-level peer to OPEN's data management infrastructure.
• Castor: Commercial electronic data capture (EDC) and clinical trial platform used by academic and industry sponsors worldwide. Directly comparable to OPEN's REDCap and CTU services — both enable clinical study data collection, integration with statistical packages, and remote data capture for multi-center research.
• LabKey: Research data management and integration platform widely used in translational and biomedical research. Comparable to OPEN's data infrastructure (REDCap + OPEN Analyse + OPEN Storage), enabling investigators to capture, integrate, and analyze experimental and clinical data on shared research servers.
• Center for Klinisk Forskning (Region Hovedstaden): Clinical research support function within Denmark's Capital Region, providing data management, statistics, GCP, and trial support to researchers at regional hospitals. Same operational scope as OPEN (REDCap-style data capture, biostatistics, GCP monitoring) but serving Region Hovedstaden's hospital network.

Broad incumbents

• Medidata (Dassault Systèmes): Industry-leading clinical trial technology platform (Rave EDC, CTMS, RTSM, eCOA) used by most major pharma sponsors. Comparable to OPEN's combined REDCap/CTU/GCP stack as a broad clinical research technology provider, but at global commercial scale rather than a single regional infrastructure.
• ECRIN (European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network): European-wide non-profit infrastructure supporting multinational clinical trials, with national partners across EU member states. Operates in a broader pan-European scope but overlapping mission to OPEN's GCP/CTU support — investigator training, trial management, regulatory navigation across countries.

Emerging players

• Velos: Clinical trial management system (CTMS) focused on academic medical centers and research institutes. Comparable to OPEN CTU's clinical trial administration functions — study planning, regulatory tracking, financial management, and monitoring — but as a specialized software vendor rather than a public research support service.

Regional players

• Norwegian Centre for E-health Research (NSE): Public, Norway-based research center supporting e-health, registries, and clinical informatics research with regional hospital and national authority partnerships. Highly comparable in mission and operating model to OPEN (public-sector health research support, registry data access, multi-disciplinary services), but serving the Norwegian healthcare system rather than Danish.
• CRB - Centre for Research & Bioethics, Uppsala University: Swedish academic research ethics and bioethics centre working with clinical researchers on study design, ethics review, and regulatory compliance. Comparable niche to OPEN's Project Coordination, GCP-enheden, and user involvement functions, but operating in Sweden and focused specifically on research ethics methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-regionsyddanmark

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about OPEN - Forskerstøtteenhed Region Syddanmark