Applying for a research permit
On this page you will find instructions on how to proceed with research permit matters if your research project or thesis concerns the data or personnel of the City of Helsinki’s Culture and Leisure Division. The Culture and Leisure Division comprises five service packages: Youth Services, Sports Services, Library Services, Cultural Services and Division Administration. The Cultural Services include the City Museum, HAM Helsinki Art Museum, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the city’s cultural centres. You can explore the division in more detail on the city’s website.
You will need a research permit for studies, theses and reports conducted within the City of Helsinki’s Culture and Leisure Division where data concerning the customers of personnel of the division will be collected or processed. You will also need a research permit when the data are anonymous, i.e. they do not contain personal data.
With the help of the research permit, the division will obtain information on what kind of research is being conducted on its activities, personnel or customers, and submitting the research results of completed research projects to the division also enables the use of the results.
It is also important that the data protection of the subjects can be ensured when the research data is collected, during the research work and after its completion.
You do not need a research permit if you will use data concerning the division that has been published as open data and are available, for example, in the Helsinki Region Infoshare service(Link leads to external service) .
If you are an employee of the city and you are conducting research as part of your work duties, you do not need a research permit. However, a permit is needed if your research is part of your studies, for example.
If you will use research data that has already been published, you do not need a research permit, but be sure to refer to the research you are using in accordance with the scientific citation practices.
In order to speed up the processing of the research permit application, please contact the part of the division that your research concerns in advance. This allows you to agree in advance on the research topic, schedule and who will act as your contact person in the division.
You can apply for a research permit with the following form:
Research permit application(Link leads to external service) (DOCX)
Instructions for completing the application(Link leads to external service) (PDf)
Make sure that all the necessary information and attachments are included when submitting the application. An incomplete application or missing attachments will delay processing.
Submit the research permit application in good time. Research permit applications will be processed in the order of arrival, typically within 4–6 weeks of arrival. If the study involves the use of personal data belonging to special categories of personal data (see Data Protection Act 1050/2018(Link leads to external service) , Section 31), the processing period may be longer.
Please remember that the research permit applicant undertakes to familiarise him- or herself with the requirements set out in legislation, especially the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act, on the processing of personal data and his or her responsibility for the lawful processing of the data.
Submit the research permit application and its appendices to the City of Helsinki Registry Office.
It is recommended to submit it by email using the Registry Office’s securemail. You can use your online banking credentials for login: securemail(Link leads to external service)
You can also send an ordinary email to helsinki.kirjaamo@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
or
City of Helsinki Registry Office
City Executive Office
P.O. Box 10, 00099 City of Helsinki
Visiting address: City Hall, Pohjoisesplanadi 11– 13, 00170 Helsinki
Contact information
Valid for the time being:
– Mon-Fri 9.00-15.00
– Sat-Sun closed