SPHN and Federal Statistical Office Strengthen Discoverability and Interoperability of Health Research Data

The Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) and the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) have established a collaboration to make health datasets in Switzerland easier to find, explore and reuse for research. As part of this effort, metadata from the SPHN Metadata Catalog are now integrated into I14Y, the national interoperability platform operated by the FSO. SPHN datasets are the first entries on I14Y that originate from outside national or local authorities, marking an important step toward a more inclusive and comprehensive national data ecosystem. 

This integration allows metadata describing clinical datasets to be accessed through Switzerland’s central interoperability platform. By increasing the visibility of these resources at the national level, the collaboration helps researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders identify relevant datasets and gain a clearer overview of the Swiss health research landscape.  

Data Privacy and Security 

Only metadata, standardized descriptive information such as how, when, and where health data was generated, are shared with I14Y. The underlying research data remain exclusively with the institutions or research consortia acting as data controller. No sensitive data are transferred to or stored within I14Y or the SPHN Metadata Catalog. 

Technical Interoperability 

I14Y serves as a national entry point for discovering datasets managed across Switzerland. The integration with the SPHN Metadata Catalog is fully automated: all SPHN metadata records are now discoverable via I14Y, and updates will be harvested continuously as the catalog grows. 

Interoperability is enabled by shared semantic standards. The SPHN Metadata Catalog follows the HealthDCAT-AP standard of the European Health Data Space (EHDS), while I14Y uses DCAT-AP CH, the Swiss national metadata standard. As HealthDCAT-AP builds on DCAT-AP, which DCAT-AP CH also aligns with, both frameworks remain compatible. Their common foundation enables seamless interaction between both platformsis consistent with national and European standards and supports the FAIR principles - making metadata findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. 

A Step Toward a Coordinated Swiss Health Data Space 

This collaboration reflects broader developments in Switzerland’s digital health ecosystem. I14Y is expected to become the metadata catalog for the emerging Swiss Health Data Space, supporting dataset discoverability across institutions and initiatives. By linking the SPHN Metadata Catalog to I14Y, SPHN contributes to building a coordinated, transparent, and interoperable national health data infrastructure. 

Explore the Catalogs 

Researchers and stakeholders can explore the metadata of available heath datasets trough both platforms: 

• SPHN datasets on the I14Y platform
• SPHN Metadata Catalog
• Preprint on the design and functionality of the SPHN Metadata Catalog
• I14Y SPHN Harvester on github

Interested in Learning More? 

Join our upcoming webinar “Unlocking the power of FAIR Data with the SPHN Metadata Catalog” on 6 May 2026 (online, 11:00-12:00). The webinar introduces the SPHN Metadata Catalog and explains how datasets from Swiss health data providers and research consortia can be found, explored and requested. You will also hear from experts at the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and the Health‑RI Initiative (Netherlands), who will demonstrate how their cataloging efforts (I14Y and Health-RI Data Catalog) connect within broader national and international data ecosystems.