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Prices

The cost of a task in Research Service is based on the time it takes to solve the task’s sub-elements. We have two types of pricing agreements: fixed price agreements and framework agreements. You can also order a combined fixed price and framework agreement. In addition, you pay for disk rent for active projects located on Statistics Denmark’s servers. If you have your own hosted server set up in Statistics Denmark, you must pay for setup and for ongoing maintenance.

Table 1: Hourly rate and disk rental

Hourly rate for private institutions

DKK 2,130 excl. VAT

Hourly rate for public institutions*

DKK 1,538 excl. VAT (after deducting the special contribution from the Danish e-infrastructure Cooperation via the Coordinating Body for Register-based Research).

Disk rental

DKK 16 excl. VAT per 5 Gigabyte (GB) storage space per quarter

*For public authorised institutions, a special contribution is made to the hourly rate from Danish e-infrastructure Cooperation via the Coordinating Body for Register Research.

Research service provides, for a fee, service to users of Statistics Denmark's microdata schemes. Initially, we provide advice on clarifying questions regarding a task. Subsequently, we invoice for the actual time spent at the prevailing hourly rate. This applies even if it turns out that you do not wish to proceed with the task. If a specific fixed-price agreement is subsequently entered into regarding the task, service and advice will instead be included within a reasonable scope and time period.

Fixed price agreements and framework agreements

Both fixed price agreements and framework agreements are based on the time it takes to process and deliver a task. The time is settled based on the applicable hourly rate at any time. Research Service uses standardised prices based on an average expected hourly consumption for a given service task.

Fixed price agreement

The price is determined on the basis of an expected average time spent for a given service. With a fixed price agreement, you pay the same price for comparable services.

Read more about the basis for fixed price agreements

The price of a fixed price agreement is based on one or more of the following task elements. The table below shows the different elements of the task, which are settled as fixed price agreements and associated hourly consumption.

Task element

Time consumption

Project proposal (Processing and approval thereof)

2

Register extraction of 1 dataset

1,05

Register extraction of 2 datasets

1,09

No hourly surcharge for register extraction <= 15 variables

0

Hourly surcharge for register extraction > 15 variables

0,5

Population of 1 dataset

1,05

Population of 2 datasets

1,09

No hourly surcharge for population formation <= 15 variables

0

Hourly surcharge for population formation > 15 variables

0,5

The assignment price also consists of a fixed surcharge for Other Service & Advice of 20 % of the price for the parts of the task that are not necessarily direct contact with you. Such sub-elements are, for example, the service employees’ meeting activities, internal documentation, documentation requirements, invoicing, etc.

Population formation and register extraction include time spent for e.g. programming, pseudonymisation and control of extracts from Statistics Denmark’s Databank of Basic Data. Population formation and register extraction may also include time spent for checking and pseudonymisation of population submitted to Research Service from sources other than Research Service’s Basic Databank.

Framework Agreements

The price is variable and the payment is settled according to the actual time spent on the specific service. Invoices are made per hour started. If less than an hour has been spent on an individual task and the task must be settled, you will receive an invoice for the first hour started.

Read more about the structure of framework agreements

When a task is particularly advisory heavy or it consists of data sources that are not part of Statistics Denmark’s Databank of Basic Data, you can get a framework agreement. You can also get a framework agreement when we have initially reviewed data including documentation with one or more of the following specifications:

  • Data from statistical offices or Survey in Statistics Denmark. This is settled as a framework agreement based on actual use of time. The service covers, among other things, register extraction in the statistical office, pseudonymisation as well as direct communication and advice, back office activities and internal communication.
  • Data submitted from sources outside Statistics Denmark. This is settled as a framework agreement based on actual use of time. The service includes verification and pseudonymisation of the submitted data.

Sub-elements of a task

The total cost of a given task depends on the time it takes to solve a task and the sub-elements that are included in the task. Therefore, the price can vary from task to task. The price depends, among other things, on the number of registers to be used to form a population or how many registers the project should have provided extracts from.

View the task’s sub-elements
  • Project proposal: Processing and approval. The project proposal is settled with a fixed price agreement, which is based on a fixed time value equal to two hours.
  • Population: Partially standardised register extraction. Population formation is settled with a fixed price agreement based on fixed time values per number of registers and variables.
  • Standardised data from Statistics Denmark’s Databank of Basic Data: A fixed price agreement is settled based on fixed time values per number of registers and variables.
  • Other services and advice: Direct communication and advice, back-office activities and internal communication. It is settled with a fixed price agreement, which is based on fixed time values depending on the scope of the task.
  • Other data from Statistics Denmark: Register extraction, direct communication and advice, back-office activities and internal communication. A framework agreement based on actual time is settled.
  • Data from other data providers: Processing of data submitted by you or other data providers. The data processing is settled with a framework agreement, which is based on actual use of time.
  • Special data from Statistics Denmark: Data generated especially for users (not part of statistics). The reprocessing is settled with a fixed price or framework agreement based on actual hourly consumption for reprocessing divided with expected sales.

Examples of price calculations

Example of a price calculation of a new research project

The population consists of all persons residing in Denmark at the end of the years 2015-2019 (drawn from BEF 201512-201812) aged 18 or over at the time of the calculation (ALDER>=18). For these persons, their demographic conditions (BEF) (register extraction), the level of education (UDDA), the income of the persons and the family (FAIK and IND) and employment data (DREAM) must be drawn for the same period.

As Research Service rounds up to the nearest integer due to the standardised method of price calculation, the price is calculated according to the following table.

ask element

Time consumption

Price

Project setting

2

Formation of Population

2

Register extraction

6

Register extraction > 15 variables

0

Partial sum

10

Other Services & Advice (surcharge 20%)*

1

Total time consumption

11

Public user

11 hours * DKK 1,538.00 = DKK 16,918.00

Private user

11 hours * DKK 2,130.00 = DKK 23,430.00

*The surcharge corresponds to 20 % of the hours for population formation, record extraction and extraction description and specificities (programming/data).

Example of a price calculation of a new research project where population needs to be enriched with data from the Danish Health Data Authority

The population consists of people with a consumption of certain types of medicinal products found via variables in the Medicines Database (LMDB2005-2015). These persons must not be registered with an emigration in the Register of Historical Migrations (VNDS), i.e. they must have the mark INDUD_KODE=U. In addition, they must not be registered in Death in Denmark (DOD).

These persons are associated with relevant demographic conditions (found in the following registers: BEF, BEFADR, VNDS, DOD) and their registrations in the National Patient Register (LPR_ADM, LPR_BES, LPR_DIAG, LPR_SKSUBE) both before and after registration in the Medicines Database. In addition, the population from Statistics Denmark is transferred to the Danish Health Data Authority for enrichment with data from the National Register of Pathology. The processing and pseudonymisation of data from the Danish Health Data Agency is not included in the price.

Task element

Time consumption

Price

Project setting

2

Formation of Population

4

Register extraction

>14

Register extraction > 15 variables

0

Partial sum

20

Other Services & Advice (surcharge 20%)

4

Total time consumption

24

Public user

24 hours * DKK 1,538.00 = DKK 36,912.00

Private user

24 hours * DKK 2,130.00 = DKK 51,120.00

Setting the hourly rate

The hourly rate is set once a year based on several sub-elements. The final hourly rate consists of a number of sub-elements including development contributions of 8 %.

  1. Price supplement: Revenue forecast for the current year, as well as accumulated surplus/deficit from previous years
  2. Overhead for Statistics Denmark & revenue-generating activities: Common costs for e.g. staff, rent, electricity, etc. & common administration as maintenance of databank of basic data, development of services, etc.
  3. Overhead Research Service: For example, authorisation of new institutions, control of transferred files, sanctioning and general development of microdata schemes and Denmark’s Data Portal, etc.

Other services

Disk rent

Projects take up space on Statistics Denmark’s servers. Therefore, we have introduced a disk rent, so that you as a user become aware of how much storage capacity your project will use on Statistics Denmark’s servers. You only pay disk rent for active projects that use a storage capacity of more than 5 Gigabytes (GB) on Statistics Denmark’s servers. An active project is defined by at least one user logging on to the project within a quarter.

Disk rent is settled quarterly and you are billed for all projects for which your institution is responsible for data. Therefore, for an individually active project that uses a storage capacity greater than 5 GB, it is settled in units of 5 GB for a quarter at a time. Disk rent is charged regardless of the reason why you log on to the project, and regardless of how often you log in in a quarter.

Hosted servers

Statistics Denmark also offers to “host” your own servers, which will be on Statistics Denmark.

Read more about hosted servers under Statistics Denmark’s microdata schemes (in Danish)

FAQ on prices

We have gathered some of the questions we frequently receive about our prices below.

FAQ on prices

Why does the price vary from task to task?

A task consists of several sub-elements. The price of the task is determined based on these sub-elements. Therefore, the price may depend on factors such as the number of registers used for population formation, populations from other data providers, or the number of registers from which the project requires extractions. The sub-elements of the task are described in the section "Sub-elements of a Task".

The hourly rate has changed over time – why?

You can see the changes in Research Service's hourly rates below.

2008

2009

2010

1st half

2010

2nd half

2011

2012

2013

All institutions

1.229 kr.

1.229 kr.

1.229 kr.

1.197 kr.

1.167 kr.

1.187 kr.

1.248 kr.

Prices after 2014

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

1st half

2018

2nd half

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Private institutions

1.650 kr.

1750 kr.

1.650 kr.

1.650 kr.

1.650 kr.

1.749 kr.

2.102 kr.

2.202 kr.

2.168 kr.

2.130 kr.

2.130 kr.

Public institutions

1.150 kr.

1150 kr.

1.150 kr.

1.050 kr.

1.050 kr.

1.150 kr.

1.607 kr.

1.745 kr.

1.735 kr.

1.568 kr.

1.568 kr.

Price changes have various reasons, including:

  • Each year, we adjust the hourly rate for rate supplements, which accumulate surplus/deficit from previous years. Additionally, we include a revenue forecast for the current year, which can lead to fluctuations from year to year.
  • Previously, Statistics Denmark realized a surplus, which is not permitted for public institutions. To balance the surplus, Statistics Denmark hired more employees. When Statistics Denmark's finances stabilized to neither surplus nor deficit, it decided to retain the new employees for other projects to enhance the quality of its service. To finance this, the hourly rate increased, as observed from 2018 to 2019.
  • In 2014, a distinction was made between private and public institutions, as Research Service received a special contribution from, among others, the Coordinating Body for Register-based Research (KOR), which supports the hourly rate for public users. Therefore, there is a difference in price depending on whether the project is owned by a private or public institution.

Why do I have to pay for adding other variables to my project?

Changes to an existing project must be described in the project proposal and/or variable documentation. The changes must be documented and submitted for re-approval by Research Service. The only exception that does not require re-approval is updating an already approved population or variable.

Approval involves several processes, ranging from dialogue between you and Research Service to reviewing the project and its variable documentation for re-approval. The process can vary significantly depending on the project, where the time spent on approving a proposal ranges from one to four hours for both new projects, updates, and expansions. Therefore, the price for processing a project proposal is fixed at two hours. If the time spent exceeds four hours, a supplementary agreement in the form of a framework agreement must be made to cover the actual processing time.

We encourage you to make a professional assessment of when and how often project changes are sought for approval to minimize the number of ongoing and minor changes.

How long does a price offer apply?

A price offer applies for 30 days from the date of the offer. Afterward, we recalculate the price offer based on the prevailing hourly rate.

How is a project database billed?

Billing is based on an annual contract with a fixed-price agreement covering the updating of agreed register data in the project database and any framework agreement for other services such as deliveries from the project database to sub-projects and consultancy as needed by the project database.

Establishing a project database follows the same pricing guidelines as a new project. Since the project database has a longer time perspective than a project, an annual contract for updating is entered into. Therefore, the price is determined based on an expected average time consumption for the service.

The billing period is shown in the table below. The fixed-price agreement for updating the project database is billed together with the 2nd quarter settlement of 'Other Services'. 'Other Services' are billed quarterly.

Billed in calendar year yyyy

Billed in calendar year

The yearly contract covers

Medio jan.

Medio apr.

Medio jul.

Medio oct.

Medio jan.

Data extraction

Fixed price agreement for data

Other services

Consumptions 4th quarter from the previous year

Consumptions 1st quarter

Consumptions 2nd quarter

Consumptions 3rd quarter

Consumptions 4th quarter

Why does the price vary for comparable services?

The price for the service is based on previous experience and averages. Comparable services may include minor differences in various sub-elements, which affect the price. For example, the price for processing externally submitted data may vary compared to processing standardized register extracts from Statistics Denmark's Basic Database. If there are project changes later in the process, the price may change based on these changes. Additionally, the hourly rate is calculated annually, which can also affect the price of the task.

What is the background for Statistics Denmark's prices?

Statistics Denmark is the central statistical authority in Denmark. The costs of fulfilling this statutory obligation are covered by the Finance Act.

Data collected and stored by Statistics Denmark can be used for scientific and statistical studies under Statistics Denmark's Research Scheme. Access to data is granted solely to authorized research and analysis environments, and Statistics Denmark charges for making data available for these studies.

In principle, the price should cover the costs associated with performing tasks from the initial dialogue to the final dialogue within 30 days after the task is delivered.
The price should also contribute to covering the costs associated with:

  • Advising on the use of data in individual projects
  • Administration of the scheme, e.g., authorization
  • Data access
  • Standardization of register data
  • Development of our user services
  • Ensuring a consistently high level of data security and confidentiality
  • Overhead costs

Statistics Denmark's pricing is subject to the rules for revenue-generating activities in the State and is monitored by the National Audit Office. There must be a balance between revenue and expenses, and revenues from service tasks may not be used to finance statutory obligations. The financial balance is continuously monitored over a 10-year average.

Contact

Forskningsservice
Phone: +45 39 17 31 30