Be Part of the Data-Driven Health Future.
[ GET INVOLVED ]

As National Node

National Nodes coordinate OHDSI activities at a national level and connect national stakeholders to the wider OHDSI network. National Nodes operate independently while aligning with shared principles of openness, transparency, and collaboration.

Does your country not have a National Node yet? We’re looking for new National Node leaders!

Currently, 18 nodes are active across 26 OMOP-adopting countries in Europe. Please contact us if you are interested in starting an OHDSI Europe National Node in your country, we are happy discuss the opportunities and help you get started.

Contact us
A typical pathway
Step 1
📡
Connect
Engage with the European coordinating center and existing National Nodes to express interest and understand what it means to operate as a recognised National Node.
Step 2
🏗️
Organise
Establish a small coordinating group, connect to national stakeholders and initiate local OHDSI activities.
Step 3
🏳️
Lead
Operate as a recognised National Node: maintain regular engagement with European coordinating center, host regular national events, and contribute to shared initiatives.
Resources to get Started
National Node Guidelines

Each National Node is coordinated by a lead institution, supported by a co‑lead or a national core group. At least one of these lead or co-lead institutions should be a public partner, such as an academic institution, knowledge center, or hospital, to anchor the node in the public and research domain. Nodes operate through open, community-driven principles, with lightweight governance suited to the local context. As nodes grow, many are developing more structured models to support sustainable coordination, vocabulary maintenance, and long-term capacity building.

All OHDSI Europe National Nodes must adhere to the following:

The aims and objectives of the node must adopt OHDSI’s mission, vision and values.
All activities, events and meetings must be inclusive and open to all who wish to participate. 
All materials and documents must be openly accessible on the internet.
The node must meet regularly (either in-person or remotely) to discuss making progress towards their intended goals.
The node is responsible for its own governance, organisation and funding.
The node is responsible for communicating chapter activities to collaborators located within their geographic region.
The node must submit an annual report to the OHDSI Europe coordinating center, detailing their activities and achievements over the past year. OHDSI Europe will report back to OHDSI Global coordinating center.
The node is advised to use the OHDSI Europe Teams environment made available by OHDSI Global.
The node should report back to OHDSI Europe during OHDSI Europe Node Leads Meetings.
The OHDSI Europe coordinating center reserves the right to disband a node if their activities do not align with OHDSI’s mission.

 

How to Establish a National Node?

To establish a national node the following process should be followed:

1. Submit a letter of intent to the European OHDSI coordinating center by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The letter must include:

  • A list of all current node members; the list must include collaborators from multiple organisations.
  • A list of Data Partners with information on the status of the OMOP CDM ETL.
  • A description outlining the node’s aims and objectives.

2. The OHDSI Europe coordinating center will review the application. When approved, an intake interview will be planned between the European coordinating center and the National Node leadership.

3. An MS Teams channel will be created for the National Node in the European OHDSI Teams environment, and a dedicated website page will be co-created.