Getting Started

The Data Access Support Hub (DASH) is a one-stop data access service for researchers who require multi-regional data in Canada. DASH provides the necessary supports and guidance to facilitate these requests if researchers are looking for data from more than one province or territory.

To request data through DASH, please submit an intake form.

Please proceed directly to the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s (CIHI) Make a Data Request page or Statistics Canada’s Access to Microdata page if your multi-regional data needs can be met solely by pan-Canadian data assets held at CIHI or at Statistics Canada.

What is DASH?

Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN Canada) is a group of provincial, territorial, and national data organizations that work together.

HDRN Canada created DASH to provide coordinated data access support to researchers. DASH services are provided by a multi-centre coordination team from various provincial/territorial data centres and pan-Canadian organizations, including the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Statistics Canada. The purpose is to make it easier to access health and health-related data from multiple provinces and territories in research studies.

What DASH can do to support your project What DASH cannot do

green check mark DASH offers coordinated support to researchers in navigating the data access processes in different regions. This support is made possible through a central coordination team as well as local DASH staff at participating organizations.

green check mark DASH staff bring data center partners together to make the data request and access process as streamlined as possible.

red x icon DASH does not hold any data, but rather helps facilitate access to data at each member organization/data center.

red x icon DASH cannot facilitate the pooling of data from multiple provinces/organizations in a central location for analysis due to legislative or policy limitations. However, DASH staff can facilitate conversations between data centers and researchers to find alternative solutions where possible.

Who can access data through DASH?

DASH provides support to researchers who are interested in accessing data in more than one Canadian province or territory.

Currently, DASH only supports public sector researchers. However, some of the data centres associated with DASH can support private sector requests outside of the DASH network. If you are interested in private sector research, please contact dash@hdrn.ca. DASH can provide a list of contacts at individual HDRN Canada Organizations that may be positioned to work with the private sector.

Outside of Canada

Disclosure of personal health information or de-identified data outside of Canada is prohibited in many Canadian jurisdictions. DASH can identify these challenges early in the research design process.

What are the costs associated with DASH?

DASH does not charge a fee for you to submit data requests through DASH. However, fees will be charged by the partner data centres as per each centre's cost recovery process.  More information on project costs is available on our Costs for Data-Related Services page.

What data is available through DASH?

You can browse our Data Assets Inventory for the list of data assets held by our member organizations. These can be requested through DASH by completing an intake form.  

How do you submit a data request through DASH?

Please see our How DASH Works page for details about submitting a data request.

For any questions about accessing data through the DASH, contact us at dash@hdrn.ca.