Project description
On this page you can find guidance on how to write a project description for your Project proposal.
Statistics Denmark processes the individual Project proposals and assesses during the process, and before the final approval, whether the project meets the legal requirements. These requirements concern documentation of data, that the data content is reasonable in relation to the purpose of the project (data minimization), and that the project is of societal relevance (cf. the General Data Protection Regulation). It is the responsibility of the data controller that the approved Project proposal reflects, justifies and documents all data associated with the project.
Purpose
Describe the overall purpose of the project. Keep the description of the purpose short, precise and written in plain language. Formulate the purpose broadly, so that it is possible to cover several relevant aspects of a topic.
Guiding questions:
- What is the overall topic of the study?
- What is intended to be achieved based on the study?
Recommendations:
- Avoid repetition of matters that belong under the project description or population.
- Be aware of the connection with the rest of the Project proposal.
Here you can see examples of purpose descriptions that are approved by Denmark's Data Portal. Both narrow and broad purpose descriptions are accepted.
- The purpose is to examine factors that have or may have significance for the development and treatment of atherosclerosis, and to assess how these factors interact in the development and treatment of atherosclerosis.
- The purpose of the project is to examine the historical and current development in the size and composition of the labour force.
- The purpose of the project is to examine citizens’ use of public welfare services throughout the life course, i.e. from birth to death.
- The research project seeks to shed light on fundamental questions in economics and finance regarding the operation and financing of companies.
- The purpose of the project is to examine diagnostics, treatment pathways and care in the Danish healthcare system with the aim of identifying where cross-sectoral implementation can be improved and where the use of evidence-based knowledge in daily clinical practice can be optimised.
- The purpose of the project is to examine how diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity factors (KRAM factors) are associated with the degree of health deterioration, as well as developments in the incidence and prevalence of KRAM factors in relation to the development of disease over time.
Description
Based on the purpose of the project, elaborate on the background and conditions for the study itself. Describe the projects overall hypothesis or what is investigated.
Note! You justify the choice of data later in the process under data packages and external data.
Guiding questions:
- Which field of research does the project concern?
Recommendations:
- Be aware of the connection between the description and the other parts of the Project proposal.
Societal relevance
Briefly describe the societal- and statistical relevance of the project. Avoid repetition from the rest of the text as well as text that does not concern this specific project.
Guiding questions:
- What is the connection between the purpose of the project and its societal relevance?
- How is the project relevant for society as a whole?
Recommendations:
- Keep the societal relevance concise and credible.
- Be aware that projects for administrative use will not be approved.
Population description
Describe at a general level which populations the project covers. What is the relationship between the populations and the purpose of the project? Justify, if you wish to have full registers.
Note! Ordering of populations takes place under Data order.
Description of external data
Describe external data at topic level and how it supports the purpose of the project.
If a data provider is specified, the project must be resubmitted if similar data are added from other providers. For example, if vaccination data are justified from the Danish Health Data Authority and similar data later need to be added from the Statens Serum Institut, this requires a resubmission of the project.
- The project will examine how companies perform on a range of economic and sustainability measures, including social conditions and corporate governance.
- Labour market data are central to the project.
- Accounting data and sustainability information will be linked in order both to highlight concrete effects of long-term ownership and to provide a broader overview of company performance.
Data packages
Briefly justify the need for access to the individual data packages that must be approved for the project.
Guiding questions:
- Why is the relevant data package necessary for the execution of the project?
- Which sub-analysis(es) will the relevant package be used for?
Recommendations:
- Write briefly.
- Provide descriptions at topic level.
- Describe the actual purpose sufficiently (it is not sufficient to simply write ‘for background information’, ‘included in the socio-economic information’ or similar).
- Avoid repetition from other parts of the application.
Here you can see examples of data package descriptions that are approved by Denmark's Data Portal.
- We need the data package ‘befolkning’ to map family relations and also to analyze families’ use of day-care services at regional level. The residence basis of population groups will also be included in the analyses.
- We need the data package ‘Kriminalitet’, as part of the project examines the relationship between convictions and attachment to the labour market.
- We need the data package ‘Erhvervsliv’, as in connection with employment analyses we need information on the number of employees as well as companies’ management structure.
- Description for the data package ‘Befolkningens uddannelsesstatus’: In analyses within the project, education functions as a central indicator of a person’s future opportunities, socio-economic status and working life. Higher levels of education are generally associated with higher income, better job security and greater societal influence. Educational level is also used in comparative analyses within the project.
- Description for the data package ‘Sundhed’: Health has significance for a person’s opportunities in life and can affect education, labour market attachment, income, use of transfer payments, retirement and the need for support. The target group for the analysis works, among other things, in sectors with relatively demanding physical or psychological working environments. Health data are therefore relevant both for analysing the target group and for comparing outcomes across different groups in Danish society.