The UK and the EU has concluded a Treaty regarding the UK leaving the EU. As part of the treaty it has been agreed that personal data may to flow freely from the EU (and EEA) to the UK, until an adequacy decisions have been adopted, for no more than six months (01.06.2021).
Following this the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation (KMD), adopted on 31.12.2020 a regulation which allows Norwegian institutions to transfer personal data to the UK until the Commission has adopted an adequacy decision.
Prior to the conclusion of the Treaty, the UK government has deemed the EU/EEA states to be adequate to allow data flows from the UK to the EU/EEA.
Do this change your research project with UK partners?
The treaty and the regulation ensure that for the time being that transfers to and from the UK can continue for at least 6 months (01.06.2021). However, the adequacy decision from the Commission might not go in favor of the UK.
Any new project which will transfer data to the UK should ensure that they have an alternative transfer mechanism in place. NSD will help your project with this, when you apply to NSD for an assessment of the privacy in the research project.
Any existing project need to consider what they want to do, if the Commission do not deem the UK to have an adequate protection of personal data when the transition period is over. The project must then either have an alternative transfer mechanism in place or stop transferring data to the UK.
This article will be updated when more information regarding the adequacy decision is available.