Disclaimer

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Privacy Policy

Introduction

The Green ERA-Hub Partnership is dedicated to safeguarding your privacy and personal information. This policy outlines how we collect, use, and share your personal data when you engage with our website, newsletters, social media channels, or participate in our various activities.

We strictly adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and other relevant legislation to ensure your data is protected. In compliance with these regulations, Green ERA-Hub is fully committed to protecting your privacy and personal information, ensuring a secure and positive experience when using our website, subscribing to our newsletters, interacting with us on social media, or taking part in any of our activities.

We collect and store personal data on our website only when technically necessary and when you: subscribe to our newsletter, register for an event, submit partner searches, events, or news, or participate in a research and innovation-funded project. We never use your personal data for commercial purposes. Your information will only be publicly available or visible if you have given prior consent for this.

This privacy policy offers a comprehensive overview of how Green ERA-Hub ensures the protection of your data, the types of data collected, and how it is utilized. It applies globally and encompasses all personal data you provide to us. If you have any concerns regarding your personal data, please feel free to contact the Green ERA-Hub partner responsible for managing your data, or reach out via the following email address: greenerahubilvo@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

This means that we:

We fully respect your right to privacy regarding your interactions with the Green ERA-Hub website and strive to be transparent in our dealings with you about what information we collect and how we will use your information. Furthermore, we collect and use personal data only when we are legally entitled to do so, and we never collect or process data for commercial purposes. When we collect data, we try to collect only relevant data.

What kind of data do we process and how do we use the information we collect?

1. The Green ERA-Hub Website

Green ERA-Hub uses cookies on its website. When you access the website, we inform you about the use of cookies. You can choose to accept all cookies, some cookies or refuse all non-essential cookies. Cookies are placed only after we have received your consent. Here is an overview of the cookies we use:

  • Strictly necessary cookies: These cookies are essential for the operation of our website and cannot be refused.

  • Performance and analytics cookies: These cookies help us understand how often our pages are visited and what interests our users. We use Google Analytics to collect this data anonymously. This data is not linked to any other information and cannot be traced back to a specific person. You can refuse these cookies when accessing our website.

  • Functionality cookies: These cookies improve the functionality of the website, such as video playback. They are not essential, but without these cookies some functions may not be available. You can refuse these cookies when opening our website.

2. Newsletters and mailing list

To send our newsletters, we use Flexmail, a reliable Belgian service provider for e-mail marketing. Flexmail helps us keep you informed about the latest news and updates. We take your privacy seriously and ensure that your personal data is treated securely. Flexmail complies with the European General Data Protection Regulation (AVG). This means we have taken measures to ensure that your data is secure and only used for its intended purpose. When you subscribe to our newsletter, your data is stored and managed by Flexmail. This data will only be used for sending newsletters and will not be shared with third parties without your consent.

3. Social media channels

Green ERA-Hub uses various social media channels to share information and updates. This includes platforms such as YouTube, X and LinkedIn. We want to be transparent about how we manage your personal data when you interact with our social media accounts. What you need to know:

  • Privacy terms and conditions: When using social media platforms, such as YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn, you agree to the specific terms and privacy policies of these platforms. We encourage you to review the privacy settings and terms and conditions of these platforms to understand how your data is collected and used.

  • Data collection: We may collect certain data about your interactions with our social media accounts, such as likes, comments and shares. This data is used to improve our communications and optimise our strategies. However, they are not used for commercial purposes.

  • Security and Use: We strive to protect your personal data and ensure that it is only used for its intended purposes. Personal information shared in public comments may be viewed by other users and is not always under our control. Inappropriate comments or personal information may be reported or deleted if necessary.

ILVO, the Belgian partner and part of the Green ERA-Hub consortium, is responsible for the website, newsletters and social media channels.

4. Event registration, organization and presentation

Green ERA-Hub organizes both online and physical events, such as webinars, conferences and workshops. For the preparation and organization of these events, we collect and process personal data that is kept confidential and shared only with our event partners. Data collected may include name, gender, date of birth, country, email address, organization, position, type of respondent, and meal preferences. Meal preferences will be deleted one week after the event. Your data will be processed through online tools and a secure Excel file, accessible by the Biodiversa+ Operations Team and the responsible partner. We ask your permission before publishing a list of participants. Photos taken during the event may be used for promotion on our website and social media. Upon registration, you agree to the use of your name and/or image in communications about the event. Please let us know before the event if you do not agree to this.

5. For consultations and surveys

Green ERA-Hub will occasionally conduct consultations and surveys to improve our services and communications and to better understand the needs of our stakeholders. Personal data you provide is kept confidential and shared only with partners involved in the organization. We always seek your consent before sharing data in survey or consultation forms. Analysis and reports based on your responses are published anonymously unless you have given formal consent for identification. Your data is processed via online forms (e.g. EU survey, via Flexmail, Google Forms) and stored in a secure Excel file. Only the Green ERA-Hub Operations Team and the responsible partner have access to your data.

As far as possible, we use the personal data (i.e. information that can be used to identify or be reasonably associated with a specific person), you have provided to us yourself.

We also receive personal data from other project partners. Personal data obtained are not kept longer than strictly necessary. Personal data obtained in the context of research are kept until 5 years after the closing date of the research (or longer (until the legal retention obligation has expired) if required by law) and destroyed after completion. If applicable, when legally allowed or you give your consent or when granted permissions or protocols allow it , personal data will be kept for any follow-up studies. Invoices and contact data for the execution of the agreement are in principle kept for 10 years given the tax retention obligation in the context of European projects. If your obtained data will be destroyed while you expect to need your data after that period to initiate, exercise or substantiate a legal claim, we can provide you with a copy.

 

To whom do we transfer your data?

Your data are mainly processed internally and all information you provide us with is stored on secured servers. Sometimes ILVO as communication lead is also obliged to pass on data about you. We will only do so if we are required to do so by a statutory provision, at the express request of the judicial authorities, if you have given your consent or if the transfer of your personal data is necessary for the performance of our mission. If personal data is shared as part of the performance of our assignment, we monitor its processing via a processor agreement.

 

How are your personal data protected?

The Green ERA-Hub partnership takes sufficient technical and organisational measures to secure your personal data. These measures are appropriate taking into account the state of the art and the costs of implementation.

 

What are your rights regarding your data?

When using our website, according to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. Below you will find an overview of these rights and how to exercise them:

  • The right to update or correct any errors in your personal data.

  • The right to ask us to stop contacting you (right to object to direct marketing).

  • Rights in relation to automated decision-making, including profiling.

  • The right to restrict or prevent the processing of your personal data.

  • The right to have your personal data transferred to another data controller (right to data portability).

  • The right to lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority.

  • The right to complain to our data protection officer if you believe that we have not handled your personal data in accordance with the applicable rules.

Right to Access Information
You have the right to request information at any time about the personal data we hold about you, including its origin, the recipients, and the purpose of its processing. To request access to your personal data, please contact us at greenerahubilvo@ilvo.vlaanderen.be.

When submitting your request, please specify the personal data you wish to access. Providing as much detail as possible about the information you’re seeking will help us locate it more efficiently. A copy of the requested data will be retained in our records for your reference.

Right to Rectify Your Personal Data
It is your responsibility to ensure that any personal data you provide to us is accurate and up-to-date. If your personal data changes, or if there are errors that need correction, please inform us as soon as possible. To request a correction, please:

  • Email us at greenerahubilvo@ilvo.vlaanderen.be

  • Provide sufficient information to identify you (e.g., name, registration details)

  • Specify the incorrect information and what it should be corrected to

If we update your personal data, we will inform any recipients who previously received the inaccurate data, where applicable, unless it is impractical or requires disproportionate effort.

Right to Erasure

In line with data protection laws, you have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under the following circumstances:

  • If you believe we no longer need your personal data for the purposes outlined in our Privacy Policy.

  • If you previously consented to our processing of your personal data but now wish to withdraw that consent, making further processing illegal.

  • If you object to our processing of your personal data and we lack a legal basis to continue.

  • If your personal data has been processed unlawfully or has not been deleted when it should have been.

  • If your personal data needs to be erased to comply with legal requirements.

When you request the erasure of your personal data, we will notify any third parties with whom we have shared your data, unless this is not feasible or would require disproportionate effort. Upon request, we will also provide you with information about these recipients.

Changes to the privacy statement

This Policy may be revised or updated periodically, with the date of the latest revision displayed on this page. If you do not agree with any changes, please refrain from using this website to submit personal information. For significant updates, we will notify you by placing a prominent notice on the website or by sending you a notification. We will not process your personal information in ways not outlined in this Policy without obtaining your consent.