Privacy Notice

Rosalind Franklin Institute understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits this website, www.rfi.ac.uk (“Our Site”) and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a way that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

1.              Definitions and Interpretation

In this Policy, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

2.              Information About Us

Our Site is owned and operated by Rosalind Franklin Institute, a limited company by guarantee registered in England under company number 11266143. We are a registered charity, number 1179810. Registered address: Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0FA.

Our Data Protection Officer is Kellie Peters, contact email address kellie.peters@rfi.ac.uk.  We are registered with the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration number: ZA814922

3.              What Does This Policy Cover?

This Privacy Policy applies only to your use of Our Site. Our Site may contain links to other websites. Please note that we have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.

4.              What Is Personal Data?

Personal data is defined by the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (collectively, “the Data Protection Legislation”) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.

Personal data is, in simpler terms, any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.

5.              What Are My Rights?

Under the Data Protection Legislation, you have the following rights, which we will always work to uphold:

a)             The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This Privacy Policy should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions using the details in Part 15.

b)             The right to access the personal data we hold about you. Part 13 will tell you how to do this.

c)              The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete. Please contact us using the details in Part 15 to find out more.

d)             The right to be forgotten, i.e., the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data that we hold. Please contact us using the details in Part 15 to find out more.

e)             The right to restrict (i.e., prevent) the processing of your personal data.

f)               The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.

g)             The right to withdraw consent. This means that, if we are relying on your consent as the legal basis for using your personal data, you are free to withdraw that consent at any time.

h)             The right to data portability. This means that, if you have provided personal data to us directly, we are using it with your consent or for the performance of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means, you can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business in many cases.

i)               Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not use your personal data in this way.

For more information about our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us using the details provided in Part 15.

It is important that your personal data is kept accurate and up to date. If any of the personal data we hold about you changes, please keep us informed if we have that data.

Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

We would welcome the opportunity to resolve your concerns ourselves, however, so please contact us first, using the details in Part 15.

6.              What Data Do You Collect and How?

Depending upon your use of Our Site, we may collect and hold some or all the personal and non-personal data set out in the table below, using the methods also set out in the table. Please also see Part 14 for more information about our use of Cookies and similar technologies.

7.              How Do You Use My Personal Data?

Under the Data Protection Legislation, we must always have a lawful basis for using personal data. The following list describes how we will use your personal data, and our lawful bases for doing so:

With your permission or where permitted by law, we may also use your data for marketing purposes which will include contacting you by email or telephone, with information, news and offers on Our services. We will not, however, send you any unsolicited marketing or spam and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that We fully protect your rights and comply with Our obligations under the Data Protection Legislation and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

Third parties whose content appears on Our Site may use third party Cookies. Please refer to Our Cookies. Please note that we do not control the activities of such third parties, nor the data they collect and use and advise you to check the privacy policies of any such third parties. You have the right to withdraw your consent to Us using your personal data at any time, and to request that we delete it.

8.              How Long Will You Keep My Personal Data?

We will not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary considering the reason(s) for which it was first collected. Your personal data will therefore be kept for the following periods:

9.              How and Where Do You Store or Transfer My Personal Data?

We will store some or all your personal data in countries outside of the UK. These are known as “third countries.” We will take additional steps to ensure that your personal data is treated just as safely and securely as it would be within the UK and under the Data Protection Legislation as follows:

We will only store or transfer personal data in or to countries that are deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data. For further information about adequacy decisions and adequacy regulations, please refer to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

We will use specific approved contracts which ensure the same levels of personal data protection that apply under the Data Protection Legislation. For further information, please refer to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Please contact us using the details below in Part 15 for further information about the data protection safeguards used by us when transferring your personal data to a third country.

The security of your personal data is essential to us, and to protect your data, we take several important measures, including the following:

• limiting access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors, and other third parties with a legitimate need to know and ensuring that they are subject to duties of confidentiality.
• procedures for dealing with data breaches (the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, your personal data) including notifying you and/or the Information Commissioner’s Office where we are legally required to do so.

10.          Do You Share My Personal Data?

We may sometimes contract with the following third parties to supply certain services.

If any of your personal data is shared with a third party, as described above, we will take steps to ensure that your personal data is handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, our obligations, and the third party’s obligations under the law, as described above in Part 9.

If any personal data is transferred outside of the UK, we will take suitable steps to ensure that your personal data is treated just as safely and securely as it would be within the UK and under the Data Protection Legislation, as explained above in Part 9.

If we transfer, or merge parts of our organisation or assets, your personal data may be transferred to a third party. Any new owner of our organisation may continue to use your personal data in the same way(s) that we have used it, as specified in this Privacy Policy.

In some limited circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain personal data, which might include yours, if we are involved in legal proceedings or complying with legal obligations, a court order, or the instructions of a government authority.

11.          How Can I Control My Personal Data?

11.1       In addition to your rights under the Data Protection Legislation, set out in Part 5, when you submit personal data via Our Site, you may be given options to restrict our use of your personal data. We aim to give you strong controls on our use of your data for direct marketing purposes (including the ability to opt-out of receiving emails from us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in our emails and, at the point of providing your details and by managing your Account).

11.2       You may also wish to sign up to one or more of the preference services operating in the UK: The Telephone Preference Service (“the TPS”), the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (“the CTPS”), and the Mailing Preference Service (“the MPS”). These may help to prevent you receiving unsolicited marketing. Please note, however, that these services will not prevent you from receiving marketing communications that you have consented to receiving.

12.          Can I Withhold Information?

You may access certain areas of Site without providing any personal data at all. However, to use all features and functions available on Our Site you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.

You may restrict our use of Cookies. For more information, see Part 14.

13.          How Can I Access My Personal Data?

If you want to know what personal data, we have about you, you can ask us for details of that personal data and for a copy of it (where any such personal data is held). This is known as a “subject access request.”

There is not normally any charge for a subject access request. If your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (for example, if you make repetitive requests) a fee may be charged to cover our administrative costs in responding.

We will respond to your subject access request within one month of receiving it. Normally, we aim to provide a complete response, including a copy of your personal data within that time. In some cases, however, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of our progress.

14.          How Do You Use Cookies?

Our Site may place and access certain first-party Cookies on your computer or device. First-party Cookies are those placed directly by us and are used only by us. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of Our Site and to provide and improve our services. We have carefully chosen these Cookies and have taken steps to ensure that your privacy and personal data is protected and always respected.

All Cookies used by and on Our Site are used in accordance with current Cookie Law.

Before Cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a pop-up requesting your consent to set those Cookies. By giving your consent to the placing of Cookies you are enabling us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of Cookies; however certain features of Our Site may not function fully or as intended. You will be given the opportunity to allow only first-party Cookies and block third-party Cookies.

Certain features of Our Site depend on Cookies to function. Cookie Law deems these Cookies to be “strictly necessary.” These Cookies are shown in the table below. Your consent will not be sought to place these Cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these Cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings as detailed below, but please be aware that Our Site may not work properly if you do so. We have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them.

The following first-party Cookies may be placed on your computer or device:

Our Site uses analytics services provided by Google. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse anonymous usage information, enabling us to better understand how Our Site is used. This, in turn, enables us to improve Our Site and the services offered through it.

The analytics service(s) used by Our Site use(s) Cookies to gather the required information. You do not have to allow us to use these Cookies, however whilst our use of them does not pose any risk to your privacy or your safe use of Our Site, it does enable us to continually improve Our Site, making it a better and more useful experience for you.

Our Site uses the following third-party cookies:

To read more on how Google use cookies, please read the Google Privacy & Terms.

In addition to the controls that we provide, you can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all Cookies or only third-party Cookies. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies, but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device.

You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access Our Site more quickly and efficiently including, but not limited to, login and personalisation settings.

It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.

15.          How Do I Contact You?

To contact us about anything to do with your personal data and data protection, including to make a subject access request, please use the following details (for the attention of Data Protection Officer): Email address: kellie.peters@rfi.ac.uk.

16.          Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may change this Privacy Notice from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes or if we change our business in a way that affects personal data protection.

Any changes will be immediately posted on our site, and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up to date. This Privacy Policy was last updated on 29th May 2024.