Members’ area

Privacy policy

1. Why this Privacy Statement?

Every person (hereafter the “User”) who visits or uses the Website discloses a certain amount of personal data. Personal data is information that allows the GEM-DIAMOND project to identify you as a natural person, regardless of whether we actually do this. You are identifiable as soon as it is possible to create a direct or indirect link between one or more data and you as a natural person. 

We only use and process your personal data in accordance with the GDPR and any replacement legislation, or any similar regulation under any applicable law, and any regulatory requirements or codes of practice governing the use, storage or transmission of personal data. Every reference in this Privacy Statement to the ‘GDPR’ is a reference to the Regulation of 27 April 2016 on the Protection of Natural Persons with regard to the Processing of Personal Data and on the Free Movement of such Data (General Data Protection Regulation).

Through this Privacy Policy, every User of the Website is informed of the processing activities ULB may carry out with his or her personal data. The GEM-DIAMOND project reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at all times. Every substantial change will be clearly communicated towards the User. We advise you to consult this document regularly.

Overall, as part of the ULB, the GEM-DIAMONd project is subject to the data-protection principles and practices of its host institution. An information notice on the protection of the personal data of enrolled or enrolling students at the ULB can be found: https://www.ulb.be/information-notice-on-the-protection-of-the-personal-data-of-enrolled-or-enrolling-students  

2. Who is responsible for the processing of personal data?

2.1. Controller

The GEM-DIAMOND Principal Investigator, in consultation with the ULB Data protection officer, is responsible for the processing and decides alone or in cooperation with others which personal data are being collected as well as the purposes and the technical and organisational means with regard to the processing of those personal data.

2.2. Processor(s)

The GEM-DIAMOND project, in consultation with the ULB Data protection officer, is free to rely on data processors. A processor is the natural or legal person who processes your personal data upon request and on behalf of the data controller. The processor is required to ensure the security and confidentiality of the data. The processor shall always act on the instructions of the data controller.

The GEM-DIAMOND project, in consultation with the ULB Data protection officer, can rely on the following categories of “processors”:

  • Companies engaged for marketing purposes;
  • Companies engaged for hosting purposes;
  • Companies engaged for administrative purposes;
  • Companies engaged for communication purposes;
  • Companies engaged for statistical purposes;
  • Companies engaged for payment purposes.

3. On what legal grounds are my data processed?

In accordance with the GDPR we process personal data on the following legal grounds:

  • On the basis of the execution of the contract agreed upon with you or the execution of pre-contractual steps taken at your request; or
  • On the basis of compliance with legal or regulatory provisions with regard to the management of the contractual relationship, invoicing in particular;
  • On the basis of our legitimate interest in sending information and newsletters to our customers;
  • On the basis of your consent to send promotional offers (direct marketing).

4. Which personal data are being processed?

The GEM-DIAMOND project, in consultation with the ULB Data protection officer, commits to only collecting and processing adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purposes for which they are processed. The following categories of personal data are processed by ULB:

  • Personal identification data (name, first name, address, login details);
  • Contact details (telephone number and e-mail address);
  • Electronic identification data (IP address, location, cookies);
  • Personal data (gender, age, date and place of birth, nationality);
  • Educational Data (degrees, transcripts, diplomas);
  • Research Data (proposals, project descriptions, abstracts)

This data is collected at the time of your registration on the Website and when you use our services. Other personal data may be collected later, e.g. in the context of any follow-up to your application. These data are necessary for the provision of the services associated with the GEM-DIAMOND project. The amount of personal data collected depends on your use of the Website and the functionalities of the Website.

We also use cookies in order to recognise the User and to offer the User a personalised user experience, to remember technical choices (for example, language choices or a shopping cart), and to detect and correct any errors which might be present on the Website.

For more information concerning the use of cookies, we kindly refer you to our Cookie Statement.

5. For which purposes are my personal data being used?

The GEM-DIAMOND project, in consultation with the ULB Data protection officer, collects your personal data for the sole purpose of offering every User of our a safe, optimised and personal user experience of our Website and the offered services. The collection of personal data becomes more extensive as the User makes more intensive use of our Website and our online services. The GEM-DIAMOND project, through its principal investigator, reserves the right to suspend or cancel certain operations if personal data is missing, incorrect or incomplete.

The processing of your personal data is essential for the proper functioning of the Website and the provision of associated services. The GEM-DIAMOND project, through its principal investigator, commits to solely process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • Customer management: customer administration, order management, deliveries, invoicing, checking creditworthiness, support, complaint monitoring and sending newsletters.
  • Dispute management.
  • Protection against fraud and infringements.
  • Personalized marketing and advertising if you have expressly agreed to it. In that case, you are free to withdraw your consent at any time.

When visiting the website of the GEM-DIAMOND project, some data are being collected for statistical purposes. Such data is necessary to optimize your user experience. These data are IP-address, probable location of consultation, hour and day of the consultation, and the pages which are being consulted. When you visit the Website, you explicitly agree to this collection of data for statistical purposes.

The Users provide their personal data to the GEM-DIAMONDD project themselves and can therefore exercise some kind of control. When certain data is incomplete or apparently incorrect, the User has the right to postpone some expected actions temporarily or permanently.

6. Who receives your personal data?

Your personal data are processed for internal use within the GEM-DIAMOND project, through its principal investigator, only. Your personal data will not be sold, passed on, or communicated to any third parties, except if you have given us your explicit prior consent.

7. How long do we store your personal data?

Your data is stored as long as necessary to achieve the ends pursued. They will be erased from our database as soon as they are no longer necessary for the ends pursued or if you validly exercise your right to erasure.

8. What are my rights?

8.1. Guarantee of a legitimate and secure process of your personal data

Your personal data are always processed for the legitimate purposes explained in point 5. They are collected and processed in an appropriate, relevant, and non-excessive manner, and are not kept longer than necessary to achieve the intended purposes.

8.2. Right to access

If you can prove your identity, you have the right to obtain information about the processing of your data. Thus, you have the right to know the purposes of the processing, the categories of data concerned, the categories of recipients to whom the data are transmitted, the criteria used to determine the data retention period, and the rights that you can exercise on your data.

8.3. Right to rectification of your personal data

Inaccurate or incomplete personal data may be corrected. It is primarily the responsibility of the User to make the necessary changes in his “user area” himself, but you can also request us in writing.

8.4. Right to erasure (or “right to be forgotten”)

You also have the right to obtain the erasure of your personal data under the following assumptions:

  • Your personal data are no longer necessary for the intended purposes;
  • You withdraw your consent to the processing and there is no other legal ground for processing;
  • You have validly exercised your right of opposition;
  • Your data has been illegally processed;
  • Your data must be deleted to comply with a legal obligation.

The deletion of data is mainly related to visibility; it is possible that the deleted data are still temporarily stored.

8.5. Right to limitation of processing

In certain cases, you have the right to request the limitation of the processing of your personal data, especially in case of dispute as to the accuracy of the data, if the data are necessary for the context of legal proceedings, or the time required to the GEM-DIAMOND project to verify that you can validly exercise your right to erasure.

8.6. Right to object

You have the right to object at any time to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes. the GEM-DIAMOND project will stop processing your personal data unless it can demonstrate that there are compelling legitimate reasons for the processing which prevail over your right to object.

8.7. Right to data portability

You have the right to obtain any personal data which you have provided us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. At your request, this data may be transferred to another provider unless it is technically impossible.

8.8. Right to withdraw your consent

You may withdraw your consent to the processing of your personal data at any time, for example for direct marketing purposes.

9. How to exercise my rights?

If you wish to exercise your rights, you must send a written request and proof of identity by registered mail to the GEM-DIAMOND project, c/o Institut d'études européennes (ULB CP172) 39, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, B-1050 Brussels (Belgium); or by email to pmo@gem-stones.be. We will respond as soon as possible, and no later than one (1) month after receipt of the request.

10. Possibility to lodge a complaint

If you are not satisfied with the processing of your personal data by [the GEM program, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent Data Protection Authority (for Belgium: https://www.privacycommission.be/).