Our Privacy Notice tells you what to expect when the HSC R&D Division collects or receives, uses and protects personal information. It applies to information we collect and receive through our website, processes and services. HSC R&D Division may change this policy and update this policy from time to time.
What information do we collect and use?
We may collect a variety of types of information, depending on the nature of your interaction with HSC R&D Division. We collect information such as:
- Personal details e.g. name, email address, postal address
- Education, training and employment details
- Information about past funding awards
- Institutional financial details
- Project/funding award identifiers
- Responses to surveys or consultations
Your interaction(s) with us may be as:
- visitors to our websites
- people who use our services, such as our email updates and newsletters
- people who formally apply for funding
- people who formally apply and/or agree to undertake roles associated with our processes
- people who informally request information from us
- people who are, or have been, recipients of funding
- people who take part in surveys, questionnaires etc.
- current and former employees
How and why do we collect it?
We collect the information provided by you in various ways, depending on the type of interactions(s) you have with us. Unless otherwise stated below, the legal basis for what we collect and why we process it is “for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, or in the exercise of official authority invested in the controller” (GDPR Article 6(1)e).
Visitors to our website: when someone visits research.hscni.net, Google Analytics uses Cookies to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. The collection and processing of this information will not identify anyone, and is carried out to help us improve the services that we provide to you through our website.
Our website and communications may contain links to other websites of interest that are outside of the HSC R&D Division of the Public Health Agency. This Privacy Policy only applies to HSC R&D Division web pages, systems and services and does not cover other sites to which we may provide a link. If you have concerns, you should refer to the Privacy Policy applicable to the website in question.
People who use our services, such as our email updates and newsletters: a third-party provider, MailChimp, delivers our regular email update and other communications as necessary. We gather statistics around mail openings and clicks using industry standard technologies to help us improve and monitor the service that we provide you through our communications. For direct marketing purposes such as sending you our e-bulletin, we seek your explicit consent to receive our communications. The legal basis for this is described in GDPR Article 6(1) a - Consent.
People who formally apply for funding: when people apply for funding, they submit their information in an application form. This information will include personal details, and details about proposals, including proposed costs. This information will be used to select, commission and manage the proposals and projects. To do so, we will share details of the applications with e.g. peer reviewers and funding panel members. This is done under a confidentiality agreement. The information will be stored in a system used to manage applications and awards. Such information is used to allow us to perform tasks in the public interest.
People who formally apply and/or agree to undertake roles associated with our processes: when people apply to act as a panel or peer reviewer, they submit their information in an expression of interest form. This information will include personal details such as job title and career achievements. This information is used to approve the individual’s application, and to identify the most appropriate people to take on specific roles within our processes. This information will be stored in a system used to manage contacts and interactions. Such information is used to allow us to perform tasks in the public interest. We may publish information about our reviewers on our website.
People who informally request information: when people informally request information via email, we may retain the email to allow us to track and monitor how we improve our future services in the public interest. Emails are stored on secure HSC servers and access is restricted to specific staff. We use encryption software and maintain strict security standards to prevent any unauthorised access to it and protect our email traffic. You should be aware that, depending on the degree and nature of encryption within your email system, emails we send you may not be protected in transit. Emails sent to us are monitored for viruses and malicious software.
People who are, or have been, recipients of funding: when people apply for funding, they submit their information in an application form. This information will include personal details, and details about proposals, including proposed costs. Those who are awarded grants will, through acceptance of the Terms and Conditions of Award, be obliged to provide progress reports, submit invoices for payment and budgets for review. The information will be stored in a system used to manage applications and awards, and will be shared with functions within the organisation responsible for administering the funding award e.g. research support and finance staff within your organisation. Such information is used to meet the contractual requirements of the award, and to allow us to perform tasks in the public interest. We may publish information about projects on our website, including the amount awarded and recipient of the award.
People who take part in surveys, questionnaires etc: when people respond to surveys or questionnaires issued by us, they provide information to us through forms or online questionnaires. Sometimes our online questionnaires are designed using SurveyMonkey software, which can also be used to complete some analyses of the submitted information. The legal basis for this is described in GDPR Article 6(1) a - Consent.
People who attend events organised by us: when people attend events organised by us, we will collect and retain the information that you provide as part of your registration for the event. If an event is being organised in partnership with other organisation(s), we may share the registration details with the event partner(s). This information will be used to for administrative purposes, and to effectively deliver the event in question. We may also retain your contact details for the purposes of audit, screening, event follow-up and to allow us to make you aware of future events in which you may be interested. Images may be captured at events that are subsequently used in event publicity or reporting on websites and social media. We will ask you to let us know if you don’t want your details to be retained or your image to be used. The legal basis for this is described in GDPR Article 6(1) a - Consent.
Current and former employees: we retain details of work-related events, such as personal development, appraisal details etc for current and former employees.
What do we do with the information?
We only collect the information that we need in order to carry out the functions of our Division, to undertake management, monitoring and improvement, and to comply with any legal or governance requirements that we may have. HSC R&D Division also has an obligation to respond to specific requests for information and may be required to disclose information about funded awards to relevant partner organisations. Depending on the nature of your interaction with us, we may use the information that you give us to:
- Send you news and updates for which you have registered
- Contribute to research, evaluation and statistical analyses that will help us to monitor and improve our services
- Record informal requests for the purposes of considering future services
- Share information as part of our processes for the selection, commissioning, management and monitoring of research projects and other funding awards
- Share information with authorised external services that collect and collate information on research and research outputs
- Publish information about funded projects on our website, including the award holders’ names and Host Institutions
- Generally maintain our accounts and records
- Produce official communications and publicity materials
- Produce official statistics
- Undertake diversity and equality monitoring
How do we store it and for how long?
We retain data for varying amounts of time depending on the nature of your interaction(s) with our service, and the need to comply with governance requirements. We will only store the data that is necessary for a specific purpose, and we won’t store it for any longer than is necessary. Once it is no longer needed, your data will be securely deleted. All data handling activities will be in line with our Retention and Disposal Schedule and specific guidance issued by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland (Good Management, Good Records).
Do we share it?
HSC R&D Division of the Public Health Agency is committed to protecting privacy and is required to process your information in line with the GDPR. Unless we have your consent or are required by law to do so, we will not disclose your information to Third Parties except for the purposes described in this notice. We may share information in order to carry out the functions of our Division. Depending on the nature of your interaction we may share the information that you give us to:
- Identify peer reviewers and expert reviewers for funding applications
- Undertake the processes of peer review and expert review of funding applications
- To complete due diligence activities, such as overlap checks with other funders and to review Intellectual Property (IP) management arrangements
- To assess relevance for or priority to areas of the HSC e.g. commissioning bodies or Government departments
- To facilitate co-funding arrangements with other funders
- Make payments to Host Institutions of funding awards
- To discuss and facilitate support for delivery of funded projects
- Contribute to research and statistical analyses of how health and social care research funding is used
- Facilitate analyses of our Division’s activities
- In response to NI Assembly, Parliamentary and Press enquiries
- Answer Freedom of Information requests
Do we transfer it to other countries?
To perform our normal functions, it may sometimes be necessary to transfer personal information overseas. When this is needed, any transfers made will be in full compliance with all aspects of the GDPR.
What are your Rights?
You have the “right of access by the data subject” under the GDPR and may request details of the personal data that we hold about you.
If you would like a copy of your personal data, use the contact details provided below.
If you believe that the information we hold about you is incorrect, please write to us or email us as soon as possible to allow us to make the appropriate corrections. To do so, please use the contact details provided below.
You have the right to request erasure and restriction of processing of your personal data held by us. This is also known as the Right to be Forgotten.
If you can give specific reasons why, you have the right to object to the processing of your data e.g. for direct marketing. Your rights are not absolute, and if we are unable to meet your request, we will explain the reasons why.
How do you make a complaint?
If you are unhappy with this Privacy Notice, or with how your data is being used, please contact the Public Health Agency’s Data Protection Officer:
Data Protection Officer Public Health Agency 12-22 Linenhall Street Belfast BT2 8BS Tel: 028 9536 3534 Email: dpo.pha@hscni.net
If you have done so and are still not happy, you should contact the Information Commissioner’s Office:
Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF Tel: 0303 123 1113 https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/
Changes to our Privacy Notice:
This Privacy Notice will be kept under regular review and any updates will be placed on our website.
May 2025