Legal Notice, Privacy Policy & Credits
🔒 Your Privacy at a Glance
We collect your data only to provide EMFL research services. Your personal information helps us manage your account, process facility access requests, and keep you informed about research opportunities. We never sell your data or share it with unauthorized parties.
Legal Information
Entity name: European Magnetic Field Laboratory
Address: Rue du Trône 98, 1050 Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +31 2 43 65 30 05
Publication Director: Rolf Lortz
Editorial Director: Rolf Lortz
Website Host: CNRS CRIC, Grenoble, France
Host contact: webmaster@grenoble.cnrs.fr
Privacy Policy
Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how EMFL collects, stores, and processes personal data through its User Portal website, database, and related services (proposal submission, newsletters, user accounts, etc.).
EMFL is committed to protecting your privacy in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Belgian data protection laws. We will never sell or disclose your personal data to unauthorized third parties.
What Personal Data We Collect
📋 Account Information
- Identity: Name, email, nationality, date of birth, gender
- Professional: Institution, affiliation, department, researcher status, phone number
- Personal contact: Home address, personal phone number (for emergency contacts and logistics)
- Technical: Account creation date, login history, role permissions
📊 Research Data
- Proposals: Research titles, scientific descriptions, requested facilities
- Administrative forms: Travel details, accommodation needs, safety requirements, emergency contacts
- Travel documents: Passport copies, visa information (when required for facility access)
- Financial data: Bank details (IBAN) for reimbursements, expense receipts
- Usage logs: Facility usage time, energy consumption, experiment duration
📈 Activity History
- Account changes: Updates to email, affiliation, or role changes
- Communications: Internal messages, feedback, support requests
🎯 How We Use Your Data
Your data serves specific purposes related to EMFL research services:
🔑 Account Management
Why: To create and maintain your researcher profile
What we do: Verify your identity, manage access rights, update your information
🔬 Research Services
Why: To process facility access requests and manage experiments
What we do: Review proposals, schedule facility time, track usage, generate reports
📧 Communication
Why: To keep you informed about research opportunities
What we do: Send proposal updates, call announcements, facility news (only with your consent for newsletters)
🛡️ Security & Compliance
Why: To protect data integrity and meet legal requirements
What we do: Monitor for fraud, maintain audit trails, produce anonymized statistics for funding reports
🚨 Safety & Logistics
Why: To ensure your safety during facility visits and handle travel arrangements
What we do: Emergency contacts, accommodation booking, travel reimbursements, safety compliance
💰 Financial Processing
Why: To process travel reimbursements and facility-related expenses
What we do: Verify bank details, process payments, maintain financial records for auditing
Legal Grounds for Processing
- Contractual necessity: Managing user accounts, facility access, and research proposals
- Legitimate interest: Ensuring security, improving services, and producing anonymized research statistics
- Your consent: Newsletter subscriptions and optional communications (you can withdraw consent anytime)
- Legal compliance: Meeting EU research regulations and institutional reporting requirements
🤝 Data Sharing
Who has access to your data:
- EMFL staff: Only authorized personnel for account management and research coordination
- Local contacts: Scientists who help coordinate your facility access (limited to relevant proposal data)
- Selection committees: Anonymous proposal reviews (personal identifiers removed)
- Partner institutions: Only when you request access to their facilities (with your explicit consent)
❌ We NEVER share your data with: Marketing companies, data brokers, or unauthorized third parties
⏰ Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention Period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Account Data | Active account + 3 years | Legal obligations, potential future collaborations |
| Personal Address & Contact | Active account + 1 year | Emergency contacts, logistics support |
| Financial Data (IBAN, receipts) | 7 years after last transaction | Legal accounting requirements, audit compliance |
| Travel Documents (passport copies) | 1 year after facility visit | Security compliance, access control verification |
| Research Proposals | Permanently (anonymized after 5 years) | Scientific archive, impact assessment |
| Usage Logs | 5 years | Facility management, billing, statistics |
| Communication History | Active account + 1 year | Support continuity |
🔒 Data Security
We protect your data using:
- Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS)
- Access controls and user permissions
- Regular security audits and backups
- Staff training on data protection
Your Rights
You have complete control over your personal data:
- 📋 Access: Request a copy of all data we hold about you
- ✏️ Correction: Update inaccurate or incomplete information
- 🗑️ Deletion: Request removal of your data ("right to be forgotten")
- ⏸️ Restriction: Limit how we process your data
- ❌ Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interest
- 📤 Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
- 🔕 Consent withdrawal: Unsubscribe from newsletters anytime
To exercise these rights: Contact info@emfl.eu or use your account settings page.
🍪 Cookies
This website uses only essential cookies required for proper functioning:
- Session management (login state)
- Security tokens (CSRF protection)
- Language preferences
We do NOT use: Tracking cookies, marketing cookies, or third-party analytics cookies.
📞 Contact & Complaints
Questions about your privacy?
- Data Protection Officer: info@emfl.eu
- General inquiries: info@emfl.eu
- File a complaint: Belgian Data Protection Authority
Credits
- Website managed by the European Magnetic Field Laboratory (EMFL)
- Hosted by CNRS CRIC (Grenoble, France)
- Design & development: EMFL IT team
Last updated: October 2025