Legal Notice

SPECIFIC PRIVACY STATEMENT – Marie Curie Alumni Association

1. General
2. Why do we process your data?
3. What data do we collect and process?
4. How do we collect data?
5. How long do we keep your data?
6. Who has access to your personal data and to whom is it disclosed?
7. How do we protect and safeguard your information?
8. What are your rights and how can you exercise them?
9. Contact information

The processing of personal data by the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), an international non-profit association registered in the Belgian Crossroad Bank of Enterprises under the number 0548.914.288, is governed by this privacy statement.

MCAA data processing operations take place under the responsibility of the MCAA Board.

The MCAA processes your data under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 also known as the GDPR. The MCAA is responsible for ensuring that the Privacy Statement is made available and kept up-to-date through the MCAA website for the processing of personal data concerning the detailed dataset processed by the Data Processors once a new member registers at and creates a profile in the MCAA website in case a MCAA member submits an application using forms such as event registration, grant applications and reimbursement, or when s/he resigns as MCAA member.

The actual storage and processing of personal data may be carried out by various service providers, acting as “data processors”, under the supervision of the MCAA Board

This privacy statement explains the reason for the processing, the way we collect, handle and ensure protection of all personal data provided, how that information is used, and what rights you may exercise in relation to your data (the right to access, rectify, block etc.).

From time to time, we may need to change this Privacy Statement. The MCAA will in such case duly inform you. The most recent version of this Privacy Statement is at all times available on the MCAA website.

Please note that this text is for the reference of the data subjects only and it does not in any way restrict the right of the data subjects to address MCAA in case of complaint.

The Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission (DG EAC) is in charge of the policy of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), part of the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Over the years more than 130 000 people have benefited from the MSCA. The MCAA itself, is governed by the MCAA Board, elected by the MCAA members.

The implementation of alumni services further increases the impact of the MSCA, through enhanced networking among participating researchers. Being able to contact past and present beneficiaries (when they are MCAA members) also enables the MCAA to conduct surveys and follow their careers, thus assessing the impact of the programme in the long term. Such assessment is both an obligation as well as a useful policy tool, allowing the programme to improve. Being members of the MCAA then allows registered users to network amongst themselves.

The processing of personal data for these purposes is lawful because, depending on the type of personal data being processed:

• You have consented to the processing of your data;
• The processing of your personal data is necessary to protect the legitimate interests of the MCAA;
• The processing of your personal data is necessary to enable services such as facilitating a network amongst members is necessary for the execution of the agreements with MCAA members. The creation and updating of a personal profile is indeed a condition of membership under the MCAA Articles of Association (which form the legal basis for the MCAA under Belgian law).

In addition, your data is processed only after you have been informed of the provisions of this privacy statement, and have the chance to read it carefully.

Types of personal data

We may collect the following personal data about you insofar as this information is relevant for the purposes for which it is needed, as explained under title 2 above. At the registration certain information is mandatory and other information is optional, this shall be clearly indicated as such, so that you can choose whether or not to provide such information.

Identification and contact information	First name, last name, e-mail address, postal address, country of residence, photo, account information and password for the personal profile, social network URL’s
Personal characteristics	Birth date, nationality, gender and any other information disclosed by data subjects
Education	Academic curriculum and degrees
Profession and employment	Employer organization, position within the organization Characteristics specific to the management of contractual benefits, information about professional activities, licenses and permits
Other data	Photos and videos, Research experience and Interests, Membership of scientific panel, data concerning the Marie Curie project(s) in which the member was involved (project acronym, title, type of project, EC ID number, contract number host institution, host country, host city, role) and any other data that the individual member may choose to add to their profile to assist in networking with other members

The MCAA collects your personal data directly from you when you provide them by registering on the  MCAA Aluminate Mentoring Platform and create and update your personal profile.

The data will be retained for as long as you are a member of the MCAA, and, for certain type of date, for as long as the MCAA exists to the extent permitted by law.

Afterwards, it is still possible that your data can be found in the MCAA back-ups or archives, but they will no longer be actively processed. 

As described in art. 17.3 GDPR only where the MCAA is legally obliged to retain your data, or where retention is necessary for defending the MCAA interests in the context of judicial proceedings (e.g. in case of a dispute), your personal data will keep being processed after your resignation, for as long as required for such purposes.

To some extent, other MCAA members will be able to see your basic profile information and other relevant information you chose to make public.

Access to your personal data is granted to MCAA as well as to the relevant staff of the appointed service provider(s) (acting as “data processors”), for the purpose of managing the MCAA services. Other (sub-) data processors may also – within the limits of the tasks entrusted to them – process your personal data.

Your data will not be communicated to any other third party unless you provide specific written request / consent for this or in case of (threatened) litigation which requires the disclosure of your personal data to the MCAA law firm (under a professional secrecy obligation) or in case of mandatory disclosure of personal data to government or police authorities or the judiciary (in case of  a legal obligation to do so).

Your personal data will in principle not be transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area. If any of the controllers would intend to do so, you will be informed hereof, and appropriate legal safeguards will be implemented.

The collected personal data is saved on servers of the MCAA service providers, which include the EC-appointed external IT company working under contract for the European Commission (EC). These service providers ensure website security of your personal data. It shall act only on instructions from the MCAA Board and shall comply with the obligations set out in the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

More information on our protection measures is available upon simple request.

Within the limits defined by articles 15-22 of the GDPR, you have the following statutory rights:

Right to information and right to access your personal data – You may at any time request more information on our processing activities and the personal data that we are keeping from you.

Right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete personal data  – You have the right to require us to, without undue delay, rectify or complete any of your personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to deletion of your personal data (‘right to be forgotten’)  – You may request us to delete (part of) your personal data in the following situations:

• When the processing is no longer necessary for achieving the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed these; or
• When the processing was based on your consent and you have decided to withdraw that consent;
• When you have other reasonable grounds to object to the processing of your personal data;
• When we would unlawfully process your personal data;
• When your personal data have to be erased in compliance with a legal obligation directed to us.
• We note that in some cases, we may refuse to delete your personal data: (i) for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information; (ii) for compliance with a legal obligation; or (iii) for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Right to restriction of processing – You may request us to (temporarily) restrict the processing of your personal data in the following situations:

• When you have contested the accuracy of your personal data, for a period enabling us to verify this accuracy; or
• When the processing appears to be unlawful and you request us the restriction of use of your data instead of the deletion of this data; or
• When we no longer need the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but you need them for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims; or
• Pending verification whether our legitimate grounds override yours in the framework of an objection.

Right to object to the processing of your personal data (free of charge) – You may under certain circumstances object to the processing of your personal data, when such processing is based on our “legitimate interests”. If we agree, we will no longer process your personal data, unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to do so, or because such a processing is necessary.

Where we process your personal data for direct marketing purposes (in particular for sending an electronic newsletter) you may at any time object to the processing thereof or withdraw your consent thereto.

Right to data portability – In some cases, you have the right to receive all your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and have the right to transmit those data to another controller. This right applies:

• In case the processing is based on consent or on the necessity for the performance of a contract; and
• In case the processing is carried out by automated means. 

In principle you may exercise these rights free of charge. Only where requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive we may charge a reasonable fee.

Further information and advice about your rights can also be obtained from the data protection authority in your country. Finally, you also have the right to lodge a complaint relating to the processing of your personal data by us with the data protection authority in your country, which can be found here: 

• https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/board/members_en.

We aim to respond as quickly as possible to your requests or questions. We might request a proof of identity in advance in order to double-check your request.

For any questions related to this privacy statement, the processing of your data and your rights, please feel free to contact the relevant data controllers, explicitly specifying your request, by:

• Writing to the MCAA Board at the following address:
• Postal address : MCAA, 24 avenue des Arts, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
• E-mail : board@mariecuriealumni.eu

In case of conflicts with the MCAA, complaints can be addressed to the Belgian Data Protection Authority: https://www.privacycommission.be/