Introduction
The Mind Association is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy in accordance with the rules and requirements as set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”). The Mind Association is the “Data Controller” for the acquisition and processing of your personal information. This policy statement explains why we collect personal information, what kind of information we collect, what we use if for, the legal basis of that use, how we keep it secure, how long we keep it for, and what to do if you want to change or query something.
Any questions regarding this policy should be sent by email to the Mind Association’s Administrator at mindassoc@gmail.com.
Who are we?
The Mind Association is a registered charity (no. 269707) whose purpose is to promote, support, and fund philosophical research. It does so by managing and financially supporting its journal, Mind, and by funding research fellowships, post-doctoral studentships, conferences, and workshops. There is a separate privacy policy statement pertaining to the journal, Mind, which concerns authors and reviewers. (Please see https://global.oup.com/privacy?cc=gb).)
Why do we collect personal information?
The Mind Association collects and uses information to handle applications for:
- Mind Association Research Fellowships
- Mind Association Studentships
- Mind Association Conference Grants
What type of information do we collect?
The data collected comprises contact details, CVs, research proposals, letters of recommendation, and letters offering accommodation in host departments. Much of this information, such as facts about an individual’s institutional affiliation, their institutional address, and their CV, are already in the public domain.
What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?
The Mind Association will collect and use your personal data when you apply for a Mind Association Research Fellowship, a Mind Association Studentship, or a Mind Association Conference Grant. Our lawful basis for processing your general personal data under article 6 of GDPR is: “Processing necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject or to take steps to enter into a contract”. From November, 2018, the instructions for applicants to all of The Mind Association’s funding schemes will (a) ask applicants to explicitly indicate their consent to the relevant sub-committee’s using their data, and (b) direct applicants to this privacy policy statement.
Who has access to your information?
Once received, the personal data collected by the Mind Association is stored electronically in a secure Dropbox folder. This data can be extracted only by members of the relevant sub-committee in the course of making funding decisions. (For Mind Association Studentships, this sub-committee includes members of the Analysis Trust, with whom the scheme is jointly administered.) We do not share your information with third parties.
How to access and update your information
The accuracy of your information is important to us. Since The Mind Association collects personal data solely for the sake of administering grant applications, and since such applications are processed in a short period of time, there is unlikely to be any need to revise or update details. However, if you would like to update your personal data, please contact the Mind Association’s Administrator at mindassoc@gmail.com.
You have the legal right to ask for a copy of the information The Mind Association holds about you. If you request a copy, you will be sent one free of charge.
Security precautions in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of your information
You send your data to us via email, and this can never be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.
Once we receive your information, however, we do our utmost to ensure its security. It is stored in a secure Dropbox folder and is only accessible to those with a need to access such information for the purposes of processing the relevant transaction.
If there are security breaches that pertain to your personal data that would result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of you as an individual, then we will contact you within 72 hours to alert you to the situation (and, if legally appropriate, notify the Information Commissioner’s Office).
How long do we keep your information?
The personal data stored in the Dropbox folder pertaining to a given funding scheme – Mind Association Research Fellowships, Mind Association Studentships, or Mind Association Conference Grants – will be kept for three years after the application has been completed. This is for monitoring purposes: so that we can review trends, respond to complaints, reflect on reviewing practices, etc. After the three year period has elapsed, it will be deleted.
The names of individuals to whom payments (of expenses, grants or funding) are made are matters of permanent record, being registered in the Society’s annual accounts as held by the Charity Commission. By default, individual banking details (including details of specific individual payments) are retained by our bank indefinitely. This information can be accessed only by The Mind Association’s Treasurer, in line with security protocols for access to the Society’s bank account. Requests to delete personal banking information should be addressed to the Society Treasurer, via the contact details above, who will be able to make deletions once the annual accounts that include the relevant transaction have been audited and accepted by the Charity Commission.
How to make a complaint
To exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints please contact, in the first instance, The Mind Association’s Administrator at mindassoc@gmail.com. If this does not resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office on 03031231113, or via email (https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/), or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, UK.
Further processing
If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Data Privacy Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions.
Review of this Policy
Any changes we may make to our privacy policy in the future will be posted on this page and, if appropriate, notified to you by e-mail. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our privacy policy.
This Policy was last updated in May 2018.