Introduction
This Privacy Notice explains how we process the personal data of individuals who agree to take part in research carried out by the University. This notice is intended for Research Participants. It should be read together with the further information given about the research such as the Participant Information Sheet and the University of Cumbria Privacy Notice.
How will your personal data be used?
All research projects are different and the way we collect your personal data will vary depending on the project. Only personal data needed for the project will be collected.
We always tell you about the aims of the project, the type of personal data we are intending to collect and how it will be used in the Participant Information Sheet.
Sometimes we ask you to complete a consent form when you agree to take part in the research, and this will contain your personal data. There are times where we may obtain your personal data from our research partners or collect it from online sources.
If data will be shared with other individuals or organisations, you will be advised of this in the Participant Information Sheet.
What is our legal basis for processing your personal data?
The lawful reason we rely on for processing your personal data are:
- It is necessary for the performance of a ‘Public Task’, or task carried out in the public interest. In this case when we use your personal data for teaching and research activities
If we use your “special category data” or personal data about your racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, physical or mental health, or gender identity and sexual orientation because it is necessary for:
- Scientific or historical research purposes, statistical purposes or archiving purposes in the public interest.
Who will your personal data be shared with?
If we intend to share your personal data, we will let you know who we will share it with in the Participant Information Sheet. These are likely to be our research partners or partners who will help us with the research.
What will happen to your data after the research?
Where possible, your personal data will either be pseudonymised or anonymised. This means we will remove anything that identifies you and, in some cases, replace this with a number which will help keep your personal data secure.
We will only keep your personal data for as long as we need to for the research project it was collected for and will be kept for a minimum amount of time. In some cases, we may retain your personal data indefinitely for archiving, or research purposes, and it will be kept secure at all times.
We may keep consent forms for a number of years after the research has been completed, as this is sometimes a requirement of the research’s funder.
For some research projects, your personal data will be kept for up to 10 years after the end of the research project. You will be informed in the Participant Information Sheet when you agree to participate in research as to how long your personal information will be kept for.
Your Rights
Details about your rights and how to exercise them are set out on our Data Protection webpage.
Some of these rights are not absolute, for example you do not have the right to ask for your personal data to be erased beyond a certain point in the research.