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Branding Science Group Privacy Notice

1. Background and Lawful Basis

This privacy notice explains what personal data the Branding Science Group (BSG) collects, why we collect it and how we look after it. It also explains your data protection rights.

This Privacy Notice applies to Branding Science Group and its companies operating within and outside of European Economic Area ('the EEA').

Branding Science Group provides strategic market research and business supportservices to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and animal health clients. In order to provide these services, BSG and its contracted service providers must collate, process and analyse personal data from individuals.

When we do this we ask for your consent to use or process the personal data you share for a specific purpose that we make clear to you. We rely upon consent as the lawful basis for processing personal data (as setout in Article 6.1a of the GDPR).

The use of personal data processed by Branding Science Group shall be limited to the purposes under this Privacy Notice.

2. Personal data we collect

All Personal data collected by Branding Science Group will be used and stored only for the purpose of the specific market research project. Personal data willnot be passed to any third party or made available in another database without your prior consent.

  1. Contact details such as your full name, phone number and/or email address to allow us to carry out the market research project and for which you have given prior consent.
  2. Information relating to the subject of the market research study e.g. information relating to your occupation, behaviour or health so that we can select suitable potential participants and for which you have given prior explicit consent. This information will be pseudonymised as soon as practical meaning we will remove any identifying personal data and allocate a pseudonym such as a unique number. The personal data will be kept separately and securely.
  3. Full name, email, address and bank details for the purpose of payment of incentive for participation in market research study.The personal data will be kept separately and securely.
  4. Audio and / or video recordings of interviews or group discussions for the purpose of analysis and quality control by BSG. Video recordings may be non-live, for example, recorded footage that we have on file, or live-footage, for example, footage which is streamed live through the internet. These recordings will not include any other personal data such as your full name. You will have been informed about this and given consent to audio and/or video recording.
  5. Recordings may be shared with the commissioning client company or their partners working on the same market research objective such as advertising agencies to allow them to better understand the market research. This can only be done with your prior consent. You will have been informed about this and consented to this observation.

3. How we treat the information we collect

The data collected for themarket research projectis intended exclusively to inform decision-making within the client company. Branding Science Group will pseudonymise and, where possible, anonymise all personal data provided by you as soon as possible, and prior to data analysis.

4. How information is shared

We sometimes work with third party service providers for various purposes, including (i) recruitment of participants for market research projects (ii) interviewing on market research projects (iii) analysis and (iv) translation of interviews(v) viewing facilities for face to face interviewing in addition to (vi) video streaming companies and (vii) cloud storage IT providers. These third parties may process personal data as part of providing those services for us. We limit the information provided to service providers to that which is necessary for them to perform their functions. Our contracts with service providers require them to maintain the confidentiality of such information and to guarantee they comply with European data protection law.

Sometimes people from client companies, or their partners such as advertising agencies, want to listen in to or watch footage of the market research interviews. If this is the case we will always seek your prior consent and explain what types of people may be listening in or watching film recordings and why.

5. Storage, processing and retention

All personal data will be stored by the Branding Science Group for the minimum required period to effectively complete its work, or for the purposes of quality control. This may vary from project to project and will depend on the type and scale of the work. Most projects last between 2 and 6monthsand very occasionally, up to 12 months.

We will delete personal data such as name, phone number, email or address – information typically required for data subjects to participate in market research – at the end of all data subjects’ participation in any specific market research project.

Remaining personal data, such as audio and video recordings will be stored for the minimum time period required and:

  1. Deleted at the completion of a market research study, unless
  2. A recording is required to be kept for longer for the purposes of auditing by the Client.

All remaining personal data will be securely stored and processed by the Branding Science Group or its approved service providers.

Any physical copies of personal data will be secured and deleted by Branding Science Group.

6. How we protect personal data.

Branding Science Group is fully committed to protecting your privacy and data. All personal data is processed using up-to-date physical and electronic security, restricted access and routine employee and service provider training.

7. International transfers of personal data.

Your personal data may occasionally be transferred to countries outside the EEA that do not offer the same protection of personal data as in the EEA. However, Branding Science Group, and our service providers will use all reasonable actions to maintain the integrity and security of your personal data through electronic security, including use of encrypted file transfer. Where your personal data needs to be transferred outside the EEA for the purposes of a market research project, you will be informed and the country of destination will be specified. International transfers are only undertaken with you explicit prior consent.

8. Choices about your information.

You can ask us further clarifying questions on how your personal data is processed at any stage and have the right to –

  1. ask to access the personal data we hold on you
  2. request changes to the personal data we hold on you if it is not accurate or incomplete
  3. request that we erase your personal data or stop processing it, subject to certain exceptions
  4. ask us to restrict processing of your personal data
  5. ask us to send your personal data directly to another organisation when technically possible
  6. lodge a complaint (in many countries) with the appropriate data protection authority if you have concerns about how Branding Science Group processes your personal data.

You have the right to withdraw your consent for personal data processing at any point. Should you wish to, or have any further questions regarding your rights, you can do so by emailing [email protected]. We will respond to your request no later than 21 calendar days.