Information about you: how we use it and with whom we share it

The information you provide will be used by the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS) in accordance with instructions from the Lead Institution, the University of Edinburgh.

Purpose

We may collect and process the following information:

• information that you provide by filling in forms or surveys
• information in correspondence that you send us
• details of your visits to our website including, but not limited to, traffic data, location data, weblogs and other communication data, and the resources that you access.

The information you provide may be used by SGSSS to:

• administer studentships and internships,
• maintain our IT system,
• administer events and monitor participation in training and events,
• provide you with support and services you have requested,
• monitor equal opportunities,
• make funding arrangements,
• to gather feedback,
• guide strategic planning
• to provide you with information about SGSSS news and events, activities and programmes and opportunities that you request from us or we feel may interest you, where you have consented to be contacted for such purposes
• contribute to our reporting purposes

SGSSS uses the cloud-computing platform CareerHub to process information about you on our behalf. SGSSS remains responsible for the information and will ensure it is kept securely.

Legal basis

The legal basis for processing your personal information falls under:

Consent: When you enter your information in a form, we specify the purpose and future use of this information. By submitting information to a form, you consent for your details to be used according to the purposes stated within each form. As this information is provided on the basis of consent, you are free to withdraw your consent for such use of your information at any time.

We also collect some personal information (like the address of your computer) through the use of website cookies. You can set your preferences for these cookies through our cookie consent banner or when viewing some content. You can change these preferences at any time.

Performance of contract: If you apply for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding or internships through SGSSS it is necessary for us to process information about you for the preparatory steps needed to enter into a contract. If you are in receipt of ESRC studentship funding through SGSSS it is necessary for us to process information about you in the performance of your contract with us.

Legitimate interest: We process information about academic and professional services staff and students at SGSSS member institutions because processing is necessary for legitimate SGSSS business, for example contacting you about new guidance or funding opportunities that are relevant to you.

If you become a student rep or staff member of one of the governance meeting groups, your name and institutional contact email address will be published on the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science’s internal and external websites. Please talk to a member of the SGSSS team if publication of this information will cause you potential harm, contravene conditions of any funding arrangement or be harmful for another valid reason.

Sharing personal data

Information about you will be shared with:

SGSSS member institutions: Where it is necessary to share information about you with SGSSS member institutions, for example through cross-institution review panels or events, each Institution acknowledges its obligations as a Data Processor for the other Institutions and shall only process your personal data in accordance with instructions from the Lead Institution. A full list of SGSSS member institutions can be found here. 

Pathway Reps and Convenors: Where it is necessary to share information about you with SGSSS Pathway Reps and Convenors, for example for the purposes of engaging with the pathway through training or events, each Institution where the Pathway Reps and/or Convenors is based acknowledges its obligations as a Data Processor for the other Institutions and shall only process your personal data in accordance with instructions from the Lead Institution. A full list of SGSSS pathway contacts can be found here.

Internship Host Partners: If you apply for an internship with one of our host partners, for example The Scottish Government or Skills Development Scotland, we will share information you have supplied to us through an application form. Who we share your information with will be clearly stated on the application form. The SGSSS remains a data controller for all personal information collected and stored as a part of this scheme and will ensure that the necessary steps are taken to protect your information.

The ESRC: Any information sent to ESRC that contains personal student information is sent securely, either by an encrypted email or password protected document. Any sensitive information that SGSSS and the ESRC receives to support requests from students (such as medical certificates etc.) will be destroyed once the relevant checks have been undertaken.