Loughborough University does not sell your data to third parties or other organisations.
Who can I contact?
If you have a general question about how student and student related data is used, please do contact us via dp@lboro.ac.uk. Please also contact this email if you have a concern or complaint about how your data is being handled.
If you have a general question about how research-related data is used, please do contact us. You can contact Catherine Allford, Head of Research Development at c.allford@lboro.ac.uk. Please also contact this email if you have a concern or complaint about how your data is being handled.
You may find additional useful information and the answer to your query on our Information Governance pages.
Complaints about Data Protection
If you have taken steps to have a concern or complaint about Loughborough University's handling of data resolved but are still not satisfied you have a right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), who are the relevant regulator for data privacy and protection matters.
The ICO can be contacted via their website.
Updates to this policy
This section was last updated in September 2018. It is reviewed as necessary. If there are significant changes in the processing of your personal data which will impact you, we will act to inform your directly.
Daa Retention and Disposal of Records
The University will not keep personal data for longer than is necessary for the purpose it was being processed for. Staff are responsible for complying with the retention period for different categories of information, ultimately the Data Owner is accountable for ensuring that personal data that has reached the end of its retention period is either destroyed or anonymised. Data which has been anonymised so that all identifying information has been removed, may be kept indefinitely.
There may be some instances where the University will retain personal information for longer to fulfil some specific purposes: archiving (where it is in the public interest), specific historical or scientific research, or statistical purposes. As this processing is subject to stricter conditions of use, safeguards must be put in place to protect the rights of data subjects.
Where individuals make a request for their personal information to be deleted, the University will review its retention schedule to identify if there are any possible reasons why it might not be able to comply with the request, e.g. where it has a statutory, regulatory, legal or a security reason to retain information.
Academic Schools and Professional Services are responsible for regularly reviewing any locally held personal information, in accordance with the University retention schedule.
Personal data must be disposed of in a way that protects the rights and privacy of data subjects (e.g. shredding, disposal as confidential waste, secure electronic deletion). It must be securely destroyed in accordance with University security policy. Processes must be in place to ensure that all backups and copies are included in the destruction of data, and to see that any personal data pending audit, litigation, investigation, or being processed as part of an outstanding subject access request are not destroyed.
Contacting Us
If you have any questions about Loughborough University's Privacy Policy or concerns about personal information you have supplied to Loughborough University, please e-mail the Data Protection Officer or write to The Data Protection Officer at Academic Registry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics, UK LE11 3TU.
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. A small fee will be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to the above address.
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
For Social Logins, you can revoke access to an application from your Dashboard, under Social Logins. Alternatively, you can revoke access vis your Social Media platform from your account.
Collaborators on Research Proposals
What personal information do we hold about you?
The personal information we hold about you will vary depending upon the nature of the proposal you are collaborating in. This information might be provided to us directly by yourself or by your institution (e.g. your Research Office) and may include contact information (including your work and / or personal email address, phone numbers and address details), details of your salary, details of any previous grants you have been awarded / collaborated on, or other information, for example the number of years since your PhD was awarded.
Why do we collect your information?
We collect this information for the purposes of developing a collaborative funding proposal with you, and to ensure we are able to provide accurate information (financial and other) to the funder, as required by their application process.
Who has access to your data at the University?
Staff working within Loughborough's Research Office and the Principal Investigator on the funding application will have access to this information. Where electronic submission portals are used, any other collaborators on the proposal may also have access.
Who do we share your data with outside the University?
Your data will be shared with the funding body to which the proposal is submitted. Where electronic submission portals are used, any other collaborators on the proposal may also have access.
How long do we keep your information?
Funders have different requirements stipulating how long we need to keep this data. This will be detailed in their terms and conditions. When a project is awarded, all information is kept for a minimum of six years after the end of the project, in line with HMRC reporting requirements.
We will hold an electronic version of the application, containing some or all of the data you have provided to us, within our electronic filing system.
Research Participants
What personal information do we hold about you?
Loughborough University may hold a range of personal information regarding research participants which will vary depending upon the nature of the research project in which you are participating. Some of this information will be simple personal information such as name, address and other contacts details, whist some projects may require more sensitive personal information such as medical history and ethnicity to be collected.
Specific details of the information which will be collected and held will be provided to all participants at the start of the study in the Participant Information Sheet.
Why do we collect your information?
Personal information is collected for two reasons:
- to facilitate administration of the study (e.g. if we need to contact you to make arrangements for your participation)
- to address the specific research question(s) of the study
Specific details of the research questions to be addressed will be provided in the study specific Participant Information Sheet.
Who has access to your data at the University?
Access to your personal data will depend on the study that you are involved in but will generally be restricted to the researchers directly involved with the study.
The project's research outcomes will normally may be made publicly available through the University's data repository. The outcomes would generally contain anonymised data and statistics.
Full details will be provided to you at the start of the study in the study specific Participant Information Sheet.
Who do we share your data with outside the University?
Access to your personal data by those outside the University will depend on the nature of the study. For instance, some studies may request your permission to share your personal data with project partners, such as other institutions involved in the research or funding Bodies, or through the attribution of quotations in research outputs (e.g. journal papers, conference presentations, thesis, reports). Your identifiable image may be shared in photographs, video recordings or vlogs, with your permission.
Study data in the form of anonymised data and statistics may be publicly available through research outputs such as journal papers, conference presentations, thesis, reports and through archiving to a data repository.
Further details will be provided to you in the study specific Participant Information Sheet.
How long do we keep your information?
The length of time that your data is retained will depend on the particular study that you are involved with and details will be provided in the study specific Participant Information Sheet. Some studies may only retain data for the duration of the study while others, such as longitudinal studies or those archived to a data repository, may retain some data indefinitely. This will be made clear at the start of the project.
International Research Visitors
What personal information do we hold about you?
We hold the personal information that has been provided to us in relation to booking your travel, and / or reimbursing you for expenses occurred during your visit. This information might have be provided by yourself or support staff at your institution (such as your Finance Team), and may including contact details (including your work and / or personal email addresses, phone numbers and address). Other information such as your date of birth, passport details and bank account details may also be required, depending upon the arrangements we are making on your behalf.
Why do we collect your information?
We collect this information for the purposes of booking travel and / or accommodation for you, or for reimbursing you for expenses incurred during your visit.
Who has access to your data at the University?
Staff within Loughborough's Research Office, the Academic School you are visiting, and our Finance Office will have access to your information.
Who do we share your data with outside the University?
Details required for making a travel booking, e.g. passport number, contact number, date of birth is shared with our external travel provider, Key Travel, and / or other service providers, such as airlines and hotels.
How long do we keep your information?
Support staff in central services and schools will retain information for a period of 3 months after you leave the University.
All financial information is kept for a minimum of six years, in line with HMRC reporting requirements.
Sleepful's privacy policy is governed by Loughborough University. You can learn more here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/privacy