Privacy Notice
This notice is aimed at any third-party (non-staff member) providing information for Queen Mary University of London’s submission to REF 2021 (Impact Case Studies).
a. Information about you: what we collect, how we use it and how we keep it safe
The information you have provided will be used by the University to support the development of Impact Case Studies for our submission to REF 2021. The purpose of the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF2021) is to assess the quality of UK research and to inform the selective distribution of public funds for research by the four UK higher education funding bodies. The REF outcomes are used to calculate about £2 billion per year of public funding for universities’ research and affect their international reputations. The results also inform strategic decisions about national research priorities. The next REF will be undertaken in 2021.
The REF was first carried out in 2014, replacing the previous Research Assessment Exercise. It included for the first time an assessment of the broader impact of universities’ research beyond academia: on the economy, society, culture, public policy and services, health, the environment and quality of life. Impact is assessed through the submission of case studies, which describe the changes or benefits brought about by research undertaken at the University. You have provided information in support of one or more of these case studies, which may be included within these case studies and submitted by the University to REF 2021.
All information and personal data you provide will be processed securely by Queen Mary in accordance with data protection legislation and the University’s own data protection policies found here: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/privacy/media/arcs/policyzone/Data-Protection-Policy-v03.0.pdf
b. The legal basis for the processing of the data
We are using information about you because you have given us your consent to do so.
c. Withdrawing your consent
You are free to withdraw consent without having to give a reason, so long as this withdrawal allows time for the removal of your information from the impact case studies in advance of the 31st March, 2021 submission deadline. To do this please contact impact@qmul.ac.uk. If you do decide to withdraw before that date, you can request that any information you provided be destroyed.
d. Recipients of your Personal Data
In March 2021, we will submit the impact case studies as part of our overall REF 2021 submission to the REF team, based at Research England (RE). RE is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and under this arrangement UKRI has the role of ‘data controller’ for personal data submitted by us to the REF.
Any information you provide may be submitted by us to UKRI for the purposes of REF 2021 as part of our submission in relation to impact case studies. Case studies submitted will be made publicly available in 2022 unless they have been marked “not for publication”. Published information may include your name, job title and organisational affiliation unless you have explicitly asked not to have that information published. Other personal details will normally be removed. In some cases, the REF team may wish to contact individuals to verify claims made as part of their audit purposes. If you have given us permission to do so, we will provide your name, position and contact details to the REF Team for this purpose; this information will not be published.
Further information about how your data will be used and shared once submitted to REF 2021 is available at our UKRI Data Collection Statement for the REF2021 – Non-Staff webpage. As part of our internal review process we may also make limited provision of information available to external parties.
e. Retention Period
Your data will be retained for purposes of the REF 2021 exercise for 8 years from the date of last entry, as long as the next exercise has taken place, in accordance with the University’s Records Retention Schedule. After this, the information will be anonymised or destroyed securely.
f. Whom to contact if you have a query
If you have any questions, please contact impact@qmul.ac.uk.
g. Your rights and further information
For further information, including on your rights, please see https://www.qmul.ac.uk/privacy/. If you have any queries about this privacy notice or how we process your personal data, please write to data-protection@qmul.ac.uk by email, or Data Protection Officer, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS by post.
Rights of the data subject
For more information on your rights as a data subject, please look at the University’s Privacy Notice for Extenuating Circumstances Claims.