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PRIVACY POLICY

As the SYNAPSE project consortium we are committed to respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy sets out how the SYNAPSE project collects, uses, and protects personal data in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR). It applies to the processing of personal data carried out in the context of the operation of the SYNAPSE website and the management of the SYNAPSE Open Call. By accessing or using the SYNAPSE website (https://www.synapse-project.eu/) and/or by submitting an application to the SYNAPSE Open Call, you may be required to provide information that qualifies as personal data within the meaning of the GDPR. Personal data include any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person like a name or an email address, while processing refers to any operation carried out on personal data such as collection, storage, consultation, use, or disclosure. When your personal data is processed, you are the data subject and you can exercise your rights as explained in this privacy policy.

Who is responsible for your data

The partners of the SYNAPSE project consortium (“we”, “us”, “our”) are responsible for the processing of your personal data in accordance with the GDPR as joint controllers. You may find the full list of the SYNAPSE partners and their contact details through the “partners” tab of this website https://www.synapse-project.eu/

This website is devoted to the SYNAPSE project (GA 101120853) and its content is generated by the partners of the SYNAPSE project consortium. This Privacy Policy applies to data collected through the SYNAPSE Website and does not apply to any websites of third parties that may be linked to it. The project website is managed by the University of Malaga, a SYNAPSE partner with registered office at Edificio de Investigación ADA BYRON | Universidad de Málaga, C/ Arquitecto Francisco Peñalosa 18, 29071, Málaga, Spain, which you can also contact at nics@uma.es.

The SYNAPSE Open Call is managed by CNR – the National Research Council (Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche, the SYNAPSE project Coordinator and provider of the grant), with registered office in Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 7, 00185 Rome, Italy. The contact point is the Editorial and Operational Manager of the CNR portal reachable at the email address: ufficiostampa@cnr.it. The Data Protection Officer (DPO) can be reached at the following email address: rpd@cnr.it

What personal data we process and why

When you contact us through the contact form of our website or when you opt-in to receive the SYNAPSE newsletter, we will process your name, email address, and the content of your message to fulfil your requests and/or deliver our newsletter. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email or by contacting us via the email addresses provided below. 

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain types of information some of which may constitute personal data. These may include electronic identification data, such as the IP address of your device, your browser type, device type, operating system, time zone, language preference, and the date and time of access. This information is essential for displaying our website correctly and ensuring the effective and secure operation of the website.

We may also use cookies on this website to enhance navigation and analyze traffic and on-site behavior.Cookies are small text files that are used to store small pieces of information. They are stored on your device when the website is loaded on your browser. These cookies help us make the website function properly, make it more secure, provide better user experience, and understand how the website performs. First-party cookies are necessary for the website to function the right way, and they do not collect any of your personally identifiable data. The third-party cookies used on our website are mainly for understanding how the website performs, how you interact with our website, keeping our services secure, and all in all providing you with a better and improved user experience. With regards to the use of cookies that are not strictly necessary for the functioning and secure operation of our website, the lawfulness of their processing relies on your prior consent should you choose to provide it. You have the option to withdraw your consent, object to the use of cookies, and check or delete cookies at any time. You can change your cookie preferences via the cookie banner by clicking the cookie icon. This will let you revisit the cookie consent banner and change your preferences or withdraw your consent right away. You can also manage your preferences by adjusting your browser settings to accept specific types of cookies or to refuse all cookies. You can delete cookies from your computer or device by following the path for their deletion from your browser’s memory. Additionally, you can set your browser to receive warnings about the use of cookies on specific websites or to block cookies altogether. Listed below are the links to the support documents on how to manage and delete cookies from the major web browsers.

For more information about our use of cookies and for adjusting your preferences, please go to the cookies settings through the pop-up window or the cookie icon at the bottom left of each page. To learn more about cookies in general you can visit www.youronlinechoices.eu.

We do not perform any automatic decision making or profiling based on your personal data.

We collect and process your personal data only when we have a valid legal basis to do so. We rely on yourconsent when you subscribe to our newsletter or consent to third-party, analytics cookies. We rely on our legitimate interest in promoting the project and its outcomes through the effective and secure operation of our website for any processing related to your requests made via our contact form, as well as the collection and processing of automatically collected logs for security related to purposes. In certain circumstances, we may have a legal obligation to process your personal data.

With regards to the SYNAPSE Open Call, the provision of certain personal information is necessary for participation and failure to provide the required data may result in the application being excluded from the evaluation procedure. The personal information you provide to us through the application forms are processed for the purposes of managing the open call procedure, including the submission, administrative and eligibility checks, evaluation and ranking of applications, selection of applicants, communication with applicants, and, where applicable, the preparation, award, implementation, monitoring, reporting and audit of financial support to third parties. Each consortium partner processes personal data in relation to the Open Call for the purposes described above. Public sector partners (e.g., universities, research organisations or other public bodies) process personal data because it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in them (Article 6(1)(e) GDPR), in connection with their statutory mission and participation in publicly funded research and innovation actions, including the implementation of the Open Call. Non-public sector partners (e.g., private companies) process personal data because it is necessary for the purposes of their legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR), namely: participating in the implementation of the Project and the Open Call, ensuring a fair, transparent and well-documented evaluation and selection procedure, preventing fraud and managing conflicts of interest, and maintaining appropriate records to demonstrate compliance with applicable grant, contractual and accountability requirements.

Data sharing

We may share your data within the consortium of the SYNAPSE project and with the European Commission (EC), only if necessary for the implementation and/or monitoring of the project. To learn more about the EC’s privacy policy click here. Regarding the Consortium’s associated Partner SPHYNX TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS AG, established in Switzerland, a non-EU country, it is noted that the European Commission has issued an adequacy decision stating that Switzerland provides the necessary guarantees of an adequate level of data protection. Access to your Data is granted to authorized project personnel of each organization on a need-to-know basis only if it is necessary for the implementation of the project.

Additionally, we may disclose your data to trusted third-party service providers who assist us with hosting, technical support, website administration, software maintenance, and the management of our newsletter. These providers are selected following a due diligence process, and are contractually obligated to uphold confidentiality, implement appropriate security measures, avoid unauthorized data sharing, and fully comply with applicable data protection laws, including the GDPR. This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service operated by Google LLC. (“Google”) with registered office in 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043 USA. To learn more about Google’s privacy policy click here. You can always prevent Google from processing data relating to your usage of this website (including your IP address) by installing the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en. Your contact details including your email address for sending the newsletter is managed using the electronic newsletter management software services provided by The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a MailChimp. To learn more about Mailchimp’s privacy policy click here. Appropriate safeguards are in place for the transfer of your personal data in these cases, as Google and MailChimp are based in the USA, where an adequate level of data protection is provided according to the European Commission’s adequacy decision, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. Your data will not be transferred to public authorities except to comply with legal obligations or if the transfer is necessary to take legal action.

Access to Open Call applications is provided, on a need-to-know basis, to authorised personnel and external evaluators engaged to assess and score proposals. External evaluators are bound by confidentiality and data protection obligations and may process personal data solely for the purpose of carrying out the evaluation under the instructions of the controller(s). Applications are submitted and accessed via the F6S platform, which processes personal data under its own terms and privacy policy.

Data protection and retention period

We retain your personal data only for as long as required to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Specifically, security-related log files automatically collected are stored for one year. Personal data processed based on your consent, such as data used for distributing our newsletter, are retained until your consent is withdrawn or not renewed within established intervals. Correspondence-related data are kept for up to five years. In all cases, your personal data will be securely deleted or irreversibly anonymized within two years following the project’s established completion date, unless a longer retention period is required by law. We take appropriate technical and organizational measures in accordance with good practice to ensure appropriate levels of security and safeguard your personal data against accidental or unlawful loss, alteration, theft, unauthorized disclosure or access, unauthorized use and any other unlawful forms of processing.

Personal data submitted in the context of the Open Call are stored primarily within the F6S platform environment used to manage submissions and evaluation, and, where necessary, within the consortium partners’ secure systems for purposes of administering the Open Call (e.g., eligibility checks, evaluation record-keeping, contracting of successful applicants, reporting, and auditability). Access is restricted to authorised personnel of the consortium partners and to external evaluators acting under confidentiality and data-protection obligations, on a need-to-know basis. We retain applicants’ personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes set out in this notice. In particular, applications from non-successful applicants are retained for the period necessary to complete the evaluation, communicate results, handle any queries or complaints, and ensure appropriate accountability of the selection procedure. Applications from successful applicants, and related administrative and contractual records, may be retained for longer periods where required for project implementation, reporting obligations, and potential audits and controls under applicable funding and legal requirements. At the end of the applicable retention period, personal data will be securely deleted or anonymised, unless further retention is required by law or for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

Your data protection rights

We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all your data protection rights. As a user of this website, you are entitled to the following: The right to access: You have the right to request for copies of your personal data. The right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct or complete any information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. The right to erasure: You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to object to processing: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions. The right to data portability: You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions. Where processing is based on consent you have the right to withdraw consent at any time. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, or if you need any further information, please contact us using one or more of the following:

If you feel that your privacy is not respected and wish to report a complaint, you may contact the data protection supervisory authority of your country.

Changes to our privacy policy

Our commitment to transparency means that we may periodically update this Privacy Policy. In the event of significant changes, we will provide a prior notice on the Website. You are encouraged to review the privacy policy regularly to stay informed on our latest data protection policy.

Last updated: December 2025

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