Privacy Policy

1. Purpose and Scope

This privacy policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your information and the rights that you have under the data protection law. It is designed to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In this document, we refer to this type of information as “Applicant and Member Data”.

1.1 The Circadian Mental Health Network (referred to as "we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your information. This policy explains how we handle data collected during grant application and new member processes. In this Policy, any statements in relation to Applicants and Member Data apply to applications submitted via email, forms or contact via our website. The Circadian Mental Health Network is hosted by the University of Edinburgh, which acts as the Data Controller for of all the data outlined in this policy.

1.2 Lawful Basis for Data Processing Under GDPR, we process your personal data based on the following lawful bases:

Consent: By submitting your application or data to us, you consent to the processing of your personal data for the purposes outlined in this policy.
Contract: Processing is necessary for the performance of tasks related to the evaluation and administration of project applications.
Legitimate Interests: Processing is required for our legitimate interests in managing and improving our application processes.

2. Information we collect

2.1 You may give us your information in order to apply for research funding, become a new Circadian Mental Health Network, use our information services or otherwise communicate with us. We may collect the following types of Applicant and Member Data:

Personal Data (name, address, phone number, email address, social media identity)
Professional Data (organisation name, current role, employment history, other expertise information, qualifications, affiliations)
Project-related information (project proposals, budget plan and other supporting documentation)
Marketing Data (source or platform through which the applicant or new member found information about Circadian Mental Health Network opportunities)
Any other personal information you may wish to voluntarily share with us, including personal health data.

2.2 We may also collect metadata related to the submission of your application or data, such as the date and time of submission.

2.3 We do not collect any additional information beyond what is explicitly provided in the submitted forms. We do not collect more information than what need to manage and monitor specific activities.

2.4 IP Addresses, Analytics, and Cookies

When you visit our website, we may collect information about your device and browsing activity. This includes your IP address, operating system, and browser type. This data is used for system administration and reporting purposes and is aggregated to provide statistical insights about our visitors’ browsing patterns. It does not identify individual users.

2.4.1 We also use cookies and Google Analytics to enhance your browsing experience and understand how our website is used. A cookie is a small file stored on your device that helps us provide a better and more personalised service. Cookies enable us to:

Estimate the number of visitors and their usage patterns.
Store information about your preferences to customise our website for you.
Speed up your searches and navigation.
Recognise you when you return to the site.

2.4.2 Google Analytics allows us to collect additional data, such as:

The type of browser and device you use.
The pages you visit on our website.
How you arrived at our site (e.g., through a search engine or a referring link).
The actions you take while on our site (e.g., clicks).

2.4.3 If you prefer not to allow cookies, you can adjust your browser settings to refuse them. However, please note that doing so may affect your ability to use certain features of our website. By default, cookies will be set unless you have adjusted your browser settings to block them.

2.4.4 To manage or disable cookies, or to learn more about them, you can visit www.allaboutcookies.org. This resource provides comprehensive guides for a variety of browsers and devices, including how to delete cookies from your machine.

2.4.5 Visitors who wish to opt out of Google Analytics can do so by using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.

Please note that restricting cookies or opting out of analytics may impact the functionality and performance of our website. We recommend allowing cookies to ensure the best possible user experience.

3. How we use the Data collected

Applicant data will be used to support and process applications, hold meetings, plan and execute events and for other purposes related to the operations of the Circadian Mental Health Network.

In addition to this, we may also use data collected to:

Communicate with applicants regarding their submissions
To generate reports on our work, services, meetings and events
Maintain records for reporting and auditing purposes
Improve processes
To respond to or fulfil any requests, complaints or queries you make to us
To communicate with the general public and Circadian Mental Health Network members about the research and researchers we fund
To meet our legal obligations, for instance to perform contracts between you and us, or our obligations to funders, regulators, government and/or law enforcement bodies.

We do not use this data for marketing purposes or share it with third parties unless explicitly required for applications evaluation processes (e.g., involving external reviewers).

4. Disclosing your data

Applicant and Member Data can be disclosed within the Circadian Mental Health Network or outside the Circadian Mental Health Network:

Within the Circadian Mental Health Network: The Circadian Mental Health Network restricts access to Applicant and Member Data to people within the Circadian Mental Health Network who have a “need to know” reason for accessing that information. For example, certain individuals within Circadian Mental Health Network will have access to your Data in order to process, manage or review a grant application. We may also share your name, research project, host institution and personal contact details with other Circadian Mental Health Network members and affiliated members, for the purpose of sharing grant applications information, your research interest and progress and promote a collaborative environment within the Network.

Outside the Circadian Mental Health Network: We may disclose Applicant and Member Data to third parties in connection with the specific purposes set out in this policy. These third parties may include:

Any joint funders of the research, host institutions or external independent members of our committees who may be part of the grant application and review processes. We may share details about the research we fund with the general public, including through the Circadian Mental Health Network website.
We will reveal the names of awardees, panel members and other key roles on our website or to third parties, on request. We do not reveal protected characteristics. We will also publish aggregated personal data on groups of people that does not reveal their underlying identities.

Data Storage and Security

We are committed to ensuring the security of data collected through different processes at the Circadian Mental Health Network. Measures in place include:

Secure storage of digital copies of all applications
Access controls to limit data access to authorised personnel only
Encryption or anonymisation of sensitive information where applicable

The Circadian Mental Health Network upholds the duty of confidentiality and protect data subjects' right to privacy. Confidential data are data not in the public domain.
Shared Data will be retained only as long as necessary for the purposes outlined in this policy or as required by applicable laws and regulations.

The data provided to the Circadian Mental Health Network will be held for 3 years following the end of the Circadian Mental Health Network funding programme and then deleted. Unless the Network funding is renewed or continued in another form. If that is the case, we will email you to remind you that your data is being retained and of your right to have it deleted.

5. Your data protection rights

Data protection legislation (GDPR) gives you rights over your personal information:

Access: You can request access to the data we hold about you.
Rectification: You can request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure: You can request the deletion of your data where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
Restriction of Processing: You can request that we limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Data Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Objection: You can object to the processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interests as the lawful basis.
Withdraw Consent: If processing is based on your consent, (i.e. Diversity Data) in your application, you can withdraw it at any time. We will ensure that your Diversity Data is excluded from future analysis within a reasonable period of you withdrawing your consent. Data that have previously been aggregated cannot be dis-aggregated.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details provided below. Please note that some rights may be limited by legal or contractual obligations.

6. Sharing Information with Third Parties

In some cases, we may share your application data with external reviewers or partner organisations involved in the evaluation or funding of projects. Any third parties will be required to adhere to strict confidentiality and data protection standards.

7. International Data Transfers

If your data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or other mechanisms approved under GDPR.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any updates will be published with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy regularly.

9. Complains or queries

For questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, or to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us at:

Circadian Mental Health Network

Email:
Website: https://www.circadianmentalhealth.org/

Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer
Governance and Strategic Planning
The University of Edinburgh
Old College
Edinburgh
EH8 9YL

Email: dpo@ed.ac.uk

About this Privacy Policy: The most recent modification was made on 02.12.2025