Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Centre for Health Research Methodology ("we", "us", or "our") is part of the University of Galway, Ireland. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU 2016/679), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable Irish and European data protection legislation.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal data when you visit our website or interact with our services.

2. Data Controller

The data controller for personal data collected through this website is:

3. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

3.1 Information You Provide

• Contact information (name, email address) when you contact us via email or enquiry forms
• Registration details when you sign up for training events, courses, or fellowships
• Professional information relevant to your enquiry or application

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Technical data such as IP address, browser type, and operating system
• Usage data including pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns
• Cookie data (see Section 8 for details)

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under Article 6 of the GDPR:

• Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for specific purposes
• Contractual necessity: Where processing is necessary to perform a contract with you (e.g., course registration)
• Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, such as improving our services and website functionality
• Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation

5. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data to:

• Respond to your enquiries and provide information about our programmes and services
• Process registrations for training events, courses, and fellowships
• Send relevant communications about our activities (where you have consented)
• Improve and maintain our website and services
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements

6. Data Sharing and Transfers

We may share your personal data with:

• University of Galway departments and affiliated research networks (HRB-TMRN, Evidence Synthesis Ireland, Cochrane Ireland)
• Third-party service providers who assist with our operations (under appropriate data processing agreements)
• Legal authorities where required by law

Where personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with GDPR requirements, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing. When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.

8. Cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience and analyse website usage. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

We may use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies: Necessary for the website to function properly
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website
• Functional cookies: Enable enhanced functionality and personalisation

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

9. Your Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances
• Right to restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 11.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website contains links to external websites, including those of our partner organisations (HRB-TMRN, Evidence Synthesis Ireland, Cochrane Ireland, University of Galway, Health Research Board). These websites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their content or practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact:

For matters relating to data protection at University of Galway, you may also contact:

12. Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response to a data protection concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC), Ireland's supervisory authority:

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.