General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force today, May 25, 2018, and is directly applicable in all Member States of the European Union.

This instrument was developed with the purpose of regulating the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data.

 The GDPR applies to bodies and entities that are part of the Public Administration, including, of course, the government area of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, which includes the FCT. A set of procedures and actions has therefore been defined to support the academic and scientific community, both individually and institutionally.

 The following measures are noteworthy: 

•  Identification of a Data Protection Officer for the government sector, under the responsibility of the General Secretariat for Education and Science, and creation of a communication channel via the email address: protecao.dados@sc-geral.mec.pt.
• Identification of Data Protection Officers in supervisory bodies, namely the Foundation for Science and Technology, the Directorate-General for Higher Education, and the Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics.
• Creation of a Personal Data Protection Unit, within the scope of the General Secretariat for Education and Science, integrating the services, bodies, structures, and entities of the government area of Science, Technology, and Higher Education.  
• Creation of a network of Data Protection Officers in the field of science, technology, and higher education, including Higher Education Institutions, for sharing best practices, questions, and concerns, and disseminating information.
•  Holding training and clarification sessions on the application of the GDPR, coordinated by the General Secretariat for Education and Science.
• Creation of support guides and best practices.

Additional information on the General Data Protection Regulation: https://www.cnpd.pt/bin/rgpd/rgpd.htm

For questions related to personal data protection within the scope of FCT, please contact RGPD@fct.pt.