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Privacy Policy

The Foundation for Science and Technology, I. P., abbreviated as FCT, is a public institute integrated in the indirect administration of the State that pursues the attributions of the Ministry of Education and Science, under the supervision and tutelage of the respective Minister. Its mission includes the development, funding and evaluation of institutions, networks, infrastructures, scientific equipment, programs, projects and human resources in all areas of science and technology, as well as the development of international scientific and technological cooperation and the coordination of public policies on science and technology.

In the context of its public interest mission, the FCT is committed to the principles underlying the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD), the Portuguese Data Protection Law and other applicable legislation, in accordance with which it guides the privacy of all holders of personal data processed as the controller, as well as all users of this website, assuming it as fundamental:

  • respect the privacy and selection of the contents you consult on the website;
  • identify and limit the processing of any personal data collected to what is strictly necessary to successfully complete the action submitted and requested;
  • not use the personal data for purposes other than those identified and previously communicated;
  • treat your personal data in strict compliance with the law, ensuring the security and protection measures that are necessary and applicable.

In order to ensure a holistic, systematized and clear vision of the policies adopted by the FCT in matters of privacy and protection of personal data, the Cookies Policy is considered related to this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy aims to inform website users about the personal data that the FCT collects, how it handles them, for what purposes, with whom they are shared, the retention period, as well as the different ways users can contact the FCT to learn and exercise their rights.

In the collection and processing of data, the FCT ensures compliance with best practices in the field of security and protection of personal data, adopting, for this purpose, technical and organizational measures that ensure compliance with the principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, limitation, minimization of data, accuracy, limitation of storage, integrity and confidentiality, established in paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the RGPD.


Personal Data

Under Article 4(1) of the GDPR, personal data is defined as all "information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ("data subject"): an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, through reasonable means, in particular by reference to a name, an identification number, location data, electronic identifiers or to one or more factors specific to his or her physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity.


Data Controller

FCT assumes the role of data controller and determines the purposes and means of processing the personal data.


Purpose of Processing and Categories of Data

Personal data is collected from the owners of the personal data. If personal data are collected from third parties, the owner of the personal data will be duly informed of the collection and of his/her rights.

Personal data is collected using the myfct.fct.pt and ciencia-id.pt platforms and processed for a set of purposes related to the pursuit of the FCT mission and attributions of a public nature, such as the management of Calls, of Studentships and contracts to researchers, funding of research and development projects and also for archiving purposes of public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.

Additionally, FCT may process personal data resulting from navigation on the https://www.fct.pt website in accordance with the Cookies Policy, for the purpose of disseminating information relevant to the scientific community and also process personal data voluntarily provided, namely through the use that is made of the https://www.fct.pt website by filling out contact forms, registration forms, application forms, or by sending electronic mail.

In this context, the FCT collects and processes personal data concerning the following categories: identification data, contact data, qualification data, professional data, banking data, image data.


Grounds for Lawfulness of Treatment

The personal data collected by the FCT is based on the execution of contracts to which the data subjects are a party or in the scope of pre-contractual diligences at the request of the data subjects, the fulfillment of legal obligations to which the FCT is subject, the exercise of functions of public interest, in strict compliance with points b), c), e) and f) of paragraph 1 of Article 6 of the RGPD.


Data Subject Rights

As the holder of personal data, you may exercise, within the limits of the law, the following rights: right of access to your personal data; right to rectify your personal data which is inaccurate or incomplete; right to erasure of your personal data; right to limitation of processing of your personal data; right to portability of your personal data; right to object to the processing of your personal data; right to complain to the National Commission for the Protection of Personal Data(www.cnpd.pt), if you consider that any of the rights listed are being violated.


Subcontractors and Recipients

The availability of information or the provision of services by the FCT to the users of this website, namely service recipients, students, researchers or citizens in general, may eventually imply the use of the services of subcontracted third parties, including entities with headquarters outside the European Union, for the provision of certain services. This may imply access by these entities to the personal data of the aforementioned users.

Accordingly, only the personal data that is strictly necessary will be communicated and transferred. In any case, FCT shall remain the controller of the personal data made available to it.

The subcontracting entities that process personal data on behalf of FCT shall be obliged to provide, in writing, sufficient guarantees of the implementation of technical and organizational measures that are appropriate to comply with the legislation in force on privacy and protection of personal data and that ensure the protection of the rights of the data subject. Such guarantees shall be formalized in a contract signed between FCT and each of these third parties.


Data Transfer

In order to carry out the FCT's mission, it may be necessary to transfer personal data outside Portugal, including outside the European Union and/or to international organizations.

In these circumstances, the FCT commits to strict compliance with the applicable legal provisions regarding the suitability of the destination country(ies) in terms of protection of personal data and the requirements imposed on such transfers, including, whenever required, the execution of appropriate contractual instruments that guarantee and respect the legal requirements in force.


Shelf life

The period for which personal data are stored is the period established by law or regulation or, failing that, the period necessary for the pursuit of the purpose for which they were collected and processed, after which time the personal data are deleted.

When processing for scientific research purposes, or for statistical purposes, the FCT may retain some of the data for longer periods, without prejudice to the obligation to always ensure the essence of the right to the protection of personal data and the adequate and specific measures for the defense of the fundamental rights and interests of the data subject.


Measures taken to ensure the security of personal data

To ensure the protection of personal data, the FCT implements strict, internationally recognized rules that apply to all those who legally handle personal data.

Accordingly, security measures of a technical and organizational nature are implemented in order to protect the personal data made available to the FCT, as well as the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of the data processed. The personal data stored by the FCT are encrypted and anonymized whenever possible, and subject to access control based on the principle of least privilege.

The FCT continuously reviews the quality and information security practices it adopts in order to ensure, on the one hand, their continuous improvement, and on the other hand, that it keeps abreast of new cyber threats and implements the necessary countermeasures.


Data Protection Officer

The FCT has appointed a Personal Data Protection Officer, so you may contact him directly, using the means provided below, about all issues related to the processing of your personal data and the exercise of your rights. Contacts: dpo@fct.pt


Notification and complaint

Without prejudice to sending direct notification to the FCT through the contacts listed below, you may complain directly to the National Commission for Data Protection(www.cnpd.pt), using the contacts made available by this entity for this purpose.

The information above may be altered in accordance with the law, judicial decision, or recommendation by the competent administrative authority. Should this occur, the update will be made as soon as possible.