Privacy Policy
(Datenschutzerklärung)

1. General Information

The protection of your personal data is very important to us. This website, www.network-connected.net, is operated within the framework of the project "ConnectED – German–Ukrainian University Network for Empowering Higher Education in Environmental Protection and Nature Conservation."

The website serves as a digital networking platform that allows individuals and institutions to register, connect, and exchange information within the ConnectED community.

All data are processed in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.

2. Responsible Entity (Data Controller)

Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE)
Schicklerstraße 5, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany
Email: [email protected]

Responsible for content according to § 18 MStV:
Prof. Dr. Jan-Peter Mund, Project Leader "ConnectED"

3. Data We Collect

a) User registration and membership profiles

When you register as a member of the ConnectED Network, we collect and process the following personal data:

• Name, surname, title
• Institutional affiliation
• Position / department
• Country and contact email
• Description of research or professional interests
• Keywords/tags related to your expertise
• Optional: profile photo and links (e.g., university profile, LinkedIn)

These data are necessary to create your member profile and to display it on the website's "Network Members" page, where other users can find and contact potential partners.

You can update or delete your data at any time by contacting us at [email protected].

b) Institutional registration

Organisations that register as institutional members provide:

• Organisation name and address
• Contact person and position
• Website and contact email
• Description of institutional activities

The information will be visible in the public partner directory unless the organisation requests otherwise.

c) Automatically collected data (server logs)

The server automatically records technical data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and access time. These data are used solely for technical maintenance and security purposes and are deleted after a short retention period.

4. Purpose of Data Processing

We process personal data exclusively for the following purposes:

• Managing member registrations and profiles
• Facilitating partner search and academic collaboration
• Communicating with registered users
• Providing updates and project-related information
• Ensuring secure operation of the website

No data are used for marketing or commercial purposes.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

The processing of personal data is based on:

• Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR – your consent given during registration.
• Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR – processing necessary for providing membership services and maintaining the ConnectED Network.
• Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest in secure and functional website operation.

6. Data Sharing and Transfer

Personal data are not shared with third parties, except:

• with your consent (e.g., public member profile),
• when required by law, or
• to authorized IT service providers who host or maintain the website, bound by strict confidentiality agreements.

No data are transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

7. Data Retention

Your data will be stored as long as you are an active member of the ConnectED Network.

Upon request or account deletion, all personal information will be permanently removed unless legal obligations require longer retention.

8. Your Rights under GDPR

You have the right to:

• request information about your stored data,
• correct or delete your data,
• restrict processing,
• withdraw consent at any time, and
• request the export of your data in a machine-readable format (data portability).

Requests should be sent to: [email protected]

9. Security of Data

We implement technical and organisational measures to protect your data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, or disclosure.

All connections to the website are encrypted via HTTPS.

10. Updates to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as necessary to reflect new features, legal changes, or technical developments.

The latest version will always be available on this page.