Privacy notice

We ("Aqueduct") own and operate a digital platform ("Platform") which can be accessed via a web-based application. This digital platform provides online services designed to accelerate R&D and knowledge exchange by intelligently matching Industry needs to university expertise worldwide.

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your data when we interact with you, including when a company or employer signs up for products or services from us through our Platform (the "Services"). It also sets out how you can control or limit how we use your data, as well as your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

Important Information About Who We Are

We are Aqueduct and are responsible for the Platform, and processing of any personal data through the Platform (collectively referred to as "Aqueduct", "we", "us" or "our" in this privacy notice).

We have a small team who are responsible for overseeing questions relating to this Privacy Notice and our data protection practices. If you have any questions about this privacy notice, please contact us using the details set out below.

Contact Details

Complaints

You will always have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory body. The relevant authority in the UK (where we are based) is the Information Commissioner's Office (www.ico.org.uk). If you do have a complaint, we would appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please do contact us in the first instance if possible, at the email address above.

Changes to the Privacy Policy

We keep our privacy policy under regular review and reserve the right to update this privacy policy from time to time. This privacy policy was last updated on 25th September 2025.

Third-Party Links

Our Platform or website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our Platform or Site, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

Third-Party Service Providers

We use trusted third-party service providers to help us operate and deliver our services. These providers may process limited personal data on our behalf:

We only share the minimum necessary data with these providers, and each is contractually required to protect personal data in line with GDPR.

Personal Data We Collect About You

Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

We collect personal data about you in a variety of ways. Sometimes we collect the personal data directly from you and at times we may receive personal data about you from other sources and third parties. We also collect personal data automatically when you interact with our platform.

The categories of data we collect about you will depend on the relationship we have with you:

• Contact Data includes name, address, email address and telephone numbers.
• Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website together with information on how you use our website or services.
• Profile Data includes your username and password, your interests, preferences, feedback and survey responses.
• Marketing and Communications Data includes any preferences you have for receiving marketing from us and our third parties.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. This includes UK data protection rules (under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018) and other applicable laws.

Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

• Where you have provided consent (particularly for marketing purposes). You have the right to withdraw consent at any time.
• Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you, your employer or a company you represent.
• Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
• Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.

Cookies

You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly. For more information about the cookies we use, please see our Cookie Policy.

Data Security and Retention

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know.

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements.

Your Legal Rights

Under data protection laws, you have rights including:

• Right of access – Request a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification – Request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure – Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to restrict processing – Request restriction on processing your data
• Right to object – Object to us processing your personal data
• Right to data portability – Request transfer of your data to another party

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address above.