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Protection of your personal data is a matter of priority for the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). Therefore, we process personal data only to the extent necessary. The type of data that is required and processed, the purpose of processing and the basis on which it is processed depends on the type of service you use or depends on the task for which we require it.
Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. A natural person shall be considered identifiable if he or she can be identified directly or indirectly, in particular, by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data or an on-line identifier.
Further information on the types of data collected, the purpose of collection, the basis on which it is collected, how you can contact the responsible body and the data protection officer, and your rights relating to the processing of personal data, can be found in this Privacy Policy.
The party responsible for processing personal data is the
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)
D-53170 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)228 9957-0
Fax: +49 (0)228 99578-3601
Email: bmbf[at]bmbf.bund.de
If you have specific questions about the protection of your data, please contact the BMFTR's data protection officer:
Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)
"Data Protection Officer"
D-53170 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)228/9957-3369
Fax: +49 (0)228/9957-8-3369
Email: datenschutz[at]bmbf.bund.de
The following Policy gives you an overview of how the BMFTR guarantees the protection of your data, and informs you about the type of data collected, the basis on which it is collected and the purpose of collection.
Each time you visit a website, data required to provide the offered service is collected and exchanged. This includes:
This is known as log data (as defined in Section 2 (8a) of the Act on the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI-Gesetz)) which is stored in log files on an external server at our service provider “DLR Projektträger” beyond the time of your your visit to the website.
In addition to this log data collected during the interaction with this website, protocol data (as defined in Section 2 (8) of the BSI-Gesetz) is also collected. Protocol data is information that is used and necessary for the data transfer / communication process (metadata).
This data (protocol and log data) is created in order to protect federal/BMFTR technical infrastructure and communications technology against attacks as well as to recognize, contain or remedy disruptions or problems and is stored and analysed beyond the time of your visit to the website. This data is processed in compliance with Article 6 (1) (c) and (e) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in conjunction with Section 5 (1) sentence 4 and Section 5a sentence 2 of the BSI-Gesetz. The data is processed by the service provider “DLR Projektträger”.
The BMFTR, together with its service provider contracted for support and development “DLR Projektträger”, analyse information on your use of our website for statistical purposes on the basis of your consent in accordance with Article 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR as part of public relations work and for the purpose of providing information on tasks within the BMFTR’s remit as needed. It does so using the Matomo web analytics service.
The following data is stored when individual pages of our website are accessed:
The software is configured so that IP addresses are stored incomplete with 2 bytes concealed (e.g. 192.168.xxx.xxx). This makes it impossible for the shortened IP address to be linked to the retrieving computer, meaning that you remain anonymous as the user.
The relevant software runs only on the web servers of our service provider "DLR Projektträger" on behalf of the BMFTR. These are the only servers where user information is stored. No data is disclosed to third parties.
If you want to modify your decision regarding web analytics – i. e. give your consent or withdraw it again - you can do this by checking or unchecking the box below.
Your selection is stored in a so-called consent cookie on your hard drive. The consent cookie is automatically deleted after 24 hours.
Check your data
You can use any Internet browser to see whether cookies are set and what they contain. Detailed information can be found on the website of the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information and that of the Federal Office for Information Security.
Depending on the manner in which contact is established, different types of personal data are collected and processed. You can contact us via the contact form, e-mail or telephone.
Establishing contact via the contact form
Your e-mail address is required if you use the contact form for communication. Your request will not be processed without your e-mail address. Entering your last name, first name as well as a reason for contact (subject) is optional.
Please note that the processing of the data transmitted with the contact form and the content (which may also contain personal data transmitted by you) is based on your consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 item a) GDPR.
You can revoke your consent at any time. The legality of the processing based on your consent remains unaffected until the receipt of your revocation.
Your request, which you have communicated to us via the contact form, will be processed by the staff of the service provider "DLR Projektträger" commissioned by the BMFTR.
Establishing contact via e-mail
In addition to the personalised official e-mail addresses of the employees, contact can also be established by e-mail via the following central e-mail or contact form:
GSW[at]dlr.de
If you use one of the above-mentioned modes of contact, the data transmitted by you (e.g.: last name, first name, address), or at least the e-mail address, as well as the information contained in the e-mail (which may include personal data transmitted by you) will be stored for the purpose of establishing contact and processing your request.
Please note that the data is processed pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 item e GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 BDSG [Federal Data Protection Act] within the scope of the BMFTR's performance of its tasks. The personal data transmitted by you must be processed for the purpose of processing your request.
Your request, which you have communicated to us via the e-mail address gsw@dlr.de, will be processed by the staff of the service provider "DLR Projektträger" commissioned by the BMFTR.
Telephone
If you contact an employee by telephone, your personal data will be processed to the extent necessary to process your request.
If you contact the organisation team of the framework programme for humanities and social sciences, your request will be processed by an employee of the service provider "DLR Projektträger" commissioned by the BMFTR. Your data (e.g.: last name, first name, address, e-mail address, telephone number) will be stored there for the purpose of processing your request and in accordance with the statutory and contractual requirements, as far as this storage is necessary to process your request.
Please note that the data is processed for this purpose pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 item e GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 BDSG within the scope of the BMFTR's performance of its tasks.
When you contact us, your personal data will be collected and processed by the service provider "DLR Projektträger" commissioned by us to process your request. Your data will only be stored for the purpose of processing your request and in accordance with the statutory and contractual requirements. If your request cannot be processed by the service provider's employees, it will be forwarded to the BMFTR.
The employees of the BMFTR will process the transmitted data only in connection with the processing of your request. In such cases, the transmitted data is stored in accordance with the time limits for the storage of written records laid down in the Registry Directive (Registraturrichtlinie), which supplements the Joint Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries (Gemeinsame Geschäftsordnung der Bundesministerien, GGO).
If the matter concerns a service provider of the BMFTR or can only be answered by this service provider, your request and the personal data required for processing will be forwarded to the responsible service provider. The service provider will process your data only for the purpose of processing your request and in accordance with the statutory and contractual requirements.
In these above-mentioned cases, the data will be forwarded on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 item e GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 BDSG within the scope of the BMFTR's performance of its tasks.
In addition, within the scope of exercising professional and legal supervision, it may be necessary to transfer your available personal data in connection with your request to the authorities under our supervision. In these cases, the transfer is based on Section 25 para. 1 BDSG in conjunction with Section 23 para. 1 no. 6 BDSG.
According to Section 1 of the Law on the Powers of the Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag, the BMFTR may be obliged to transmit your personal data to the Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag in order to prepare decisions on complaints pursuant to Article 17 of the Basic Constitutional Law.
If you participate in the "Foto-Highlights" photo competition of the framework programme for humanities and social sciences, your data will be stored on the servers of the service provider "DLR Projektträger" commissioned by the BMFTR. In order to participate, the Conditions for Participation and Image Rights Form should be signed and submitted along with the photo(s).
The following data will be collected:
The data will be used to conduct the photo competition. In particular, it will be used to check and transfer the rights of use to the submitted images.
The additional data that you provide voluntarily (short description of the image, name to be displayed in case of publication) will also be displayed on the website in the event of publication.
By participating, you agree to the use of the image, without restrictions in time and space, in an unchanged or modified form (e.g., electronic image processing) for all press and public relations activities within the scope of the application for the photo competition "Foto-Highlights" as well as for further press and public relations activities (in particular, on websites, in newsletters and on social media platforms as well as in print products) of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR)and of the DLR Projektträger.
Please note that the processing of the data transmitted within the framework of the photo competition and the content (which may also contain personal data transmitted by you) is based on your consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 item a) GDPR.
You can revoke your consent at any time. The legality of the processing based on your consent remains unaffected until the receipt of your revocation.
Data for dispatching newsletter
If you register on our website for topic-specific newsletters, your e-mail address and the newsletter list(s) you have selected will be stored by us on the servers of the service provider "DLR Projektträger" which has been commissioned to provide support and development services.
The data will be processed on the basis of your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 item a GDPR. You can revoke your consent at any time by unsubscribing from the newsletter. The legality of the processing based on your consent remains unaffected until the receipt of your revocation.
Your data will only be used for sending the newsletter and for statistical analysis to analyse system performance. During the statistical analysis of system performance, the size of the mailing list and the usage of the corresponding technology will be used for analysis. In the event of individual problems with regard to delivery, your data will be used by the commissioned service provider DLR Projektträger only to resolve the problem. We do not pass on your data to third parties and do not use it for any other purposes of our own.
When you register, your data will be stored on the servers of the service provider DLR Projektträger, which is commissioned for providing support and development services, and a confirmation message with a link for the final registration will be generated and sent to the specified e-mail address. If you do not confirm the registration via the link in this e-mail, the data will be deleted after 24 hours.
Only after confirmation of the link given in the e-mail will your data be stored in order to dispatch the newsletter during the period in which you use our newsletter service.
The registration system with an additional confirmation message containing a link for final registration (double opt-in) ensures that the newsletter is explicitly requested by you.
Unsubscribing from the newsletter/Viewing newsletter data
You can unsubscribe from our newsletters at any time if you no longer agree to the storage of your data for this purpose and therefore no longer wish to use our offered service. The data provided by you will then be deleted. Please follow this link in order to unsubscribe. To do this, you will need the e-mail address with which you registered.
As part of its public relations work, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMFTR) operates an online presence on social networks (Facebook, Instagram, X and Mastodon) to provide information about the BMFTR to active users of those networks. This gives the public different possibilities to learn about the work of the BMFTR with consistently high-quality information provided via various media channels. You can find out more about our information channels on the BMFTR website. Links to social media are marked on our website with the corresponding Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, YouTube or X logos. No social plug-ins are used.
The functions assigned to the corresponding links, in particular the transmission of information and user data, are not enabled by merely visiting our website but are only activated when the corresponding links are clicked.
If you follow a link from our website while you are logged into your own corresponding social media account, the information that you visited our website will be passed on and may be traced to that account. To prevent this, you will need to log out of your social media account before clicking on the link.
Please note that the BMFTR has no control over the terms of use of these services and their operators. These services store and process personal data of their users (e.g. personal information, IP address etc.) in accordance with their guidelines. The BMFTR has no influence over the collection of data and its further use by the social networks. Thus, the BMFTR has no knowledge about the extent, the location and the period of time such data is stored, whether and to what extent these networks meet applicable obligations to delete data, what analysis and links the data is subjected to and with whom the data is shared. Please consult the data protection guidelines of these providers with regard to your rights and options for settings to ensure the protection of your privacy.
The BMFTR restricts the use of its accounts – including for reasons of personal data protection – to content provided within the scope of the BMFTR’s press and public relations work. Administrative services of the BMFTR or communication that goes beyond the aforementioned use are not offered, processed or answered via the service in question.
Please do not actively share any personal data with the BMFTR via social media channels, for example in posts, comments or retweets. Always use our direct communication channels to contact the BMFTR.
All interactions with the social media accounts (sharing, retweeting, commenting, boosting or quoting posts) will be displayed publicly. This applies to actions by third parties in connection with posts from the BMFTR account as well for actions by the BMFTR account in connection with posts by third parties.
Direct messages on social media platforms are not always end-to-end encrypted and are therefore accessible for the administrators of the BMFTR’s and the recipient’s accounts.
The data that is sent to us in direct messages and comments etc. via the social media platforms is saved by the operators of these platforms and may be analyzed and/or processed on servers outside the European Union. For details of how data is processed by the different platforms or the BMFTR, please refer to the relevant sections below.
Individuals who follow accounts are usually identified publicly. When you send a message, the date and the time will be saved together with the information concerning which application you have used. Such messages may contain media attachments such as pictures and videos.
Further information on social media and how you can protect your data is available on the websites of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
If you have a Facebook and/or Instagram account and use a non-public direct message to contact the BMFTR – via the messaging services of Facebook or Instagram – the data transmitted in this way to answer your enquiry will be processed in compliance with Article 6 (1) (e) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in conjunction with Section 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG) for the purpose of fulfilling the BMFTR’s tasks.
The data will be stored in the BMFTR’s user profile as well as on a local BMFTR server for the duration of the processing of your enquiry. The enquiry (direct message via Facebook or Instagram’s messaging services) including the data communicated will be deleted from the BMFTR server and from the BMFTR’s messenger inbox on Facebook/Instagram two years after the end of the calendar year in which the enquiry was dealt with. The BMFTR is unable to provide information about whether Facebook or Instagram will continue to store the data even after the deletion of the enquiry by the BMFTR. Once the enquiry has been deleted, the BMFTR no longer has access to the message and the accompanying data on Facebook/Instagram.
Tweets are integrated on this site in such a way that a link to X is not established on the client side. Tweets are both downloaded and sent via the server. This avoids the passing of user data to X. Only the last eight messages are saved. The duration of storage therefore depends on the number of Tweets.
The Tweets displayed at www.BMFTR.de are saved on a server located in the European Union. The following data is collected: Profile and account name and picture, content of the message, number of followers and the profiles followed by the profile as well as the most recent Tweets.
If you use your X account to send a direct message to the BMFTR X account, the message and the accompanying data will be saved in the BMFTR's user profile as well as on a local BMFTR server for the duration of the processing of your enquiry. The enquiry (as a direct message via X) including the accompanying data will be deleted from the BMFTR server and from the BMFTR’s Messenger inbox in X two years after the end of the calendar year in which the enquiry has been dealt with. The BMFTR is unable to provide information about whether X will continue to store the data even after the deletion of the enquiry by the BMFTR. Once it has deleted the enquiry, the BMFTR no longer has access to the message and the accompanying data.
Please note that the data will be processed in compliance with Article 6 (1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 BDSG. In order to respond to your enquiry, it is necessary to process the personal data you provide.
Mastodon is a microblogging service whose basic functions are like those of X. As a decentralized network, however, it involves thousands of providers which operate their own Mastodon service or “instance” on their own servers.
The BMFTR’s account uses the server of the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). The BfDI operates the instance for its own press and public relations work and enables other federal authorities to use it for their official accounts.
When you access the BMFTR’s Mastodon account, the hosting provider of the BfDI (T-Systems International GmbH) processes information – as specified in the statement on data protection for the server – including the IP address of your internet connection, the operating system and the operating system version of your end device, the screen resolution of your device, the internet browser and browser version that you are using and the time at which you access the website. This is necessary in order to access the instance and enable its processing, display and control functions. Some data is stored in logs after every user visit to the site; the BfDI processes this data for purposes of server maintenance and security. IP addresses are deleted after 14 days at the latest, usually earlier. Functional session cookies are set when a user visits the site.
Individuals who follow the BMFTR or whom the BMFTR follows are shown in the BMFTR account and are visible to everyone.
Any posts or comments on BMFTR content posted on Mastodon are processed on BfDI servers, including any associated personal data. Direct messages sent to the BMFTR’s Mastodon account are processed on BfDI servers and are not end-to-end encrypted. As a result, the administrators of the BfDI instance generally have access to this information. It is therefore advisable to send sensitive information via other communication channels.
Direct messages in the BMFTR’s Mastodon account are stored on BfDI servers and on a BMFTR local server for the purpose of processing your enquiry. The direct messages and transmitted data are deleted from the BMFTR server and from the BMFTR account in Mastodon 14 days after final processing of your enquiry.
If you send a direct message to the BMFTR, follow the BMFTR or comment on BMFTR posts, the transmitted information and personal data will be processed for the purpose of fulfilling the BMFTR’s tasks – in particular official press and public relations work – in compliance with Article 6 (1) (e) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in conjunction with Section 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG).
Any posts and the associated data will be processed until actively deleted.
For details of the applicable netiquette/code of conduct and copyright law with regard to messages and posts, please see the terms of use (Parts III and IV) on the instance used by the BMFTR.
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMFTR) operates an account on the YouTube video portal of the company Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (hereafter: “Google”) for the purpose of disseminating its video content.
When the BMFTR’s YouTube channel is visited, personal data (including IP addresses) of the visitor is collected, cookies are set and the information received in this way is processed by Google / YouTube in its/their interest and under its/their responsibility (e.g. for analysis of website use). More information is available here: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en#infocollect
In their browser settings, users can check, adjust or block the setting of cookies as well as delete cookies that have already been set. The setting of cookies can also be controlled in the Google/YouTube settings.
Some information is transmitted to the parent company Google Inc., based in the USA, to other Google companies and to partner companies of Google, which may be located outside the European Union. According to its own information, Google uses the standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission or relies on the “adequacy decisions” issued by the European Commission (https://policies.google.com/privacy/frameworks?hl=de). More details about the sharing of information are available here: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en#infosharing.
If you use the address provided on YouTube to contact the BMFTR, the data transmitted in this way to answer your enquiry will be processed in compliance with Article 6 (1) (e) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in conjunction with Section 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG) for the purpose of fulfilling the BMFTR’s tasks. Your enquiry and the accompanying data will be processed for up to two years after the end of the calendar year in which the enquiry has been dealt with.
Where documents are involved that are of lasting value or are needed as evidence of the fulfilment of the BMFTR’s tasks, the period for processing is based on the maximum periods for retaining records as set out in the Registry Directive (Registraturrichtlinie, RegR), which supplements the Joint Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries (Gemeinsame Geschäftsordnung der Bundesministerien, GGO).
When the BMFTR’s YouTube channel is visited, user behaviour such as the user’s age and the videos viewed is analyzed by Google and made available to the operators of the channel, in this case the BMFTR.
We process this information (user’s age, favourite videos etc.) in compliance with Section 6 (1) (e) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in order to provide the public with information on the work of the BMFTR tailored to specific target-groups.
This website enables users to share content via the social networks Facebook, X or LinkedIn. No data is sent to the social network concerned until the user clicks on the Share function.
The website of the framework programme for humanities and social sciences has a comments feature for some articles. Users can use the feature to publicly comment on content on the website.
If you use the comments feature, you must enter the following data:
At the time the message is sent, the following data will also be stored:
Without this data, your comment transmitted via the comment feature cannot be processed.
Your consent needs to be obtained to process the data as part of the posting process.
After posting, you will receive an e-mail with your sent data as well as a link to disable your comment. The comment will be released by the editorial department after editorial review. On release, the name/nickname and the content of the comment will be published. Your e-mail address will not be published. You will be informed of this by e-mail upon release and publication.
There is no claim to publication of the comment or justification for non-publication. Comments can be deleted by the editorial department at any time without justification. Comments with content that is unlawful, pornographic, extremist, racist, damaging to reputation or business or which incite a criminal offence or contain spam will not be published.
A comment that has already been published can be deleted. To do this, use the "disable link" in the e-mail sent to you or send an e-mail to gsw@dlr.de.
Please note that the processing of the data transmitted with the comments feature and the content (which may also contain personal data transmitted by you) is based on your consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 item a) GDPR.
You can revoke your consent at any time. The legality of the processing based on your consent remains unaffected until the receipt of your revocation.
Your request, which you have communicated to us via the contact form, will be processed by the staff of the service provider "DLR Projektträger" commissioned by the BMFTR.
You have the following rights vis-à-vis the controller with regard to your personal data:
This right includes the possibility for you to request access to your personal data that is being processed by us. In particular, you can request access to information regarding the purposes of the processing, the categories of personal data concerned, the categories of recipient to whom the personal data has been or will be disclosed, the envisaged period of storage, the existence of the right to rectification, erasure, restriction of processing or to object to processing, the right to lodge a complaint, information as to the source of your data where this has not been collected by us, as well as the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling and relevant meaningful information where appropriate.
This right includes the possibility for data subjects to obtain the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning them.
The right to erasure encompasses the possibility for data subjects to obtain the erasure of data from the controller. However, this is only possible if, for example, the personal data concerning them is no longer necessary, is being unlawfully processed or consent on which the processing is based is withdrawn.
This right includes the possibility for data subjects to temporarily prevent the further processing of personal data concerning them. Such restriction mainly occurs in the period of verification regarding the exercise of other rights by the data subject.
The right to data portability encompasses the possibility for data subjects to receive from the controller the personal data concerning them in a commonly used and machine-readable format in order to have it transmitted to another controller as required. In accordance with Article 20 (3) second sentence of the GDPR, this right does not apply to processing that is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.
You have the right to object, at any time, to the processing of your personal data on the basis of Article 6 (1) (e) and (f) GDPR for reasons pertaining to your particular situation. This personal data will then no longer be processed for these purposes, unless evidence can be provided of compelling legitimate reasons for processing the data which supersede your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is necessary for the assertion, exercise or defence of legal claims.
If the personal data is processed on the basis of your consent (in accordance with Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR), you can withdraw your consent at any time for the purpose in question. The lawfulness of processing your personal data on the basis of the consent provided by you remains unaffected until your withdrawal of consent has been received.
You can assert the above-mentioned rights, for example, by sending an email to BMFTR@BMFTR.bund.de or poststelle@BMFTR-bund.de-mail.de.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority of your own choice. This also includes the supervisory authority responsible for us: Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Graurheindorfer Str. 153, 53117 Bonn, Germany.
You may also address any questions or complaints to the BMFTR’s Data Protection Officer at datenschutz@BMFTR.bund.de.
You can change the settings for web analytics at any time here.