This Privacy Policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you choose to provide to us in connection with the niconnections.com website (this “Website”) will be processed.

This Website is operated by Invest Northern Ireland. Invest Northern Ireland is also the data controller (ICO Registration number: Z6586089) for niconnections.com.

The information we collect

This Website may collect and process data that you provide to us about you, for example through filling out forms, and other information that we automatically collect from you.

Contact form
We collect questions, queries or feedback you leave, including your name, email address, telephone and country, if you use our online form to contact niconnections.com. We use these details to respond to the feedback/query you send us. In some instances, this information is passed to the authorised person in Invest Northern Ireland, government department, agency or public body that we believe can best respond or assist you.

Sign-up to receive our newsletter
We collect your name, email address, sector, city, country and postcode when you sign up to receive our monthly newsletter, Your country may be used to help us identify the volume of people who have signed up for the service by geographical region.  Your sector may be used to help us identify the volume of people who have signed up for the service by business sector.  

In addition to our monthly newsletter, we may periodically send additional emails, which we think you may find useful (e.g. sectoral or geographic updates, changes to our service). If you’ve signed up for email alerts, you can unsubscribe at any time by selecting the ‘unsubscribe’ link that appears in every email we send. We will never share your information other than for the purpose for which it was provided to us.

Event Registration Form
When you attend an Northern Irish Connections event, we will need your name, contact details. We will use this information solely for the purpose of administering the event. If you register for an event that is being hosted in partnership with other organisations, we will make this clear at registration and we will share your registration information with the partners. We may also include a list of attendees at the event as part of any information pack.

If you are attending an event where Northern Irish Connections is arranging travel and accommodation we will need to collect information to facilitate this (such as passport details). It is likely that this information will be shared with our contracted facilitator for travel (Select Travel).

If you are a speaker at a Northern Irish Connections event, we will publicly promote your involvement through social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or Google+, our email newsletters to our newsletter subscribers, and on our website. This data may continue to be processed by social media platforms after the event has ended.

Calling our telephone helpline number
When you call the niconnections.com helpline number on Tel: 0800 181 4422, you will speak to Invest NI’s Business Support Team (BST). If you have an enquiry, you may provide your name, contact details and postcode, so that they can assist with your query. BST will make a file note of your query and add this to Invest NI’s customer relationship management (CRM) system. Invest NI will keep this for a period of ten years in line with the Invest NI retention and disposal schedule (PDF, 1.65MB).

When you call the niconnections.com helpline number, your telephone call may be recorded for training and quality purposes. Invest NI will keep these calls for a period of two years. After that time the calls are deleted. You may request for your call to the helpline not to be recorded or ask for it to be deleted at any time prior to its scheduled two-year disposal.

If the service that your telephone enquiry relates to is provided by another public body, such as a local council, please note that we will share your data with the relevant council to address your query.

Marketing and Promotions Activities

We will only send you marketing information if you have consented for us to do so. You can withdraw your consent at any time by selecting the ‘unsubscribe’ link within each email. We will never sell your personal data.

When conducting promotional activities Northern Irish Connections will capture photographs and videos that identify people. Our legal basis for this activity is in the exercise of our official authority (the promotion of Invest NI role and remit). We will ensure that attendees are fully aware of the photography taking place and ensure that individuals have an option not to appear within a photograph. Images taken for promotional purposes will be shared with media outlets, our economic development partners, used on our websites and promoted through social media platforms. These images will be retained in line with our retention and disposal schedule however if you wish an image of you to be removed at any time please contact dpo@investni.com .

Northern Irish Connections also engages in lead generation or prospecting activity to promote Northern Ireland and attract businesses to Northern Ireland. This mainly focusses on corporations but as part of this activity, we will collect information on key decision-makers such as a company’s owners and senior management team, including name, job title and contact details.  This information is placed on our CRM system and is kept in line with our records retention and disposal schedule (PDF).

This may be collected from:

• Mutual acquaintances.
• Public sources, for example social media platforms (such as LinkedIn or Facebook) or publicly available sources (such as Companies House and other business-related resources, the World-Wide-Web, publications and news articles).
• Business cards, promotional materials, brochures and attendee lists associated with sector specific conferences or events available for the public and businesses to participate in.

Sharing Data

To deliver a service we may need to share your information with:

• Department for the Economy.
• Other agencies involved in economic development activities (such as local councils, other government bodies, public agencies).
• Organisations that deliver our programmes (known as external delivery organisations).
• Invest NI's professional advisers, consultants and contracted suppliers working on Invest NI's behalf, who are subject to obligations of confidence
• Invest NI overseas offices, if required for the programme you are participating in, such as a trade mission.

For effective public governance and auditing purposes, Invest NI may need to share your data with its sponsor body, the Department for the Economy, the Department of Finance and the European Commission. For business improvement (evaluation) purposes we may also share your data with Invest NI’s professional advisers, consultants and contracted suppliers working on Invest NI’s behalf, who are subject to obligations of confidence.

As required by law, we may disclose information to government bodies and law enforcement agencies for their enforcement purposes.

Invest NI will not sell your personal information.

Processing Data Outside Europe

To deliver a service it may be necessary to the transfer data outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to our overseas offices. To see the locations of these offices, click on this link: www.investni.com/about-us/where-we-are.html.
It may also be necessary to transfer data to allow attendance at overseas trade missions or events in other territories where we do not have an office.

Overseas offices have restricted access to Invest NI’s CRM system. This allows access to high-level details of all companies on the system (such as name, address and contact details). Further access to business information is only granted on a case by case basis when a business requirement has been identified.

In order to deliver a service in a country outside the EEA, we may engage the services of an external contractor in that area. In doing so, Invest NI will ensure that the contract in place will include the model EU clauses to enable the compliant transfer of any personal data required to deliver the service.

Linking to other websites
niconnections.com contains links to many other government and non-government websites. This Website does not endorse or favour any specific commercial product or business. Non-government sites linked to from this website are present only because they may be useful additions to the information we provide.

A link to a third-party website does not imply endorsement - you must use your own judgement to decide whether the information or service on that website is suitable for your needs. If a website is not linked to ours, this does not mean or imply that it is unsatisfactory. The linked websites are regularly reviewed in the light of customer usage and feedback.

We are not responsible for the content of any linked website and cannot take responsibility for the consequences of your using the information or services on linked websites. We cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time.

Websites that we link to may have 'Terms and conditions' that are different from ours. Do not assume that our 'Terms and conditions' apply to other websites

Other third-party content
We embed external content from third-party websites such as YouTube. This content is not published on niconnections.com. It is delivered using devices and services provided by such third-party sites that can be inserted into our site. We are not responsible for this content.

YouTube
Whilst we have made all reasonable efforts to display only appropriate YouTube videos through the embedded YouTube player, we are not responsible for any YouTube content accessed from our website. After a selected video clip plays, YouTube may suggest related videos, which can be played in the embedded video player. In virtually all cases, these will be directly related to the subject of the selected video. Occasionally, YouTube users may erroneously assign keywords to a video. It is, therefore, possible that an unrelated video could be displayed. Again, we are not responsible for this content. If you are concerned about this possibility, you should avoid viewing YouTube videos from the embedded player on this website.

Security and virus protection
No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as totally secure. While we strive to protect such information, we do not warrant and cannot ensure the security of any information which you transmit to us. Accordingly, such transmission is at your own risk. We will not be liable for any damages or loss arising out of or resulting from any unauthorised access to, alteration to or modification of information contained on this website.

We make every effort to check and test our website during production. You must take your own precautions to ensure that the process which you employ for accessing this website does not expose you to risk of viruses, malicious computer code or other forms of interference which may damage your computer system. It is always wise for you to run an anti-virus program on anything you download from the internet.

We accept no liability for any loss, disruption or damage to your computer system or your data caused by using this website or arising as a result of having used the website.

Information we collect from you

Information that we may automatically collect in relation to your visits to this Website does not identify you personally. It provides us with data about how you use niconnections.com and engage with us. We use this information to improve our services and make them more useful to you.

The information we collect includes some or all of the following:

Technical information.
We collect your Internet Protocol (IP) address and details of which type of web browser you used.

Information about your visit to this Website

We collect data about your visit to the website. Once again this information does not identify you personally. This data includes:

• The pages you visited, when (date and time) you visited them and how long you visited them for
• The website address from which you accessed this site
• The website address from which you exited this site
• Queries via the site’s search engine
• Internet browser and devices used

We collect information on how you use the site, through cookies.

Cookies

Cookie Settings

"Cookies" are small text files that are stored on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website.

They allow the website to recognise your device and remember if you have been to the website before. Cookies are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, as well as providing information to the owners of websites on site usage and performance.

There are different types of cookies. Necessary cookies enable a site’s core functionality - a website cannot function properly without these cookies. You can disable necessary cookies by changing your browser preferences. Analytical cookies measure the pages a customer visits on a website - website owners collect this information to make site improvements and report on site usage. Third-party cookies can be used for advertising purposes.

How cookies are used on niconnections.com

Some of the cookies we use are essential for site functionality.

Other cookies help us to improve your website experience, including the content and technical performance of niconnections.com, by providing insights into how the site is used. For example, they allow us to count the number of visitors to specific pages, and to analyse website usage patterns and trends.

Some cookies help us to match relevant business support with your interests – this assistance may appear in the form of advertisements via websites you visit.

The information we collect does not enable us to identify any website visitor personally. No individual data or personal information is stored in our cookies.

What we do with the information we collect

We use the information that we collect to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, including the following:

• respond to any request/feedback you send us if you’ve asked us to
• send email alerts to you, if you request them
• provide you with information about business support, if you want it
• analyse, evaluate and improve this Website via data amalgamated from multiple visitors, which does not identify you personally

Our lawful basis for collecting your information

As a public sector body, the vast majority of personal data processed by Invest NI is done so in the exercise of the ‘official authority’ vested in Invest NI by virtue of the Industrial Development Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 and the Industrial Development (Northern Ireland) Order 1982. Broadly these allow Invest NI to process data for economic development purposes. Where we are relying on your consent to process your personal data we will make this clear at the point of collection.

Where your data is stored?

We store your data on secure servers in the European Economic Area (EEA).

How long do we keep your information?

We will not retain data longer than is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or as required by applicable laws or regulations. Information will be stored and then destroyed in line with the Invest NI retention and disposal schedule (PDF, 1.65MB).

The only exceptions to the periods mentioned above are where:
• the law requires us to hold your personal information for a longer period, or delete it sooner
• you have unsubscribed from a service (eg email newsletter)
• you exercise your right to have the information erased (where it applies) and we do not need to hold it in connection with any of the reasons permitted or required under the law

Who do we share your information with?
For effective public governance and auditing purposes, Invest NI may need to share your data with its sponsor body, the Department for the Economy, the Department of Finance and the European Commission. For business improvement (evaluation) purposes, we may also share your data with Invest NI’s professional advisers, consultants and contracted suppliers working on Invest NI’s behalf who are subject to obligations of confidence.

As required by law, we may disclose information to government bodies and law enforcement agencies for their enforcement purposes. We will never share information other than for the purpose for which it was provided to us (economic development related activities).

Invest NI will not sell your personal information.

Your Rights

As an individual whose personal data is processed by Invest NI, you have:

The right to be informed
Transparency is a key requirement of data protection law. You have the right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data. This privacy notice is designed to provide you with the information needed to allow you to see how and why your personal data is used when visiting this website.

The right to access the data we hold on you
You also have the right to ask for the personal data that we have about you to increase your awareness of and allow you to verify the lawfulness of the processing. To protect your privacy we may ask you to verify your identity.

The right to have your data rectified if it is inaccurate
If you believe that personal data we hold on you is inaccurate or misleading then you have the right to request that it is rectified.

The right to erasure (in limited circumstances)
In some circumstances, you can ask for your personal information to be deleted, for example:

• your personal information is no longer needed for the reason it was collected in the first place
• you have removed your consent for us to use your information (where there is no other legal reason us to use it)
• there is no legal reason for the use of your information

Please note that we cannot delete your information where:

• we’re required to have it by law
• it is necessary to perform our functions as a public body
• it is necessary for legal claims

It is envisioned that the right to erasure will be limited as the legal reason the vast majority of personal data is processed by Invest NI is in the exercise of its ‘official authority’ - ie following the requirements of legislation.

The right to have your data restricted or blocked from processing
In certain circumstances if you raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you may also request that we ‘restrict processing’ meaning that the data will be preserved from further processing ‘as evidence’ either while we investigate your complaint or to support your complaint to the ICO.

The right of data portability (in limited circumstances)
Where you have provided your personal data directly to us that is processed by automated means and is done so purely on the basis of your consent, then you will have the right to obtain and reuse your personal data in an electronic format for your own purposes across different services.

The right to object to direct marketing
You have an unconditional right to object to direct marketing at any time. As noted within this privacy notice niconnections.com will not send you direct marketing without your consent and you can withdraw your consent at any time by selecting the ‘unsubscribe’ link within each email.

The right to object to processing of your personal data
Processing is the term under data protection law that describes all uses of your personal data. This will include the collection, sharing, storage, retention and destruction of your data.

You have the right to object any aspect of our processing of your personal data:

• that is processed for the performance of a task in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority;
• that is processed based on Invest NI’s legitimate interests;
• that is processed for purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics; and
• if it involves any automated decision making or profiling carried out by Invest NI
If you would like to exercise your right of access in relation to information held on you by Invest Northern Ireland, email dpo@investni.com

Contacting us
If you have any specific data protection queries or concerns, you can address it to Invest Northern Ireland’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@investni.com

How can you make a complaint about how your data is processed?

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of how Invest NI processes your personal data, you can lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office, the data protection regulator in the UK.

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Email: casework@ico.org.uk

Changes to this privacy policy
Future changes to this Website's Privacy Policy will be published on this page and, where appropriate, sent to you by email notification. Please check back frequently to read any updates or changes to this Privacy Policy.

If you require a copy of this notice in an alternative format (including Braille, disk, audiocassette or in minority languages to meet the needs of those who are not fluent in English), then please contact the Equality Team on Tel: 028 9069 8273, Text phone: 028 9069 8585 or email equality@investni.com.

What we can and can't do

At Northern Irish Connections we’re passionate about celebrating and showcasing what makes Northern Ireland a great place to live, work, study, visit, invest and do business. We want to be clear with our users about how we can help.

What we can do

• Welcome uplifting stories that showcase the best of Northern Ireland at info@niconnections.com
• Keep subscribers inspired with regular updates of the latest developments in Northern Ireland sign up for our email newsletter
• Spotlight stories of those making it ‘back home’ and those making Northern Ireland their new home and highlight opportunities in fast-growth sectors.

 
What we can't do

• Advertise products or services to the Northern Irish Connections network.
• Ask the NI Connections database for funding or donations on your behalf.
• Promote specific job opportunities on behalf of employers.
• Respond to the promotion of products or services to Northern Irish Connections.