CLOSE

Privacy Notice regarding the processing of personal data through the INN’s activities
Greek Version here

Last updated: 02/07/2026.

This notice (hereinafter the “Privacy Notice“) is intended to inform visitors (hereinafter also “you” as Data Subjects) of the website https://inn.demokritos.gr/  (hereinafter the “Website“) of the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (hereinafter “INN“) of the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (hereinafter “NCSR “D” or “we/us”) about how we process your personal data through the Website and INN’s activities. It also outlines your rights under the applicable data protection laws, particularly the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and Greek Law 4624/2019.

Data Controller

National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos” (Public Entity)
Patriarchou Grigoriou E’ & Neapoleos 27
Agia Paraskevi, Attica, PC 15341
Tel: +30 210 650 3410
Email: support@egov.demokritos.gr

Useful Definitions

For your better understanding, we use the following terms with the meanings set out below:

  1. GDPR: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, repealing Directive 95/46/EC;
  2. Personal Data: Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (“Data Subject”), such as full name, ID number, tax number, residential address, phone numbers, age, gender, physical characteristics, family status, profession, interests, etc;
  3. Processing: Any operation performed on personal data, such as collection, recording, organization, storage, modification, retrieval, transmission, deletion, etc;
  4. Data Controller: The natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body that determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data and bears responsibility towards the Data Subjects;
  5. Data Logs: Electronic records of Website activity stored on the servers used by NCSR “D” for the Website’s functionality;
  6. Cookies: Small text files used by the Website and stored on the device you use to access the internet (e.g. computer, mobile phone, tablet).

Data Collected Automatically – Purpose and Legal Basis

A) Data logs: NCSR “Demokritos” does not directly collect personal information through the Website, but only technical data (error logs) commonly collected by websites worldwide, such as date, type and time of error, which are automatically stored on the Website servers. The purpose of this collection is to ensure the proper functioning and security of the Website.

These data are collected and processed for as long as is necessary to ensure the technical functionality and cybersecurity of the Website, pursuant to the relevant duty in the public interest and within the scope of the exercise of public authority entrusted to NCSR “D” (legal base of Article 6(1)(e) GDPR).

B) Cookies: In addition to the above, when using the Website, cookies (small text files) are stored on your device. These cookies do not record identifying information or your IP address. However, they may include data (such as session IDs) which, when combined with other identifiers (e.g. IP address), could potentially be attributed to a specific individual and thus qualify as personal data under the GDPR. Such data are retained only for as long as strictly necessary to ensure the technical functionality and security of the Website.

For more information about the cookies used by the Website, please refer to the “Cookies Policy” section available on the Website’s footer. NCSR “Demokritos” does not collect information from non-essential cookies, unless you provide your consent via the Cookie Settings.

Data You Submit – Purpose and Legal Basis

A) Educational Programs and Activities: The INN of NCSR “D” provides high-level education and support in the fields of Physical, Chemical, and Engineering Sciences, with an emphasis on Nanotechnology and Nanoscience. These include undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral research, postdoctoral research, student internships, seminars, public lectures, and events addressed to both the academic community and the general public.

For student and researcher programs (e.g. The Erasmus+ Project AMASE or Materials for a Sustainable Future), we process the personal data required for the fulfilment of the relevant mission of National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” in the public interest and, in particular, to ensure a high level of educational services (Article 6(1)(e) of the GDPR and Article 5 of Law 4624/2019). This includes identity and contact details, certificates from universities or research institutions for students and researchers respectively, insurance details of the above persons, as well as other information required on a case-by-case basis for a specific project or research activity.

Furthermore, in the case of other activities, such as trainee researchers, summer schools, conferences and seminars, and events addressed to the general public, the processing of personal data is generally based on Article 6(1)(e) of the GDPR and Article 5 of Law 4624/2019, as it is necessary for the performance of the mission of National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” carried out in the public interest. This processing consists of collecting identity and contact details as well as other personal data, where applicable, such as written exams and participants’ grades, which are required for the proper evaluation and selection process (e.g. “Junior Researcher” program).

Some of the events/activities organised by the INN are recorded and uploaded to the Website for the purpose of communicating research work and informing and raising awareness of the public on research topics. The legal basis for processing your data for this purpose is your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR). In such cases, you will be informed in advance so that you can—if you wish—provide your consent for the recording, as well as exercise all your rights (e.g. access, withdrawal of consent, data portability, etc.).

B) Scholarship programmes: The INN designs and implements, either independently or in cooperation with other public and/or private sector entities, significant academic and industrial scholarship programmes. In this context, we collect and generally process various categories of personal data, such as identity details, curriculum vitae information, and, where applicable, written examination results, grades, etc., which are necessary for the evaluation and selection of suitable candidates, in accordance with the provisions of the relevant calls for applications and applicable legislation. This processing is based on Article 6(1)(e) of the GDPR and Article 5 of Law 4624/2019, as it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out by the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” in the public interest, namely the merit-based selection and support of scholarship recipients based on clear and predefined quality criteria, for the benefit of the Greek economy and society.

In parallel, within the framework of scholarship implementation, personal data are also processed through the monitoring of deliverables and the evaluation of scholarship holders, for the purpose of tracking outcomes, the relationship of the scholarship, and the payment of stipends, in accordance with the relevant scholarship agreements and applicable legislation. Such processing is necessary for the performance of the scholarship agreement (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR), while the processing and retention of personal data for tax and social security purposes is necessary for compliance with legal obligations of National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” arising from tax and/or social security legislation (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR).

C) Submission of applications for European research programmes (ERC, ERA Chair and Marie Curie): The INN processes personal data (such as full name, contact details, curriculum vitae, cover letter, and research interests) for the evaluation of candidate researchers who express interest in submitting proposals for collaboration or complementary research with the research groups of the INN, within the framework of European funding programmes.

The purpose of the processing is the evaluation and selection of suitable candidates and the potential establishment of collaboration within the framework of research projects of the INN, in accordance with the detailed provisions of the relevant calls and applicable legislation. This processing is based on Article 6(1)(e) of the GDPR and Article 5 of Law 4624/2019, as it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out by the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” in the public interest, namely both the merit-based selection of candidates according to predefined criteria and the assurance of a high level of fundamental and applied research.

D) Communication with the INN: In the event that you wish to contact the INN of National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” via email, we collect your personal information and contact details, as well as any other information you choose to provide in order for us to respond to your request. You are advised to provide only the strictly necessary information and to avoid including special categories of personal data.

The purpose of the collection and processing of your personal data is to enable National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” to respond to citizens’ requests for information within the scope of its responsibilities. The legal basis for the processing of personal data for this purpose is Article 6(1)(e) of the GDPR, which permits National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” to process personal data when this is necessary for the performance of its task carried out in the public interest, namely responding to citizens’ requests.

Retention Period of Personal Data

Personal data are retained in a form which permits the identification of Data Subjects only for as long as is necessary for the relevant processing purpose, considering the legislation on the disposal of public records. In particular, for the processing activities described in this Privacy Notice, the following retention periods apply:

  • Data related to research/educational programmes are retained for the duration of the programme and thereafter in accordance with the applicable legal or institutional framework governing each programme.
  • Data related to scholarships are retained for the entire duration of the scholarship and for an additional ten (10) years for tax purposes.
  • Video recordings of events are retained for as long as necessary for the purpose of the recording, unless you withdraw your consent earlier.
  • Data contained in your communications with the Institute are retained for one (1) year from the resolution of your request.

Exceptionally, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” may retain personal data for longer periods where they are processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes, or statistical purposes, as well as for purposes of demonstrating compliance, fulfilling a legal obligation, or establishing, exercising or defending legal claims. In all cases, appropriate technical and organisational measures are applied to safeguard the rights and freedoms of the Data Subject.

Recipients of Personal Data

The processing of personal data within the scope of the mission of the INN is limited to the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, and personal data are accessible only to authorised personnel of National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”. Transfers of personal data to third parties take place only where necessary for the fulfilment of the purpose for which they were collected, and where there is a relevant legal obligation, contractual cooperation, or, in exceptional cases, upon the data subject’s consent. Indicative categories of third-party recipients may include:

  • External contractors/partners of National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” acting as data processors on our behalf, such as IT service providers or cloud hosting providers, event organisers, etc., who are contractually bound to comply with the necessary data protection requirements;
  • European bodies, such as the European Commission, in the context of evaluation or participation in European research programmes (e.g. ERC, Marie Curie, etc.). It is noted that, in the event of transfers to international organisations or third countries within the framework of international research programmes, an adequate level of data protection is ensured in advance, either based on an adequacy decision of the European Commission or through appropriate safeguards under Articles 46 et seq. of the GDPR (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses, Binding Corporate Rules, and additional technical and organisational security measures);
  • Banking institutions, for the execution of payments (e.g. payment of stipends in the context of scholarships);
  • Public authorities, such as tax and audit authorities, ELKE, the Ministry of Environment and Energy, etc., in the context of compliance with legal obligations and/or upon lawful request.

Links to Third-Party Websites & Social Media

The Website may include links to third-party websites and social media platforms (e.g. LinkedIn), which operate under separate controllers and may process your data and install cookies for which we bear no responsibility. You are advised to review their respective privacy and cookies policies.

The INN maintains a LinkedIn page and processes personal data received through it solely for communication and service purposes. Additionally, we receive anonymised statistical data (e.g. age, profession, demographics) regarding user interaction with our page, through cookies installed on your device when visiting the platform. For these statistics, NCSR “Demokritos” acts as a joint controller with the social media platform.

If you do not wish your data to be processed for such statistical purposes, you may refuse or disable cookies via the platform settings. For more information, please consult LinkedIn’s terms of use, privacy policy and cookies policy.

Your Rights

You may contact NCSR “Demokritos” or the DPO at dpo@central.demokritos.gr at any time to confirm whether we process your personal data and, if so, to exercise your rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, data portability, and withdrawal of consent (where applicable), in accordance with the GDPR and Law 4624/2019. Please note that no decisions are taken based solely on automated processing. We will respond within the time limits set by the GDPR and without undue delay. If a request cannot be fulfilled, you will receive a justified response. For more information regarding your rights, please refer to the NCSR “Demokritos” Privacy Policy.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Hellenic Data Protection Authority: (https://www.dpa.gr/).

For any questions regarding the protection of your personal data, you may contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO) at: dpo@central.demokritos.gr

Updates

In the event that the INN’s activities are modified in a way that affects the processing of personal data, the Centre will accordingly amend this Privacy Notice and publish the updated version on the Institute’s website, so that you may have immediate access to it and effectively exercise your rights.

Skip to content