Liverpool Business Clinic privacy notice

Information you need to know

The Business Clinic is part of the Liverpool Business School. See further information on the institution.

Liverpool John Moores University is the Data Controller.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

This privacy notice explains how we use your personal information and your rights regarding that information.

For information about how the wider university uses personal data, please see the Privacy notice section of our website.

Information we are collecting

We collect information to determine whether we can support your project brief and to facilitate student project work within the Business Clinic. This includes:

  • your name, address and contact details
  • organisation name and address
  • type of business and number of employees (where relevant)
  • information about your business and the project brief you submit
  • student name and contact details
  • student number
  • information contained in Code of Practice forms or associated project documentation

Source of the personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you submit an online form, contact us by email, or provide information by telephone, letter or in person.

We also receive organisational information provided as part of a project brief, and student information submitted through Code of Practice forms or related project documentation.

Why we are collecting your data and the legal basis for this

We process personal data in line with the principles of the UK GDPR and only where there is a valid lawful basis for doing so.

We collect personal information to assess whether we are able to support your project brief and to deliver student project placements and consultancy activity through the Business Clinic. As the Business Clinic forms part of the university’s taught modules, we rely on the lawful basis of public task to process your personal data.

We will use your information solely in connection with the business issue you have approached the Business Clinic about.

Once you have agreed to use the service, either online or in hard copy, we will share relevant information with the academic staff members, students, and business consultants involved in working on your project brief. They may contact you and meet with you to discuss progress during the project period.

Notes may be taken during meetings with academic staff, students, or business consultants. These will be used only for the purpose of progressing work on your project brief.

Who has access to this data

Your personal data will be accessed only by:

  • Business Clinic staff
  • academic staff supervising the project
  • students or business consultants involved in delivering your project brief

No information is shared with external third parties unless required by law.

How the university protects your data

We are committed to keeping your personal data safe in line with data protection legislation and the university’s information security and data protection policies.

All information is stored on secure LJMU systems, including the Business Clinic MS Teams site and restricted access shared drives, accessible only to authorised staff and students.

How long the university keeps your data

We retain your information in accordance with the university’s Records Retention Schedule. For Business Clinic documentation, this is until the end of the relevant project or placement activity, plus six years, in line with legal and regulatory requirements.

After this period, your information is securely disposed of.

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

  • access and obtain a copy of your data on request - this could be in a portable electronic format
  • request that the university changes incorrect or incomplete data if you think that it is inaccurate or out of date
  • request that the university delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary or legally required for the purposes of processing

If your personal data has been provided by consent, you have a right to withdraw that consent at any time.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Data Protection Officer at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

If you do not provide data

If you do not provide the information we need, we may be unable to assess your project brief or offer support through the Business Clinic, as certain details are essential for matching projects with students and ensuring the activity can proceed.

Transfers of data outside the UK

Your data will not be sent outside the UK.

Automated decision-making

We do not use computers to make decisions about you based solely on your personal data. Any decisions that affect you will always be made by a human, ensuring that you are treated fairly.

How to complain to the university

You have a right to complain to the university if you think it has not properly responded to your request for personal information or feel it has not handled your personal data responsibly.

If you are not satisfied with how your request for information or how your personal data has been handled, you should set out your complaint in writing to:

Maria Burquest
 University Secretary and General Counsel
Legal and Governance Services
2nd Floor Exchange Station
Tithebarn Street
Liverpool
L2 2QP

or by email via DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

How to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

You have the right to complain to The Information Commissioner if you believe that our processing of your personal data does not meet our data protection obligations. The Information Commissioner can be contacted using the following details:

  • Post: Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK95AF.
  • Telephone: 0303 123 1113.
  • Email: contact can be made by accessing the ICO website.