Privacy Policy

The Horizons in Molecular Biology 2024 Organizing Committee, under the umbrella of the IMPRS for Molecular Biology Göttingen, takes the protection of your personal data seriously. We process personal data gathered when visiting our website and registering for the conference in compliance with the applicable data protection legislation. We neither publish your data without your explicit consent nor transmit them to third parties on an unauthorized basis. In the following, we provide information about which data is collected when you use our website or register for the conference using our registration and submission forms, and how exactly they are utilized.


A. General information

1. Scope of data processing

We gather and utilize users' personal data only to the extend required to ensure the functioning of our website and to provide you with the full Horizons conference experience.

2. Legal basis of data processing

To the extent that permission of the affected inidividual is obtained for the processing of personal data, Article 6 (1) lit. a of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) serves as the legal basis. In the processing of personal data to fulfil a contract whose contractual party is the individual affected, Article 6 (1) lit. b GDPR serves as the legal basis. This also applies to processing required to implement pre-contractual measures. If processing is required to safequard the justified interest of the Horizons in Molecular Biology 2024 Organizing Committee or a third party and the interests, basic rights and basic freedoms of the affected individual do not outweigh the first-mentioned interest, Article 6 (1) lit. f GDPR serves as the basis for such processing.

3. Data deletion and storage duration

The affected individual's personal data are deleted as soon as the purpose of the storage ceases to apply. Storage can also occur if provided for by European or national legistlators in EU regulations, acts or other legislation to which the Horizons in Molecular Biology 2024 Organizing Committee is subject. A deletion of data then occurs only if a storage period prescribed by one of the aforementioned norms expires, unless a necessity exists in relation to the further storage of the data for the arrangement of a contract or the fullfillment of a contract.

4. Contact details of the individuals responsible

Responsible for handling the obtained data are the members of the Horizons in Molecular Biology 2024 Organizing Committee, represented by


B. Provision of the website and creation of log files

Each time you visit our website, our service and applications automatically record data and information from the computer system of the visiting computer. The following data are gathered temporarily:

These data are stored in our systems' log files on servers hosted by the "Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen" in Göttingen, Germany. These data are not stored together with the user's other personal data.

The legal basis for the temporary saving of data and log files is Article 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. Storage occurs in log files in order to ensure the website's functionality. The data also help us optimize the website, eliminate malfunctions and ensure our IT system security. Our justified interes in data processing pursuant to Article 6 (1) lit. f GDPR also lies in such purposes.

The data are deleted as soon as they are no longer required to achieve the purpose for which they were gathered. If data are gathered for the provision of the website, this is the case if the respective visit is ended.

The recording of data for the provision of the website and the storage of data in log files is essential to operate the website. As a consequence, users do not have an option to revoke such data recording.


C. Contact form

A contact form is available on our website for the purposes of making contact electronically. If a user opts for this, the data entered in the data entry form are transmitted to us, and we save the data on servers hosted by the "Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen" in Göttingen, Germany. These data are generally your first name, your family name, your email address, and your relation to the Horizons in Molecular Biology conference, and may also contain any additional data you deliberately share with us via this form. By using our contact form, you give your consent to handle your data as stated in this data protection statement, which is also referenced. The data are utilized exclusively to process the conversation.

The legal basis for the processing of data when utilizing the contact form is the user's consent pursuant to Article 6 (1) lit. a GDPR. We employ the processing of personal data from the data entry form solely to process the initiation of the contact. The data are deleted as soon as they are no longer required for the purpose for which they were gathered. This occurs if the respective conversation with the user ends or if the user's issue has been processed conclusively. The conversation has ended if the circumstances suggest that the respective matter has been clarified conclusively. At any time, users can notify the listed contact partners that they are revoking their consent to the processing of personal data.


D. Registration and submission of additional information

On our website, we offer users the option to register for the Horizons in Molecular Biology conference using a LimeSurvey instance hosted by the "Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung Göttingen mbH", entailing the entry of personal data in an external data entry form. We generally gather your first name, your last name, your email address, your (academic) status, your affiliation, a date stamp at completion of the survey, and may also obtain any additional data you deliberately share with us via these forms. By using our registration and submission forms, you give your consent to handle your data as stated in this data protection statement, which is also referenced.

The legal basis for the processing of data is the user's consent pursuant to Article 6 (1) lit. a GDPR. If registration serves to fulfil a contract whose contractual party is the user or to implement pre-contractual measures, the additional legal basis for the processing of data is Article 6 (1) lit. b GDPR. Registering is necessary to provide the user with the full Horizons conference experience, and/or to fulfil a contract with the user or to implement pre-contractual measures. The data are deleted as soon as they are no longer required to achieve the purpose for which they were gathered. This is the case when the conference is over, all the contractual or pre-contractual measures are concluded, and the circumstances suggest that all certificates of participation have been issued.

As a user, you can cancel the registration at any time. You can also have the data saved in connection with yourself modified at any time. If the data are required to fulfil a contract or to implement pre-contractual measures, early deletion of the data is possible only to the extent that no contractual or statutory obligations prevent such deletion.


E. Data transmission

The management and storage of your personal information occurs in the case of selected services, namely our contact form (section C) and our registration forms (section D), on servers hosted by the "Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung Göttingen mbH" in Göttingen, Germany. The data itself is password-protected, with only members of the Horizons in Molecular Biology 2024 Organizing Committee having access. In contractual and pre-contractual cases, when finances are involved, data is shared with our Coordination Office of the IMPRS for Molecular Biology, Göttingen.

Your personal data will only be conveyed to state institutions and authorities in legally essential cases or for criminal prosecution based on attacks on our network infrastructure. The data are not transmitted to third parties for other purposes.


F. Rights of individuals affected

As an individual whose personal data are gathered as part of the aforementioned services, you have, in principle, the following rights, to the extend that no legal exceptions are applicable in individual cases:

Please note that in case you restrict the processing of your data, it might not be possible to provide you with the full Horizons conference experience.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority about our processing of your personal data. If you wish to file a complaint, you may also contact the State Data Protection Authority for Lower Saxony, located at Prinzenstrasse 5, 30159 Hannover, Germany, phone number +49(0)551/120-4500, poststelle@lfd.niedersachsen.de.