Grand Challenges Canada (“Grand Challenges Canada,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and the security of your personal information under our control. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) applies to all personal information (defined below) collected, used, processed or disclosed by Grand Challenges Canada with respect to the Website (defined below), users, funding applicants and funded innovators and their respective directors, officers, project leads and representatives, service providers and those who sign up for our mailing lists (“you” or “your”).

This Policy describes:

  • The types of personal information we may collect from you or that you may provide to Grand Challenges Canada.
  • Our practices and purposes for collecting, using, processing, protecting and disclosing that information.
  • Your rights and choices.

Introduction

This Policy applies to information about you, which includes information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact or locate a single person (“personal information”) and that is collected by or on behalf of Grand Challenges Canada during the course of providing its services to stakeholders.

If you are residing in the European Economic Area (“EEA”), please refer to the section below describing specific rights under European law. In this Policy, references to personal information shall include the term “personal data” as such term is understood under European privacy law.

Grand Challenges Canada may collect personal information through their website(s), Grand Challenges Canada’s Fluxx Portal (the “Fluxx Portal”), or any other Grand Challenges Canada web properties or third-party sites managed by Grand Challenges Canada (together, the “Website”), or from you or a third party authorized by you or by law, in person, by telephone, by mail, by email, by text or through other form of electronic communication.

Grand Challenges Canada collects, uses, processes and discloses personal information in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and as described in this Policy.

Means and Type of Information Collected

In most cases, we will collect information directly from the individual to which the information relates. In limited circumstances, we will collect information indirectly or from third-party sources, but always in accordance with the law and this Policy.

1. Automated Technologies or Interactions: Cookies
Grand Challenges Canada may collect some information automatically from visitors to the Website. For example, Grand Challenges Canada may collect your domain name and host for Internet access, the Internet address of the website from which you arrived, the date and time of your access, your computer’s IP address and information about its operating system, browser and host, and the pages you visit. Grand Challenges also uses “cookies”, “web beacons” and other tracking mechanisms in accordance with its Cookie Statement.

We use the information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including personal information, to enable better and easier use of the Website, to provide you with information that you request from us, to provide social media features, and for statistical and analytical purposes.

You can set your browser to disable cookies but some pages and services within the Website may not work properly, or may not allow you access if you do so. For more information, please see our Cookie Statement.

2. Direct Interactions: Mailing Lists, Employment and Funding
Grand Challenges Canada requests and collects personal information, including (but not limited to) when you register for our mailing list or our Fluxx Portal, when you are applying for, negotiating, receiving or reporting on Grand Challenges Canada funding, and when you are applying for a job. Such requested personal information may include (but is not necessarily limited to) your name(s), location(s), email address(es), personal address(es), business address(es), employer(s), native language(s), job title(s), age(s), personal identification documents and phone number(s).

When Grand Challenges Canada collects personal information from you, Grand Challenges Canada will identify the purposes for which the personal information is being collected before or at the time of collection, and will limit collection to those purposes. It is your choice, or the choice of anyone acting for you, whether or not to provide personal information to Grand Challenges Canada. Some personal information must be provided if you wish to receive certain services from Grand Challenges Canada; for example, you wish to sign up for Grand Challenges Canada’s mailing list, access certain areas of the Website, apply for funding or employment, or participate in certain programs or activities.

Grand Challenges Canada will only collect such personal information for the purposes identified by Grand Challenges Canada at the time of collection, and personal information will be collected by fair and lawful means. Please exercise good judgment about the appropriateness of the personal information you submit to Grand Challenges Canada. Do not provide personal information about others unless you are either (a) authorized or required to do so by applicable law or contract, or (b) you have the consent of the person to whom the information relates.

Third-Party Sources: Funding
Grand Challenges Canada may also collect personal information about you from public sources or a third party who is legally authorized to share your personal information. For example, in assessing whether or not an applicant is eligible for a grant or loan from Grand Challenges Canada or, in the case of an audit of a funding agreement, Grand Challenges Canada may use third-party service providers to collect, provide and/or review personal information of a funding recipient and related parties. Such information may have been provided by you or be available in a public database, such as a government-published database.

Use of Personal Information
Grand Challenges Canada typically uses personal information to pursue its mission and operations, and to engage in the activities for which we collect it. Grand Challenges Canada may use the personal information collected by us for all lawful purposes, including, without limitation:

  • For communications with you about your account or any of your requests.
  • To inform you about any relevant Grand Challenges Canada news and information, or any relevant news or information of Grand Challenges Canada’s partners or affiliates, including new requests for proposals or other related information.
  • To process and review funding applications.
  • To conduct due diligence and background check activities, which may include identity verification, anti-terrorism, anti-corruption, legal personality, economic sanctions and financial checks.
  • To provide you with status updates on your application.
  • To provide ongoing service to grantees, applicants, partners and other relevant organizations and individuals.
  • In promotional materials of Grand Challenges Canada events and about funding recipients.
  • To conduct ongoing reporting and audits on funded projects.
  • As required to comply with the law.

Disclosure and Transfer of Personal Information
Grand Challenges Canada will only disclose, transfer or share personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, such as to partners, service providers, suppliers and others connected to Grand Challenges Canada’s mission and operations, so long as such disclosure is consistent with applicable law. As examples, Grand Challenges Canada may disclose personal information to the following third parties:

  • Funding Partners – Grand Challenges Canada may partner with other organizations to develop, fund and administer grant programs.
  • Third-party contractors, consultants and experts – Grand Challenges Canada may retain consultants and experts, as necessary, to review applications and provide due diligence and additional services.

We have contractual and other safeguards in place to ensure our service providers and suppliers protect your information and do not use your information beyond the purposes for which it was provided to them.

Given the international aspect of our work, your personal information may be transferred to third parties located outside of Canada. While in transit or located in those third-party countries, local laws will apply and these laws may be less protective of your information than Canadian laws, and your information may be accessible by local law enforcement.

Grand Challenges Canada may also disclose personal information when permitted or required by law.
With your consent, Grand Challenges Canada may also post certain information about you on the Website that is visible to other visitors if you have been successful in receiving an award, including, without limitation, biographic information and/or links to public information and media about you, your website and/or your social media pages.

Withdrawal of Consent
You may request to access or correct your information or withdraw consent to Grand Challenges Canada’s collection, use or disclosure of your personal information at any time (subject to reasonable notice and the legal obligations to which Grand Challenges Canada is subject) by contacting Grand Challenges Canada using the contact information provided below. After you have withdrawn consent, subsequent access to the Website, registration for the mailing list or the Fluxx Portal by you, or provision of personal information by you shall be deemed to once again constitute your consent and agreement to this Policy. If you do not consent to the collection and use of personal information described herein, please do not access the Website, register for the mailing list or Fluxx Portal, or provide any personal information to Grand Challenges Canada. Please note that withdrawal of your consent may not extend to funding and other agreements already in process, and could affect Grand Challenges Canada’s ability to provide you with services, funding and/or employment.

If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use this Website or provide us with your personal information. If you have any questions about this Policy, please contact us. (See information at the end of this document.)

Data Security Measures
Your personal information is protected with appropriate technical, organizational and administrative security measures relative to the sensitivity of the information we process. While we have these measures in place, transmission over the Internet is not completely secure and we cannot guarantee the security of your information.

International Users and Residents of the European Economic Area (EEA)/United Kingdom
Due to the international nature of our work, we may collect from or disclose information to locations outside of Canada, including the EEA. Your information will be treated and protected by us in accordance with this Policy and applicable laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Legal Basis for Processing
We will only process your information for the purposes identified to you at the time of collection and as outlined above, and in accordance with one of the following legal bases:

a. We have your consent.
b. The processing is necessary for a contract we have with you.
c. The processing is necessary to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations).
d. The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, and not overridden by an individual’s right to privacy.

We rely on our or our funding partners’ legitimate interest to process your information to carry out activities related to processing and administering of your funding applications, as well our communications with you. We will seek your consent before publishing your information. Certain aspects of our due diligence activities will be carried out to comply with the requirements of applicable law.

Your Rights
If we have collected and are processing your information as a resident of the EEA or UK, you have certain specific rights. You are free to exercise any of these rights by contacting us or as specified herein:

• Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data that we process about you, subject to certain limitations. (For example, access may be denied if this would adversely affect the rights and freedoms of another person or if we are legally prevented from disclosing such information.)
• Accuracy: We encourage you to keep us informed about changes that you would like reflected in our records.
• Objection: In certain circumstances, you have the right to object to processing of your personal data.
• Data Portability: You have the right to request that some of your information be provided to you, or to another provider who will be providing you the same services.
• Erasure: You have the right to request us to erase your personal data when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or if you think it has been used unlawfully.
• Complaints: You have the right to complain to the applicable data protection authority or to seek a remedy in court.

If you have any questions about your rights as they relate to your personal information, please contact Grand Challenges Canada using the contact information set out below.

Retention of Information
Grand Challenges Canada will retain personal information as long as it is necessary for the purposes identified at the time of collection, as described in this Policy and as required by law, after which time, the information will be returned or deleted (if possible for certain electronic records) and destroyed securely.

Changes to our Policy
Grand Challenges Canada reserves the right to change this Policy at any time. As a result, you are responsible for reading this Policy each time you visit the Website or otherwise provide personal information to Grand Challenges Canada, in order to be informed of possible changes. If the Policy changes and your personal information is to be used or disclosed for a purpose inconsistent with that stated at the time that it was originally collected, we will seek your renewed consent.

Each time this Policy is modified, the date of the Policy will be updated to reflect when changes were made. Any changes to this Policy will be posted on this page, with a notice that the Policy has been updated on the Website home page.

Accountability
This Policy is under the purview of the Governance & Human Resources Committee of Grand Challenges Canada’s Board of Directors. Grand Challenges Canada management will follow the Committee’s process for addressing any issues of non-compliance in the administration of this Policy.

Contact
We welcome your questions, comments and requests regarding this Policy and our privacy practices. For further information, please contact Grand Challenges Canada at [email protected] or, for complaints and compliance concerns, you may contact [email protected]

Last Updated: July 18, 2022