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U.Porto Data Protection Policy

The University of Porto is a public foundation regulated by private law, whose mission includes the production of scientific, cultural and artistic knowledge, higher education strongly anchored in research, the social and economic valorisation of knowledge, and active participation in the progress of the communities to which it belongs. To best achieve these goals and to comply with all the requirements imposed on us as a public higher education institution, we will need to process some of your personal data.

What will my data be used for?

In order to provide you with the necessary conditions to build an academic path rooted in excellence, as well as to comply with all the legal obligations to which we are bound, your personal data may be processed, in particular, for the following purposes:

  • enrolment and registration management;
  • maintaining and updating your individual student process;
  • granting special attendance statutes;
  • management of national and/or international mobility programs;
  • recognition of equivalences and documents conferring degrees and other academic titles;
  • issuance of certificates and diplomas;
  • maintenance of school insurance and notification of claims;
  • awarding prizes;
  • management of attendance, grades and other academic information.

To ensure democratic and equal access to higher education, U.Porto provides several social support services. The management of these will depend on the processing of some of your personal data where applicable, specifically concerning:

  • management of scholarships and other social support;
  • management of employees;
  • management of university halls of residence;
  • management of access to health care provided by the Health Unit of the Social Support Services of U.Porto, or by other entities with which it has signed clinical protocols.

Within the scope of its mission as a higher education institution, U.Porto is committed to the promotion of scientific research as one of its main objectives, aiming not only to produce and disseminate knowledge, but also to valorise the activity of its researchers, lecturers and students.

In this context, you may be asked to collaborate on projects run by members of the U.Porto community as part of their study cycles or research activities. The specific data to be collected and the purpose of their collection will depend on the research project in question, as will the format of the study itself, which may vary from surveys to clinical studies with or without intervention. Regardless, your participation will always be voluntary and your personal data will only be processed with your consent, in strict compliance with the highest ethical standards recognised by the scientific community.

To ensure your safety and the safety of those who interact with us, as well as of the assets that are located within our spaces (whether the assets belong to the University or to third parties), U.Porto has Video Surveillance Systems set up at various locations on its premises.

All cameras are installed in strict accordance with legal requirements.

U.Porto makes its knowledge available to the community by providing services in the most varied fields of knowledge through its schools and research centres, or structures specially set up for this purpose.

In particular, you have access to nutrition counselling, clinical analysis, gerontology, dental or psychology consultations.

The personal data you provide in this context will be solely and exclusively used for the provision of the services you request, as well as to guarantee the training of its students and the promotion of scientific research, in line with the University's mission.

U.Porto considers the need to establish and support connections to its former students more of a true strategic priority than a legal imperative.

Thus, in addition to other informative content you may subscribe to, you will be sent, via e-mail, messages related to:

  • University news;
  • alumni’s professionally successful initiatives (publications, books, blogs, job positions, TV programmes, etc.);
  • employability surveys;
  • dissemination of professional opportunities;
  • continuing education offers;
  • events specifically aimed at the alumni audience.

You may at any time unsubscribe from such communications, without having to provide a reason.

Additionally, your personal data will need to be processed should you decide to obtain the ALUMNI U.Porto Card.

Within the scope of initiatives promoted by U.Porto (Junior University, Thematic Seminars, Conferences, etc.), some of your personal data may be requested for the purpose of managing your registration and accreditation, as well as billing (in the case of paid events).

Additionally, photos and/or videos may be captured during these events, for the purpose of dissemination and promotion in internal and external communication channels.

In order to publicise the activities developed by U.Porto and publish information about life at the University and the different entities that it comprises, you may be sent various types of informative content, such as:

  • newsletters;
  • dissemination regarding the education offered by the University;
  • dissemination of professional opportunities;
  • requests for collaboration in scientific research activities.

The U.Porto Card is your identification document as a member of the academic community, ensuring that you have access to a wide range of services from U.Porto and partner institutions. The data associated with the card will only be processed if strictly necessary to:

  • access University infrastructures (classrooms; parking; halls of residence; canteens; etc.);
  • access the printing service;
  • record attendance;
  • manage library loans;
  • manage payments.

If you use U.Porto's technological infrastructures, including wi-fi networks, some of your personal data will be automatically collected and analysed in order to monitor the security of those infrastructures and prevent their misuse. For more information on this topic, you can consult U.Porto’s Policy on Acceptable Use of Technological Infrastructures.

The U.Porto portals use cookies to ensure the best possible user experience whenever you visit us. Cookies are small electronic files stored on your device, which allow platforms to distinguish each visitor and maintain their preferences throughout the respective session. For more information about the types of cookies used by U.Porto, you can consult the privacy policies of each of its portals.

To ensure the regular functioning of the University, some of your personal data may be processed to:

  • support decision-making and continuous improvement of internal processes;
  • issue the U.Porto card;
  • control and manage access and use of University services such as libraries, canteens, sports and technological infrastructures, among others;
  • process payments;
  • analyse complaints, requirements, appeals and similar procedures;
  • manage electoral procedures;
  • conduct audits and certification and accreditation procedures;
  • communicate to the Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics, regarding the RAIDES and RENATES surveys;
  • comply with other legal obligations, including cooperation with competent authorities;
  • communicate in the event of possible emergencies.

What information may be collected and processed about me?

The data we process will depend on the context of your interaction with U.Porto, and may include, namely:

  • Identification data [e.g.: name; student number; photograph; parents’ names; nationality; place of birth; date of birth; sex; marital status; tax identification number; identification document number];
  • Contact details [e.g.: address; e-mail; telephone contact];
  • Academic data [e.g.: study cycle; course; year of enrolment; type of attendance; number of enrolled/approved ECTS and respective ratings; higher education admission regime; previous educational establishments; academic qualifications; number of times a student required course extensions; professional situation];
  • Payment details [e.g.: regularized and unregularized values; bank identification number; scholarship status; receipt for tuition fees and charges];
  • Sound and image data [e.g.: photographs; videos];
  • Health data [e.g.: clinical history; medicine consumption; medical certificates; allergies and other intolerances];
  • Biometric data [e.g.: fingerprint matrix];
  • Technical data [e.g.: IP address; visit date and time; cookies]

Will my data be shared with third parties?

U.Porto will only share your data with:

  • other Public Administration bodies (Ministry of Education; Tax Authority; Social Security, among others) to fulfil legal obligations to which it is bound;
  • institutions in the banking sector and insurance companies for the management of payments and conclusion of insurance contracts;
  • institutions with which it has signed contracts or other cooperation instruments (e.g. CGD bank for the issuance of the U.Porto Card; other higher education institutions within the framework of exchange programmes, etc.), as strictly necessary for their execution;
  • other institutions or natural persons if we have your consent to do so.

You will be informed of any other data transfer before it is performed.

How long will my data be kept?

U.Porto will keep your personal data for the period deemed necessary to fulfil the purposes for which they were collected or for others that are duly and substantially related to them within the framework of our institutional mission.

We may also preserve your data for a longer period whenever there is a legal obligation to do so (as is the case, for example, with the individual student process) or when there are strong reasons of public interest that justify it (such as archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research, or statistics).

What security measures will my data be subject to?

U.Porto protects the information of all those who have a relationship with the institution, through the implementation of technical and organisational measures that allow for the mitigation of the risks, of variable geometry and intensity, that could affect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subjects affected, in the event of a data breach.

The implementation of these measures is done while taking into consideration the most advanced techniques, application costs, nature, scope, context and purposes of each processing of personal data carried out under the responsibility of the institution.

In particular, the following measures are implemented to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of any information qualified as personal data:

  • implementation of “institutional authentication” mechanisms;
  • definition of access control schemes based on the “need to know” criterion;
  • use of encrypted communication channels for the transfer of personal data;
  • protection of technological infrastructures against unauthorized access;
  • storage of data of a particularly sensitive nature and respective backups in encrypted form;
  • monitoring of the technological infrastructures for the prevention and detection of practices contrary to those permitted by the U.Porto’s Policy on their Acceptable Use.

Can I request access, rectification or erasure of my data?

You may request access to additional information regarding the way your data are being processed, as well as to rectify them whenever you consider that they are outdated or inaccurate, via e-mail to [email protected].

Within certain limits – such as the need to keep data for the fulfilment of legal obligations to which U.Porto is bound – you may also request the erasure of your data, by sending your request to the same e-mail address.

When the data is being processed based on your consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time and request the erasure of the data. This will not compromise the lawfulness of the data processing carried out until that moment.

Who can I contact, should I have questions related to these matters?

If you need further clarification, you can contact the Data Protection Officer of the University of Porto, at [email protected].