Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 1, 2024

At Clean Tech Research Institute ("we", "our", or "us"), we are committed to protecting your privacy and personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at cleantechserbia.com (the "Website"), interact with us, or use our services.

By accessing or using our Website, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not access the Website or use our services.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal data:

1.1 Information You Provide to Us

• Contact Information: When you fill out contact forms, subscribe to our newsletter, or register for events, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and organization (if applicable).
• Account Information: If you create an account on our Website, we collect your username, password, and profile information.
• Communication Data: We store copies of any correspondence you have with us, including emails and messages sent through our contact forms.
• Feedback and Surveys: Information you provide when participating in surveys, providing testimonials, or giving feedback on our services.
• Payment Information: When you make a payment or donation, we collect payment card details, billing address, and other financial information necessary to process the transaction.

1.2 Information We Collect Automatically

• Usage Data: Information about how you interact with our Website, including pages visited, time spent on pages, navigation paths, and features used.
• Device Information: Data about your computer or mobile device, including IP address, browser type and version, operating system, and screen resolution.
• Location Data: General location information derived from your IP address.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Information collected through cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies (see our Cookie Policy below).

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Social Media: If you interact with our social media pages or use social login features, we may receive information from those platforms.
• Research Partners: Data shared by our research partners or collaborating institutions in accordance with their privacy policies and appropriate consent.
• Public Sources: Information from publicly available sources, such as academic publications, public registries, or professional directories.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

2.1 Providing and Improving Our Services

• To deliver the information, services, or products you request
• To operate, maintain, and improve our Website and services
• To respond to your inquiries, comments, or concerns
• To process payments and complete transactions
• To provide technical support and troubleshoot issues

2.2 Communication and Marketing

• To send you updates about our research, events, and activities
• To deliver newsletters and other content you have subscribed to
• To invite you to participate in surveys or provide feedback
• To inform you about collaboration opportunities and partnerships
• To send you administrative messages about your account or our services

2.3 Research and Analytics

• To analyze usage patterns and improve user experience
• To conduct research on website performance and user preferences
• To generate aggregated, non-identifying statistics about our users
• To evaluate the effectiveness of our content and communications

2.4 Legal and Security Purposes

• To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes
• To enforce our terms of service and other agreements
• To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• To detect, prevent, and address fraud, security breaches, and technical issues

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

• Consent: Where you have given us clear consent to process your data for a specific purpose.
• Contract: Where processing is necessary to fulfill a contract with you or take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
• Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, except where these interests are overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms.
• Legal Obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

4.1 Service Providers

We share data with third-party service providers who help us operate our Website, conduct our business, or provide services to you. These providers have access to your information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose. Examples include:

• Email and communication service providers
• Payment processors
• Analytics and search engine providers
• Hosting and cloud computing services
• Customer relationship management systems

4.2 Research Partners and Collaborators

We may share aggregated or anonymized data with our research partners, academic institutions, or collaborating organizations for scientific research purposes. When specific collaborative projects require sharing of personal data, we will obtain appropriate consent.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency). We may also disclose your information to:

• Enforce our terms and conditions
• Protect against legal liability
• Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with our services
• Protect the personal safety of users or the public

4.4 Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our Website of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The criteria used to determine our retention periods include:

• The duration of our relationship with you
• Legal obligations to which we are subject
• Whether retention is advisable in light of our legal position (e.g., regarding applicable statutes of limitations, litigation, or regulatory investigations)

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Erasure: You can request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Restriction: You can request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Data Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format to transfer to another service.
• Objection: You can object to our processing of your data in certain circumstances, including for direct marketing purposes.
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section below. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law.

Please note that some of these rights may be limited where we have compelling reasons to continue processing your information.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include:

• Encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest
• Regular security assessments and vulnerability testing
• Access controls and authentication procedures
• Staff training on data protection and security practices
• Regular backups to prevent data loss

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

8. International Data Transfers

Our operations are primarily based in Serbia, but we may transfer, store, and process your information in countries other than your own. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country.

When we transfer personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland to countries that have not received an adequacy decision from the European Commission, we implement appropriate safeguards such as:

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
• Binding Corporate Rules for transfers to data controllers within our corporate group
• Obtaining your explicit consent to the proposed transfer after informing you of the possible risks

9. Cookie Policy

Our Website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and personalize content.

9.1 What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help the website remember your preferences and improve your user experience. There are different types of cookies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Website to function properly (e.g., authentication, security).
• Preference Cookies: Allow the Website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced features.
• Analytics Cookies: Collect information about how you use the Website to help us improve its functionality.
• Marketing Cookies: Track your browsing habits to deliver advertising relevant to your interests.

9.2 Cookies We Use

We use the following types of cookies on our Website:

Category	Purpose	Duration
Essential	To enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility.	Session / Persistent
Preferences	To remember information that changes the way the Website behaves or looks, such as your preferred language or region.	1 year
Analytics	To help us understand how visitors interact with our Website by collecting and reporting information anonymously.	2 years
Marketing	To track visitors across websites to display relevant advertisements based on their interests.	30 days

9.3 Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies in various ways. Most web browsers allow you to:

• View and delete cookies stored on your device
• Block third-party cookies
• Block cookies from particular sites
• Block all cookies
• Delete all cookies when you close your browser

Please note that blocking or deleting cookies may impact your experience on our Website, as some features may not function properly.

You can find more information about how to manage cookies in your browser's help section or through these links:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Safari
• Internet Explorer
• Microsoft Edge

For more information about online behavioral advertising and how to opt out, you can visit:

• Digital Advertising Alliance
• European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance
• Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada

10. Children's Privacy

Our Website is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from children without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites, plugins, and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy policies. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

If you have unresolved concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.