Privacy Policy

London College for Applied Research and Education ("LCARE", "we", "us" or "our") respects the privacy of applicants, fellows, faculty, learners, researchers, partners, visitors and other individuals who interact with LCARE.

LCARE operates as the training arm of World Research Union (WRU London UK). This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, stored, protected and, where necessary, shared within the LCARE/WRU group.

1. Scope of this Policy

This Policy applies to personal information collected through:

• the LCARE website and online portals, including lcare.uk;
• application, registration, enquiry and contact forms;
• Adjunct Fellow, faculty, trainer, speaker and academic-network applications;
• course, certificate, masterclass and programme registrations;
• LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms and other official LCARE social-media campaigns;
• email correspondence and other direct communications with LCARE; and
• administrative records created in connection with LCARE activities.

2. Data Controller and Contact

For personal information collected through LCARE's website, forms and LCARE-managed activities, LCARE determines the purposes and means of processing and acts as the data controller, subject to applicable data protection law.

3. Personal Information We May Collect

Depending on how you interact with LCARE, we may collect:

• Identity information: name, title and similar identifying details;
• Contact information: email address, telephone number, country and correspondence details;
• Academic and professional information: institution, employer, job title, qualifications, expertise, CV, biography, publications, research profile, professional memberships and related credentials;
• Application information: information submitted for Adjunct Fellow, faculty, trainer, speaker, partnership or other opportunities;
• Learning and programme information: registrations, participation, attendance, submissions, assessments, certificates and related administrative records;
• Correspondence: messages, enquiries, complaints and records of communications with us;
• Technical information: IP address, browser/device information, security logs and similar information generated when you use our website; and
• Consent and preference information: where you choose to receive optional communications from LCARE.

Please do not provide special-category personal information (for example, information concerning health, ethnicity, religion, political opinions or sexual orientation) unless LCARE specifically requests it for a lawful and necessary purpose. If such information is received incidentally, we will process it only where permitted by applicable law.

4. How We Collect Information

We may collect personal information:

• directly from you when you complete a form, register, apply, enrol or contact us;
• from information you choose to submit through LinkedIn or another official LCARE campaign;
• from your publicly available academic or professional profile where relevant to an application or institutional activity; and
• automatically through essential website logs and security systems.

Where you use LinkedIn or another third-party platform to submit information, that platform may separately process your information under its own privacy terms before transmitting the relevant information to LCARE.

5. Purposes for Which We Use Personal Information

We use personal information only for legitimate LCARE and WRU-group purposes, including:

• receiving, assessing and administering Adjunct Fellow, faculty and other academic applications;
• contacting applicants about their application, selection, onboarding or participation;
• maintaining LCARE's academic, faculty, fellow and professional records;
• administering courses, certificate programmes, masterclasses, research activities and events;
• issuing and verifying certificates, participation records or academic documentation;
• responding to enquiries, requests and complaints;
• maintaining the security, integrity and proper operation of our website and systems;
• meeting legal, regulatory, accounting and record-keeping obligations;
• protecting LCARE, WRU and individuals against fraud, misuse or unlawful activity; and
• sending optional news, programme announcements or similar communications where permitted by law and, where required, with consent.

6. Lawful Bases for Processing

Where the UK GDPR applies, LCARE will rely on one or more lawful bases appropriate to the relevant processing, which may include:

• Pre-contractual steps or contract: where processing is needed to consider an application, enrolment, appointment or other relationship requested by you, or to perform an agreement with you;
• Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for LCARE's legitimate academic, administrative, operational, security or institutional interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights;
• Legal obligation: where processing is required to comply with applicable law or regulatory duties; and
• Consent: where applicable law requires consent, including certain optional communications or uses. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing already lawfully carried out.

7. Sharing Within LCARE and the WRU Group

Personal information may be accessed within LCARE and the World Research Union group only where reasonably necessary for administration, academic review, programme delivery, governance, record keeping or another purpose described in this Policy.

Access is intended to be limited to authorised personnel who require the information for their role. Group access does not permit personal information to be used for an unrelated purpose.

8. External Organisations and Service Providers

LCARE does not sell personal information and does not share it with universities or external organisations for their own independent marketing or recruitment purposes.

However, operating a secure online service necessarily may involve limited processing by service providers acting on our behalf, such as website hosting, email, cloud storage, IT/security, payment, communications or form-platform providers. Such providers may access personal information only to the extent necessary to provide the relevant service and are expected to protect it in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, regulatory requirement, or where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

9. International Access and Transfers

LCARE is UK-based and may operate with authorised members of the wider WRU group. If personal information is accessed from, or transferred to, a country outside the UK or relevant protected jurisdiction, LCARE will take appropriate steps required by applicable data protection law to protect the information and the rights of the individual.

10. Data Retention

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, taking into account legal, contractual, academic, administrative and security requirements.

As a general retention framework, unless a longer period is lawfully required or justified:

• initial enquiries and lead-generation records may be retained for up to 12 months;
• unsuccessful or incomplete academic/faculty applications may be retained for up to 24 months;
• records relating to appointed Fellows, faculty, trainers or contractual relationships may be retained for the duration of the relationship and normally up to 6 years afterwards where needed for legal, contractual or administrative purposes;
• course, programme and financial records may normally be retained for up to 6 years, subject to applicable legal and academic requirements; and
• limited certificate or credential-verification records may be retained for longer where necessary to preserve the integrity and verifiability of academic records.

Data may be deleted or anonymised earlier where it is no longer required.

11. Data Security

LCARE uses reasonable technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. These measures include appropriate access controls, account security, secured website and hosting configurations, backups where appropriate, and limiting access to personnel with a legitimate need to know.

No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a personal-data breach, we will assess and respond to it in accordance with applicable law.

12. Your Data Protection Rights

Subject to applicable law and any lawful exemptions, you may have rights to:

• request access to personal information we hold about you;
• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
• request erasure of your information in applicable circumstances;
• request restriction of processing;
• object to certain processing, including direct marketing;
• request data portability where applicable;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
• raise a complaint about how we handle your personal information.

To exercise a right, email info@lcare.uk. We may ask for reasonable information to verify your identity and locate the relevant records.

Where EU data protection law applies to a particular processing activity, individuals in the European Economic Area may also have rights under the EU GDPR. Nothing in this Policy is intended to restrict any mandatory statutory rights.

13. Data Protection Complaints

If you believe LCARE has handled your personal information incorrectly, please send a written complaint to info@lcare.uk with the subject line "Data Protection Complaint".

Please provide, where reasonably available:

• your full name and contact email;
• a clear description of your concern;
• relevant dates, forms, programmes or communications;
• what outcome or action you are seeking; and
• any supporting information that may help us investigate.

LCARE will acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 days of receipt, take appropriate steps to investigate it without undue delay, keep the complainant informed where appropriate, and communicate the outcome.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner. Information is available at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. Where EU law applies, you may also have the right to complain to the competent supervisory authority in the relevant EEA country.

14. Direct Marketing and Academic Communications

Communications directly necessary to administer an enquiry, application, appointment, enrolment or programme are not treated as optional marketing.

Where LCARE sends optional promotional or marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by applicable law. You may unsubscribe or object at any time by using an unsubscribe mechanism provided or by emailing info@lcare.uk.

15. Cookies and Website Technologies

LCARE may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for website operation, security or functionality. If optional analytics, advertising or other non-essential technologies are used, LCARE will manage them in accordance with applicable privacy and electronic-communications requirements, including consent where required.

16. Links to External Websites and Platforms

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or platforms. LCARE is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third parties. You should review their privacy information before submitting personal information to them.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in law, technology, our services or our information-handling practices. The current version will be published on this page and the "Last updated" date will be revised.

18. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Privacy Policy and LCARE's handling of personal information are subject to applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended from time to time, including relevant changes introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

To the extent legally permitted, disputes concerning this Policy or LCARE's services are governed by the laws of England and Wales and are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. This clause does not remove or limit any mandatory rights, remedies or regulatory complaint rights available to an individual under applicable data protection law.

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