NGen Privacy Policy

Last modified: December 15, 2018

1.0 Privacy is important to NGen

Your privacy is very important to us, so we’ve developed a Privacy Policy that covers how we collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store your personal information and your organization’s confidential information. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our privacy practices and let us know if you have any questions.

By clicking the “I Agree” button to the use of cookies, by visiting the NGen website where this policy is posted, initiating communication through the NGen website with us, or applying to be a Member of NGen, you are agreeing to the NGen Privacy Policy.

Your access to and use of NGen’s website is subject to our Terms of Use. Any capitalized terms used but not defined in this Privacy Policy have the meanings provided in the Terms of Use.

This Privacy Policy applies to your personal information and your organization’s confidential information collected by Next Generation Manufacturing Canada and its affiliates, collectively referred to in this Privacy Policy as “NGen”, “we”, or “us”, in connection with your use of our web applications and Services, and it does not apply to any other information collected by us and our affiliates through any other means.

2.0 Data Definitions

Personal Data is data about an individual that can be used to identify them.

Confidential Data includes data a legal entity may declare as confidential for business reasons.

3.0 The Personal and Confidential Information We Collect

When you access the publically available section of this website (the “NGen Public Site”) we may collect:

1. Cookies and web beacons (like many websites, we may use a software technology called “cookies”. Cookies are small text files that we place in visitors’ computer browsers to store their preferences. Cookies themselves do not contain any personally identifiable information. Cookies which enables us to remember you, a cookie is a string of information that a website stores on your computer, and that your browser provides to the website each time you return. We use cookies to help us identify and track visitors to our Site, their usage of the website, and their website access preferences. If you do not wish to have cookies placed on your computer you should set your browsers to refuse cookies before using our websites. “Web beacons” are small pieces of code placed on a web page to monitor the behaviour and collect data about the visitors viewing a web page. For example, web beacons can be used to count the users who visit a web page or to deliver a cookie to the browser of a visitor viewing that page. We may use web beacons on our Site from time to time for this purpose); and

2. Email requests from you which will include personal identifying data like your email address and any other contact information you have provided.

When you choose to apply for NGen Membership we collect:

1. If you are applying on behalf of an organization we collect your organization type and profile including products and services offered, contact details including address, email address of authorized representative of the organization, advanced manufacturing focus and R&D capabilities. NGen treats the majority of this data as public data but for some types of organizations a requested data element may be deemed to be confidential to the organization;

2. If you are applying as an individual, an advanced manufacturing researcher, or a subject matter expert we collect your personal information, including name, contact information including address, affiliations, LinkedIn, advanced manufacturing focus and research domain; and

Like most website operators, we collect personal information about you from a variety of sources, including:

1. Directly from you when contact us through the NGen pubic website;

2. Directly from you when apply to become an NGen Member; and

3. Automatically from devices that you use to connect to the Site.

4.0 How we Use and Process Your Information

How We Use Your Information

We use cookies to collect data on your website experience. This data is used to enhance your NGen Public Site experience.

The information provide to us when you contact us through the NGen Public Site is used to communicate with you and address your enquires.

The data that we capture in the Membership Application Form is used to determine membership eligibility and will be retained if you or the organization on whose behalf you are applying for or you, as individual candidate member are eligible. If the organization or individual are not eligible, we will retain the data you provide us for a period of three (3) years in the event of a dispute or audit. For information on how we use data you provide through the Membership Application Form, please review NGen Membership Application Data Use Policy.

How We Disclose Your Information

We may disclose personal information to fulfill the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy, and for purposes related thereto, and to provide the services on the NGen Public Site, including as follows:

- Within NGen;

- At your request or with your consent;

- With our service providers and business partners or other third party services providers who carry out tasks on our behalf;

certain information may be shared with third parties or published when you follow links to third-party websites, we do not own or control these third parties and when you interact with them you may be providing information to them directly - such parties will have their own rules and policies in respect of

the collection, use and disclosure of personal information and we encourage you to review these rules and policies;

- When requested to do so by a court or law enforcement agency or where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of our Terms of Use or other contractual Agreements, to verify or enforce compliance with the policies governing our products and applicable laws, or as otherwise required or permitted by law; and

- In connection with a merger, acquisition or other corporate transaction, including if one of our business units are acquired by, sold to, or merged with another company.

How We Secure Your Personal and Confidential Information

We have taken steps to ensure that all information collected will remain secure and in its original form, i.e. free from any alteration. Access to all information (except publicly available information) is strictly controlled. We have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures in an effort to safeguard and help prevent unauthorized access and to maintain data security.

Retention of Personal and Confidential Information

We retain personal and confidential information that we collect for as long as is necessary to fulfill identified legal or business purposes.

1. Email correspondence from the NGen Public Site will be retained for a period of three (3) years in the event of a dispute or audit;

2. Eligible member application data becomes member data will require NGen members to attest the data for retention annually.

5.0 We May Update our Privacy Policy

From time to time, we may collect or use personal information for new, unanticipated uses not previously disclosed in our Privacy Policy. If our information practices change we will immediately post any adjustments to our policy on this website. This will serve as your notification of these changes. If you are concerned about how your personal information is used, bookmark this page and check back periodically. Your continued use of this site after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of any change.

6.0. Your Rights to Your Information

You may request (i) access to your specific information collected, (ii) to know the categories of information we have collected; (iii) to know the categories of sources from which your information is collected, (iv) to know how we use your information, (v) to know to whom it has been disclosed, and (vi) that we delete your information, subject to limited exceptions prescribed by law.

Requests should be made in writing and we must be able to verify your identity before we are able to release your personal information to you. We will respond to requests within 45 days or provide notice if we require longer, but will respond within 90 days of receiving the request. We will provide you with your information in a portable, readily useable format free of charge, but we may charge a reasonable fee for excessive requests. Providing you with your information more than twice in a 12-month period is at our discretion.

We may not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights permitted by law, including your right to request your personal information as described above.

We make reasonable efforts to ensure personal information is accurate and complete. You may make a request to update, correct or delete your personal information at any time through the Edit Membership data function or by contacting us at the e-mail address in the “How to Contact Us” section of the Privacy Policy. You are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the personal information that you submit to us.

7.0 How to Contact Us

The full name of NGen is Next Generation Manufacturing Canada and our address is McMaster Innovation Park - #301-175 Longwood Road S., Hamilton, ON, L8P 0A1.

If you have any questions, please email us at info@ngen.ca.