Royal Society of Biology
a single unified voice for biology
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Did you know? The Society’s online courses are highly interactive, containing exercises, videos and an area for taking notes. Online training provides a flexible option for learning at your own pace and in your own environment. Try it now!
The Royal Society of Biology is a single unified voice for biology: advising Government and influencing policy; advancing education and professional development; supporting our members, and engaging and encouraging public interest in the life sciences. The Society represents a diverse membership of individuals, learned societies and other organisations.
BSGCT Online Seminar Series
British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy- Monthly Online Seminar Series.
Until 18 Mar 25
Practical Python for beginners: a Biochemist’s guide
This Biochemical Society course aims to teach the core skills which underlie the application of Python to complex, real-world research problems.
Until 7 Oct 25
Practical Python for Beginners
his Biochemical Society course aims to teach the core skills which underlie the application of Python to complex, real-world research problems.
Until 4 Nov 25
R for Biochemists 201
R for Biochemists 201 is the Biochemical Society’s second R course, building on the content of R101.
Until 2 Dec 24
Single cell and spatial omics
A training course hosted by the British Society for Immunology.
Until 22 Nov 24
Physiology Week
Join the Physiological Society for Physiology Week 2024.
Until 22 Nov 24
The real point is control: transposons as controlling elements in evolution, development and disease
An international conference from the Genetics Society.
25 Nov 24
BSI Immune Therapies Summit
A summit hosted by the British Society for Immunology.
26 Nov 24
Science and the Parliament 2024
The Royal Society of Chemistry holds its 24th annual Science and the Parliament event.
27 Nov 24
Introduction to Toxicology
An overview of the background and variety of disciplines that make up toxicology
We are the Royal Society of Biology, a single unified voice for biology: advising Government and influencing policy; advancing education and professional development; supporting our members, and engaging and encouraging public interest in the life sciences. The Society represents a diverse membership of individuals, learned societies and other organisations.
Our contact details:
Royal Society of Biology
1 Naoroji Street
London
WC1X 0GB
Registered Charity No: 277981, Incorporated by Royal Charter
VAT Registration: GB719029238
All enquiries: 020 3925 3440
info@rsb.org.uk
Terms and Conditions of supply
Welcome to the Royal Society of Biology's terms and conditions of supply. Please read these terms and conditions carefully before purchasing goods or services from any of our websites.
1. These terms
1.1 What these terms cover. These are the terms and conditions on which the Royal Society of Biology (referred to as "we", "us" or "our" in these terms) supply the following products to you on our mySociety portal (my.rsb.org.uk) and our myLearning training platform (learn.rsb.org.uk) respectively (together, "our websites"):
- (a) online training courses purchased on myLearning;
- (b) events (including training courses, events, conferences and seminars) booked and purchased on mySociety;
- (c) subscriptions to The Biology purchased on mySociety; and
- (d) subscriptions to The Journal of Biological Education purchased on mySociety.
1.2 Why you should read them. Please read these terms carefully before you submit your order to us. These terms tell you who we are, how we will provide products to you, how you and we may change or end the contract, what to do if there is a problem and other important information. If you think that there is a mistake in these terms or require any changes, please contact us at info@rsb.org.uk to discuss.
1.3 Are you a business customer or a consumer? In some areas you will have different rights under these terms depending on whether you are a business or consumer. You are a consumer if:
- (a) you are an individual; and
- (b) you are buying products from us wholly or mainly for your personal use (not for use in connection with your trade, business, craft or profession).
1.4 If you are a business customer this is our entire agreement with you. If you are a business customer these terms constitute the entire agreement between us in relation to your purchase. You acknowledge that you have not relied on any statement, promise, representation, assurance or warranty made or given by or on behalf of us which is not set out in these terms and that you shall have no claim for innocent or negligent misrepresentation or negligent misstatement based on any statement in this agreement.
2. Information about us and how to contact us
2.1 Who we are. We are the Royal Society of Biology, a charity registered in England and Wales (No. 277981) and incorporated by Royal Charter. We have our registered office at the Royal Society of Biology, 1 Naoroji Street, London, WC1X 0GB. Our VAT number is 719029238.
2.2 How to contact us. You can contact us by telephoning our customer service team on +44 (0)20 3925 3440 or by writing to us at info@rsb.org.uk or our registered office address as set out in Clause 2.1. Our customer service line is open from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9.00 to 17.00 (UK time).
2.3 How we may contact you. If we have to contact you we will do so by telephone or by writing to you at the email address or postal address you provided to us in your order.
2.4 "Writing" includes emails. When we use the words "writing" or "written" in these terms, this includes emails.
3. Our contract with you
3.1 Acknowledgement of your order. We will notify you by e-mail to confirm receipt of your order and to confirm your details. For the avoidance of doubt, this correspondence does not constitute a contract between us.
3.2 How we will accept your order. Our acceptance of your order will take place when we email you to accept it, at which point a contract will come into existence between you and us.
3.3 If we cannot accept your order. If we are unable to accept your order, we will inform you of this in writing and will not charge you for the product. This might be because of unexpected limits on our resources which we could not reasonably plan for or because we have identified an error in the price or description of the product.
3.4 Your order number. We will assign an order number to your order and tell you what it is when we accept your order. It will help us if you can tell us the order number whenever you contact us about your order.
4. Our products
Products may vary slightly from their pictures. Where we provide images of the products on our websites, these are for illustrative purposes only.
5. Your rights to make changes
If you wish to make a change to the product you have ordered or to the details you provided when you ordered the product (including but not limited to the address to which a subscription is sent or the individual attending the event) please contact us. We will let you know if the change is possible. For the avoidance of doubt, we are not obliged to accept any changes you request. If it is possible we will let you know about any changes to the price of the product, the timing of supply or anything else which would be necessary as a result of your requested change and ask you to confirm whether you wish to go ahead with the change.
6. Our rights to make changes
We may make changes to the product, but if we do so we will notify you and you may then contact us to end the contract before the changes take effect and receive a refund for any products paid for but not yet received.
7. Providing the products
7.1 Delivery costs. The costs of delivery (if applicable) will be as displayed to you on the relevant website.
7.2 When we will provide the products. During the order process we will let you know when we will provide the products to you.
- (a) If the product is a one-off service (for example, provision of an online training course or event). We will begin the services on the date set out in the order. The completion date for the services is as told to you during the order process.
- (b) If the product is a subscription to receive goods (for example a subscription to receive a magazine or journal). We will supply the goods to you until either the subscription expires or you end the contract as described in Clause 8 or we end the contract by written notice to you as described in Clause 10.
7.3 We are not responsible for delays beyond our reasonable control. If our supply of the products is delayed by an act or event beyond our reasonable control then we will contact you as soon as possible to let you know and we will take steps to minimise the effect of the delay. Provided we do this we will not be liable for delays caused by the act or event, but if there is a risk of substantial delay you may contact us to end the contract and receive a refund for any products you have paid for but not received.
7.4 When you become responsible for the goods. A product which is goods will be your responsibility from the time we deliver the product to the address you gave us.
7.5 When you own goods. You own a product which is goods once we have received payment in full.
7.6 Your rights if we suspend the supply of products. We will contact you in advance to tell you if we have to suspend the supply of a product, unless the problem is urgent or an emergency. If we have to suspend the supply of a product for longer than one month we will adjust the price so that you do not pay for products while they are suspended. You may contact us to end the contract for a product if we suspend it, or tell you we are going to suspend it, in each case for a period of more than one month, and we will refund any sums you have paid in advance for the product in respect of the period after you end the contract.
7.7 We may also suspend supply of the products if you do not pay. If you do not pay us for the products when you are supposed to (see Clause 14.4) and you still do not make payment within seven days of us reminding you that payment is due, we may suspend supply of the products until you have paid us the outstanding amounts. We will contact you to tell you we are suspending supply of the products. We will not charge you for the products during the period for which they are suspended.
8. Your rights to end the contract
8.1 You can always end your contract with us. Your rights when you end the contract will depend on what you have bought, whether there is anything wrong with it, how we are performing, when you decide to end the contract and whether you are a consumer or business customer:
- (a) If what you have bought is faulty or misdescribed you may have a legal right to end the contract (or to get the product repaired or replaced or a service re-performed or to get some or all of your money back), see Clause 12 if you are a consumer and Clause 13 if you are a business;
- (b) If you want to end the contract because of something we have done or have told you we are going to do, see Clause 8.2;
- (c) If you are a consumer and have just changed your mind about the product, see Clause 8.3. You may be able to get a refund if you are within the cooling-off period, but this may be subject to deductions;
- (d) In all other cases (if we are not at fault and you are not a consumer exercising your right to change your mind), see Clause 8.6.
8.2 Ending the contract because of something we have done or are going to do. If you are ending a contract for a reason set out at (a) to (d) below the contract will end immediately and we will refund you in full for any products which have not been provided and you may also be entitled to compensation. The reasons are:
- (a) we have told you about changes to the product and you do not wish to proceed;
- (b) we have told you about an error in the price or description of the product you have ordered and you do not wish to proceed;
- (c) there is a risk that supply of the products may be significantly delayed because of an act or event beyond our reasonable control;
- (d) we have suspended supply of the products for a period of more than one month; or
- (e) you have a legal right to end the contract because of something we have done wrong.
8.3 Exercising your right to change your mind if you are a consumer (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). If you are a consumer then for most products bought online you have a legal right to change your mind within 14 days and receive a refund. These rights, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, are explained in more detail in these terms.
8.4 When consumers do not have a right to change their minds. Your right as a consumer to change your mind does not apply in respect of services, once these have been completed, even if the cancellation period is still running.
8.5 How long do consumers have to change their minds? If you are a consumer how long you have to change your mind depends on what you have ordered and how it is delivered.
- (a) If you have bought one-off services (for example, provision of an online training course or event).
In this case you have 14 days after the day we email you to confirm we accept your order. However, once we have completed the services you cannot change your mind, even if the period is still running.
For the purposes of these terms:- a contract for provision of an online training course is deemed completed when you have paid for the online training course and we have provided access to it.
- a contract for provision of an event is deemed completed when you have paid for your place at the event and the event has commenced.
- (b) If you have bought a subscription to receive goods (for example a subscription to receive a magazine or journal).
In this case you have 14 days after the day you (or someone you nominate) receive the first delivery of the goods.
8.6 Ending the contract where we are not at fault and there is no right to change your mind.
Even if we are not at fault and you are not a consumer who has a right to change their mind (see Clause 8.1), you can still end the contract before it is completed, but you may have to pay us compensation.
For the purposes of these terms:
- a contract for provision of an online training course is deemed completed when you have paid for online training course and we have provided access to it.
- a contract for provision of an event is deemed completed when you have paid for your place at the event and the event has commenced.
- a contract for a subscription to receive a magazine or journal is deemed completed when you have paid for the subscription and we have provided you with all the magazines or journals for the subscription period. If you want to end a contract before it is completed where we are not at fault and you are not a consumer who has changed their mind, just contact us to let us know.
If you want to end a contract before it is completed where we are not at fault and you are not a consumer who has changed their mind, just contact us to let us know.
- (a) If the product is a one-off services (for example, provision of an online training course or event), the contract will end immediately and we will refund any sums paid by you for products not provided but we may deduct from that refund (or, if you have not made an advance payment, charge you) a percentage of the price calculated as per the table below depending on the date on which you end the contract, as compensation for the net costs we will incur as a result of your doing so.
Date on which you end the contract Refund entitlement Over 10 working days before the one-off services are to be provided 100% refund less 25% administration fee Between 5 and 10 working days before the one-off services are to be provided 50% refund less 25% administration fee Less than 5 working days before the one-off services are to be provided 0% refund - (b) If the product is a subscription to receive goods (for example a subscription to receive a magazine or journal), the contract will not end until one calendar month after the day on which you contact us. We will refund any advance payment you have made for products which will not be provided to you. For example, if you tell us you want to end the contract on 4 February we will continue to supply the product until 3 March. We will only charge you for supplying the product up to 3 March and will refund any sums you have paid in advance for the supply of the product after 3 March.
9. How to end the contract with us (including if you are a consumer who has changed their mind)
9.1 Tell us you want to end the contract. To end the contract with us, please let us know by doing one of the following:
- (a) Phone or email. Call customer services on +44 (0)20 3925 3440 or email us at info@rsb.org.uk. Our customer service line is open from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9.00 to 17.00 (UK time). Please provide your name, home address, details of the order and, where available, your phone number and email address; or
- (b) By post. If you are a consumer, print off the form and post it to us at the address on the form. Or simply write to us at that address, including details of what you bought, when you ordered or received it and your name and address.
9.2 How we will refund you. If you are entitled to a refund under these terms we will refund you the price you paid for the products, by the method you used for payment. However, we may make deductions from the price, as described below.
9.3 When we may make deductions from refunds if you are a consumer exercising your right to change your mind. If you are exercising your right to change your mind, where the product is a subscription to receive goods (for example a subscription to receive a magazine or journal), we may deduct from any refund an amount for goods which were provided to you before you told us you have changed your mind. The amount will be in proportion to what has been provided, in comparison with the full coverage of the contract.
9.4 When your refund will be made. We will make any refunds due to you as soon as possible. If you are a consumer exercising your right to change your mind then your refund will be made within 14 days of your telling us you have changed your mind.
10. Our rights to end the contract
10.1 We may end the contract if you break it. We may end the contract for a product at any time by writing to you if:
- (a) you do not make any payment to us when it is due and you still do not make payment within seven days of us reminding you that payment is due; or
- (b) you do not, within a reasonable time, allow us to deliver the products to you.
10.2 You must compensate us if you break the contract. If we end the contract in the situations set out in Clause 10.1 we will refund any money you have paid in advance for products we have not provided but we may deduct or charge you reasonable compensation for the net costs we will incur as a result of your breaking the contract.
10.3 We may withdraw the product. We may write to you to let you know that we are going to stop providing the product. We will always aim to let you know at least ten working day days in advance of our stopping the supply of the product and will refund any sums you have paid to us in advance for products which will not be provided.
10.4 We may cancel or reschedule an event. We may cancel or reschedule an event. We may write to you to let you know that we are cancelling or rescheduling an event. We will always aim to let you know at least 10 working days in advance of our cancelling or rescheduling an event and will refund any sums you have paid to us in advance for events which will not be provided. Please note that we will not refund any travel or accommodation expenses incurred in relation to events that are cancelled or rescheduled. We advise that wherever possible you ensure any such bookings are refundable or otherwise flexible.
11. If there is a problem with the product
How to tell us about problems. If you have any questions or complaints about the product, please contact us. You can telephone our customer service team on +44 (0)20 3925 3440 or write to us at info@rsb.org.uk or Royal Society of Biology, 1 Naoroji Street, London, WC1X 0GB. Our customer service line is open from Monday to Friday between the hours of 9.00 to 17.00 (UK time).
12. Your rights in respect of defective products if you are a consumer
If you are a consumer we are under a legal duty to supply products that are in conformity with this contract. See the box below for a summary of your key legal rights in relation to the products. Nothing in these terms will affect your legal rights.
Summary of your key legal rightsThis is a summary of your key legal rights. These are subject to certain exceptions. For detailed information please visit the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk or call 03454 04 05 06.If your product is goods, for example a magazine or journal, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says goods must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality. During the expected lifespan of your product your legal rights entitle you to the following:
If your product is services, for example provision of an online training course or event, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says:
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13. Your rights in respect of defective products if you are a business
13.1 If you are a business customer we warrant that on delivery any products which are goods shall:
- (a) conform in all material respects with their description;
- (b) be free from material defects in design, material and workmanship;
- (c) be of satisfactory quality (within the meaning of the Sale of Goods Act 1979); and
- (d) be fit for any purpose held out by us.
13.2 Subject to Clause 13.3, if you give us notice in writing within a reasonable time of discovery that a product does not comply with the warranty set out in Clause 13.1 we shall replace the defective product in full.
13.3 We will not be liable for a product's failure to comply with the warranty in Clause 13.1 if:
- (a) you make any further use of such product after giving a notice in accordance with Clause 13.2; or
- (b) the defect arises as a result of fair wear and tear, wilful damage, negligence, or abnormal working conditions.
13.4 Except as provided in this Clause 13, we shall have no liability to you in respect of a product's failure to comply with the warranty set out in Clause 13.1.
13.5 These terms shall apply to any replacement products supplied by us under Clause 13.2.
14. Price and payment
14.1 Where to find the price for the product. The price of the product (which includes VAT) will be the price indicated on the order pages when you placed your order. We use our best efforts to ensure that the price of the product advised to you is correct. However please see Clause 14.3 for what happens if we discover an error in the price of the product you order.
14.2 We will pass on changes in the rate of VAT. If the rate of VAT changes between your order date and the date we supply the product, we will adjust the rate of VAT that you pay, unless you have already paid for the product in full before the change in the rate of VAT takes effect.
14.3 What happens if we got the price wrong. It is always possible that, despite our best efforts, some of the products we sell may be incorrectly priced. We will normally check prices before accepting your order so that, where the product's correct price at your order date is less than our stated price at your order date, we will charge the lower amount. If the product's correct price at your order date is higher than the price stated to you, we will contact you for your instructions before we accept your order. If we accept and process your order where a pricing error is obvious and unmistakeable and could reasonably have been recognised by you as a mispricing, we may end the contract and refund you any sums you have paid.
14.4 When you must pay and how you must pay. For credit and debit card payments, we accept payment with Visa, MasterCard, Maestro and JCB. How you must pay and when you must pay depends on what product you are buying:
- (a) If the product is a subscription to receive goods (for example a subscription to receive a magazine or journal), you must make an advance payment of 100% of the price of the annual subscription by credit or debit card or by direct debit before we dispatch the first magazine or journal you are entitled to receive for that annual subscription period. Please read further information about setting up a direct debit instruction here. For the avoidance of doubt, we will not collect payment for any future subscription period without your written consent. You can cancel your direct debit at any time.
- (b) If the product is a one-off service (for example, provision of an online training course or event), you must make an advance payment of 100% of the price of the services that you order by credit or debit card, before we provide them.
14.5 Our right of set-off if you are a business customer. If you are a business customer you must pay all amounts due to us under these terms in full without any set-off, counterclaim, deduction or withholding (other than any deduction or withholding of tax as required by law).
15. Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you if you are a consumer
15.1 We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking this contract or our failing to use reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time the contract was made, both we and you knew it might happen, for example, if you discussed it with us during the sales process.
15.2 We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; for breach of your legal rights in relation to the products as summarised at Clause 12 and for defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
15.3 We are not liable for business losses. If you are a consumer we only supply the products for to you for domestic and private use. If you use the products for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose our liability to you will be limited as set out in Clause 16.
15.4 We are not responsible or liable for views or opinions at events. In the case of provision of events, we accept no responsibility or liability for the views or opinions as expressed by the speakers, chairpersons or other persons at events.
16. Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you if you are a business
16.1 Nothing in these terms shall limit or exclude our liability for:
- (a) death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors (as applicable);
- (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
- (c) breach of the terms implied by section 12 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 or section 2 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982;
- (d) defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987; or
- (e) any matter in respect of which it would be unlawful for us to exclude or restrict liability.
16.2 Except to the extent expressly stated in Clause 13.1 all terms implied by sections 13 to 15 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and sections 3 to 5 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 are excluded.
16.3 Subject to Clause 16.1:
- (a) we shall not be liable to you, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, for any loss of profit, or any indirect or consequential loss arising under or in connection with any contract between us; and
- (b) our total liability to you for all other losses arising under or in connection with any contract between us, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, shall be limited to the total sums paid by you for products under such contract.
16.4 In the case of provision of events, we accept no responsibility or liability for the views or opinions as expressed by the speakers, chairpersons or other persons at events.
17. How we may use your personal information
How we will use your personal information. We will only use your personal information as set out in {ReloadPane;PrivacyPolicy}our Privacy Notice.
18. Other important terms
18.1 We may transfer this agreement to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another organisation. We will always tell you in writing if this happens and we will ensure that the transfer will not affect your rights under the contract.
18.2 You need our consent to transfer your rights to someone else. You may only transfer your rights or your obligations under these terms to another person if we agree to this in writing.
18.3 Nobody else has any rights under this contract. This contract is between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of its terms. Neither of us will need to get the agreement of any other person in order to end the contract or make any changes to these terms.
18.4 If a court finds part of this contract illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the paragraphs of these terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.
18.5 Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking this contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date.
18.6 Which laws apply to this contract and where you may bring legal proceedings if you are a consumer.
- (a) These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales. We both agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, which means that you can bring English legal proceedings in respect of the products in either the English courts or the courts of the country in which you are resident.
- (b) As a consumer, you will benefit from any mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which you are resident. Nothing in these terms and conditions, including Clause 18.6(a), affects your rights as a consumer to rely on such mandatory provisions of local law.
18.7 Which laws apply to this contract and where you may bring legal proceedings if you are a business. If you are a business, any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with a contract between us or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales and the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any such dispute or claim.
Privacy Policy
Welcome to the Royal Society of Biology's privacy notice.
The Royal Society of Biology ("RSB") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your personal data when you visit the RSB websites (www.rsb.org.uk, thebiologist.rsb.org.uk, biologyheritage.rsb.org.uk, heteaching.rsb.org.uk), our mySociety (my.rsb.org.uk) portal and our online training platform myLearning (learn.rsb.org.uk) (together, "our websites") (regardless of where you visit them from) and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
This privacy notice is provided in sections for ease of use. Click on the title of each section to show or hide its contents. Please also use the Glossary to understand the meaning of some of the terms used in this privacy notice.
Purpose of this privacy notice
This privacy notice aims to give you information on how the Royal Society of Biology collects and processes your personal data through your use of our websites, including any data you may provide through our websites.
Our websites are only intended for use by adults or children under the supervision of an adult. We do not knowingly collect data relating to children who are too young to provide their own consent to the processing of their personal data without parental consent.
Controller
The Royal Society of Biology is the controller and responsible for your personal data (referred to as "we", "us" or "our" in this privacy notice). We are a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 277981) and incorporated by Royal Charter.
We have appointed a data protection officer ("DPO") who is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy notice. If you have any questions about this privacy notice, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact our DPO using the details set out below:
FAO Data Protection Officer
Royal Society of Biology
1 Naoroji Street
London
WC1X 0GB
Email address: membership@rsb.org.uk
Telephone number: +44(0)20 3925 3446
Fax number: +44(0)20 3514 3204
You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office (the "ICO"), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.
Changes to the privacy notice and your duty to inform us of changes
This version was last updated on 25 May 2018.
It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.
Third-party links
Our websites may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins 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 statements. When you leave any of our websites, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.
Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:
- Identity Data includes first name, middle name, maiden name, last name, username or similar identifier, title, date of birth, gender, country of residence, nationality, LinkedIn address, affiliation, job title and grade and category of membership.
- Contact Data includes contact address (used to fulfil your subscription to a publication, if relevant), billing address, alternative addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers.
- Application Data includes information about your education (including graduation date), qualifications, career, current and past employment, references, specialism, knowledge, skills, competencies, expertise, interests, potential conflicts of interest, immigration status, and your CV, degree certificates, publication record, exam results, application statement, and details of where you heard about us.
- Continuing Professional Development ("CPD") Data includes information about your CPD activities and records.
- Gift Aid Data includes first name, last name, tax payer address and confirmation regarding eligibility as a UK tax payer.
- Financial Data includes bank account and payment card details.
- Profile Data includes your username and credentials, purchases or orders made by you (including subscriptions to publications), your interests, preferences, feedback and survey responses, dietary or other requirements.
- Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and your communication preferences.
- Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access our websites.
- Usage Data includes information about how you use our websites, products and services.
- Sensitive Data includes photographs, filming or other images of you (including your avatar photograph or image) and information about your political opinions and criminal convictions and offences.
We also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data may be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy notice.
We do not collect any Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health and genetic and biometric data) except in the following cases:
- Applications for a job, committee position or other post and applications for a grant, bursary, award or prize may include an optional questionnaire on diversity ("Diversity Questionnaire"). Completion of a Diversity Questionnaire is always optional and has no bearing on the success or failure of an application. We may aggregate the data collected on Diversity Questionnaires to inform our strategy in terms of diversity. Data collected on Diversity Questionnaires is only presented in an anonymous format - it does not fall within the definition of personal data as a person cannot be identified from it.
- We may collect information regarding your political opinions on applications for certain jobs, committee positions or other posts that are highly sensitive. We will only do so where we consider it essential for the particular job, committee position or other post. In such cases, we will seek your explicit consent to us collecting this information from you. If you do not consent to us collecting this information from you or you withdraw your consent then we will not be able to progress your application for these sensitive posts.
- If you choose to upload an avatar photograph or image to your user profile on our mySociety portal, we will seek your explicit consent (or your parent's explicit consent if you are below the age of consent) to us collecting this information from you. Uploading an avatar photograph or image is optional. You can delete your avatar photograph or image from your user profile on our mySociety portal at any time. Your avatar photograph or image is not visible to other users.
- We may take photographs of you and/or film you if:
- you are awarded a grant, bursary, award or prize; and/or
- you win an individual competition or school competition; and/or
- you attend an event or training course.
We will collect information about criminal convictions and offences on applications for jobs, committee positions or other posts and applications for voluntary work. We will only do so where we consider it essential for the particular job, committee position, voluntary work or other post and we are legally able to do so. In such cases, we will seek your explicit consent to us collecting this information. If you do not consent to us collecting this information or you withdraw your consent then we will not be able to progress your application for these posts.
If you fail to provide personal data
Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you, and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you (for example, to provide you with goods or services). In this case, we may have to cancel a product or service you have with us but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.
We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:
- Direct interactions. You may give us your Identity, Contact, Application, CPD, Gift Aid, Financial, Profile and Marketing and Communications Data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:
- register as a user;
- register as a volunteer;
- subscribe to a publication, list or group;
- apply to become a member;
- apply for a grant, bursary, award or prize;
- book an event or training course;
- purchase or access an online training course;
- apply for a job, committee position or other post;
- register for an individual competition;
- register for a school competition;
- apply to be on one of our professional registers;
- set up a direct debit;
- submit a Gift Aid declaration;
- complete a Diversity Questionnaire;
- enrol in our CPD system;
- raise a query;
- provide details about your marketing preferences.
- Automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our websites, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs and other similar technologies. Please see our {ReloadPane;cookies}cookie policy for further details.
- Third parties. We may receive Usage Data from analytics providers such as Google Analytics based outside the EU.
The personal information you provide via our websites is stored in a central, secure back office system called Marvin. This is a private, secure system where your personal data is collected, stored and processed. When you log in to, and use, our websites, they connect, securely, to Marvin to retrieve, store or update your personal data.
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:
- Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
- Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
- Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
Click here to find out more about the types of lawful basis that we will rely on to process your personal data.
Generally we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data except as set out in the table below.
Where personal data belongs to a child below the age of consent we will rely on the consent of that child's parent or guardian as a legal basis for processing that child's personal data.
You have the right to withdraw consent at any time by contacting us.
Purposes for which we will use your personal data
We have set out below, in a table format, a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.
Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out in the table below.
| Purpose/Activity | Type of data | Lawful basis for processing |
|---|---|---|
| To register you as a user by creating a user record and providing credentials for logging in | a) Identity b) Contact |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To register you as a volunteer including: a) carrying out background checks (if relevant) b) matching volunteers to opportunities, including by geographic matching, matching against expertise and interest or background in general |
a) Identity b) Contact c) Application |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To fulfil your subscription to a publication, mailing list or interest/activity group | a) Identity b) Contact c) Application |
a) Performance of a contract with you b) Consent of parent in case of subscriber below the age of consent |
| To verify your eligibility for membership and to fulfil membership and its benefits including: a) sending you branch-specific information b) sending you publications you are entitled to receive under your membership c) sending you communications about membership benefits renewal of membership |
a) Identity b) Contact c) Application |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To publish the name and grade of new members in The Biologist and in our membership directory | a) Identity | Necessary for our legitimate interests (to be transparent about who our members are) |
| To verify your eligibility for a grant, bursary, award or prize and score including: a) evaluating and ranking applicants b) managing processes and outcomes |
a) Identity b) Contact c) Application |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To process and deliver your order to attend an event or training course including: a) managing payments, fees and charges (if relevant) b) sending you communications related to the event or training course c) asking you to take a survey d) producing name badges and attendee lists e) managing automatic recording of CPD on our CPD system (if relevant) |
a) Identity b) Contact c) CPD d) Profile |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To process and deliver your order of an online training course including: a) managing payments, fees and charges b) providing access to purchased online training course c) managing your portfolio of online training courses d) monitoring your progress through an online training course e) issuing certificates and managing automatic recording of CPD on our CPD system (in both cases, if relevant) |
a) Identity b) Contact c) CPD d) Financial |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To verify your suitability for a job, committee position or other post including: a) evaluating and ranking applicants b) carrying out background checks (if relevant) c) managing processes and outcomes |
a) Identity b) Contact c) Application |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To verify your suitability for a job, committee position, voluntary work or other post. | a) Sensitive | Consent Please see further information above. |
| To manage and organise an individual competition and judge and rank submissions | a) Identity b) Contact |
a) Performance of a contract with you b) Consent of parent in case of participant below the age of consent |
| To manage participation in school competitions and facilitate access to separate school competition platform | a) Identity | Performance of a contract with you |
| To verify your eligibility for admission to one of our professional registers and to fulfil registration on one of our professional registers and its benefits including: a) sending you communications relating to your registration on a professional register such as reminders for renewal b) demonstrating compliance with CPD requirements for our professional registers |
a) Identity b) Contact c) Application d) CPD |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To verify your bank account details and process payment by direct debit for your membership and/or your subscription to a publication and/or your registration on one of our professional registers | a) Identity b) Contact c) Application d) Financial |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To process your Gift Aid claim when you make a Gift Aid declaration | a) Gift Aid | Performance of a contract with you |
| To collect statistical information about geographic location, gender and age of our members and progression within the categories of membership to inform our strategy in terms of growth and engagement | a) Aggregated data | Not applicable - aggregated data is not personal data |
| To collect statistical information about the diversity of our staff, schemes and programmes to inform our strategy in terms of diversity | a) Aggregated data | Not applicable - aggregated data is not personal data |
| To create and update your record of CPD activities | a) Identity b) Contact c) CPD Data |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To send you publications you subscribe to | a) Identity b) Contact c) Profile d) Marketing and Communications |
Performance of a contract with you |
| To notify you about changes to our terms or privacy policy | a) Identity b) Contact |
a) Performance of a contract with you b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation |
| To administer and protect our activities and our websites (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data) | a) Identity b) Contact c) Technical |
a) Necessary for our legitimate interests (for running RSB, provisions of administration and IT services, network security to prevent fraud and in the context of a reorganisation or restricting exercise) b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation |
| To use data analytics to improve our website, products/services, marketing, customer relationships and experiences | a) Technical b) Usage |
a) Technical b) Usage Necessary for our legitimate interests (to define types of users for our products and services, to keep our website updated and relevant, to develop our activities and to inform our marketing strategy) |
| To record your queries and our responses, to provide the service requested and to provide more relevant interactions in the future and allow us to see the full history of engagement | a) Identity b) Contact |
a) Consent |
| To send you marketing communications | a) Identity b) Contact c) Profile d) Marketing and Communications |
a) Consent b) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to help build and develop the scientific community as part of our general promotional/outreach activities) Please see further information below. |
| To publish details other than name and grade of our members in our membership directory | a) Identity b) Profile |
a) Consent |
| To publish your name, photograph and/or film of you if: a) you are awarded a grant, bursary, award or prize; and/or b) you win an individual competition or school competition; and/or c) you attend an event or training course. |
a) Identity b) Sensitive |
a) Consent b) Consent of parent in the case of participant below the age of consent |
| To display your avatar photograph or image on your user profile on our mySociety portal | a) Sensitive | a) Consent b) Consent of parent in the case of participant below the age of consent |
Marketing
Most commonly, we will only send you communications in connection with the following circumstances:
- Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
- Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
- Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
We may also use your Identity, Contact, Technical, Usage and Profile Data to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. This is how we decide which products, services and offers may be relevant for you (we call this marketing).
We strive to provide you with choices regarding use of your personal data for marketing purposes.
We will only send you marketing communications if:
- (i) you have given us your consent by opting in to receive marketing communications; or
- (ii) we have a legitimate interest to do so, for example:
- to invite you to join as a member if you are not a member;
- to invite you to re-join as a member if you are a lapsed member;
- to invite you to attend events if you have a professional profile relevant to the event; and
- to contact you in relation to relevant matters within our mission and vision if you are an individual with a role in a relevant organisation or committee.
You can update your marketing preferences by logging into your user account on mySociety.
Third-party marketing
We do not share your personal data with any other company or organisation for marketing purposes.
Opting out
You can ask us to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by logging into your user account on mySociety and checking or unchecking relevant controls to adjust your marketing preferences or by following the opt-out links on any marketing message sent to you or by contacting our Data Protection Officer at any time.
Where you opt out of receiving these marketing messages, this will not apply to personal data provided to us as a result of an application, a product/service purchase or other transactions.
Cookies
You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block cookies that enable authentication and maintaining state, you may not be able to access all or parts of our websites and you will not be able to log in to any of our websites. For more information about the cookies we use, please see our {ReloadPane;cookies}cookie policy.
Change of purpose
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you wish to receive an explanation as to how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us.
If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
We may have to share your personal data with the parties set out below for the purposes set out in the table in paragraph 4 above.
- Internal Third Parties as set out in in the Glossary.
- External Third Parties as set out in the Glossary.
- Third parties to whom we may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our organisation or our assets. Alternatively, we may seek to acquire other organisations or merge with them. If a change happens to our organisation, then the new trustees or owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this privacy notice.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
We do not transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area ("EEA").
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
How long will you use my personal data for?
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
If you wish to receive details of retention periods for different aspects of your personal data, please contact us.
Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. Please click on the links below to find out more about these rights:
- Request access to your personal data.
- Request correction of your personal data.
- Request erasure of your personal data.
- Object to processing of your personal data.
- Request restriction of processing your personal data.
- Request transfer of your personal data.
- Right to withdraw consent.
You have the right to:
Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a "data subject access request"). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it. You can securely access and manage much of the personal data we hold about you by logging in or registering on our mySociety portal.
Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us. You can access and edit much of the personal data we hold about you by logging in or registering on our mySociety portal.
Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.
Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.
Request restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in the following scenarios: (a) if you want us to establish the data's accuracy; (b) where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it; (c) where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or (d) you have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.
Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party. We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.
Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.
Exercising your rights
If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact our Data Protection Officer:
FAO Data Protection Officer
Royal Society of Biology
1 Naoroji Street
London
WC1X 0GB
Email address: membership@rsb.org.uk
Telephone number: +44(0)20 3925 3440
Fax number: +44(0)20 3514 3204
No fee usually required
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.
What we may need from you
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.
Time limit to respond
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.
Lawful basis
- Legitimate Interest means the interest of our organisation in conducting and managing our organisation to enable us to give you the best service/product and the best and most secure experience. We make sure we consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative) and your rights before we process your personal data for our legitimate interests. We do not use your personal data for activities where our interests are overridden by the impact on you (unless we have your consent or are otherwise required or permitted to by law). You can obtain further information about how we assess our legitimate interests against any potential impact on you in respect of specific activities by contacting us.
- Performance of Contract means processing your data where it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract.
- Comply with a legal or regulatory obligation means processing your personal data where it is necessary for compliance with a legal or regulatory obligation that we are subject to.
Internal Third Parties
- Our committee members or representatives.
External Third Parties
- Analytics and search engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimisation of our websites.
- Referees acting as processors or joint controllers you have identified on an application for membership or on an application for inclusion on one of our professional registers.
- External assessors or examiners acting as processors or joint controllers for evaluation of your application for a grant, bursary, award or prize or your application for a job, committee position or other post or your application for inclusion on one of our professional registers (in the case of some of our professional registers).
- The Science Council acting as processor or joint controller, licensing some of our professional registers.
- Service providers acting as processors based in the EEA who provide payment-processing services, bank-account-verification services membership-related services, subscription-fulfilment services, voting services, IT and system administration services.
- Professional advisers acting as processors or joint controllers including lawyers, bankers, auditors and insurers based in the United Kingdom who provide consultancy, banking, legal, insurance and accounting services.
- HM Revenue & Customs, regulators and other authorities acting as processors or joint controllers based in the United Kingdom who require reporting of processing activities in certain circumstances.
- Competition organisers acting as processors or joint controllers.