Zendar Universe - Research Collaborators Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how Zendar Universe ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares, stores and protects personal data for organizations, researchers, students and educators who use the Research Collaborators programme and portal (the "Service"). The Service includes the Research Collaborators pages, the Research Portal, research submission by email to elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com, the collaborator dashboard (https://zendaruniverse.com/research-collaborators/ and https://zendaruniverse.com/research-collaborators/login/), publication pages (for example https://zendaruniverse.com/research/ and research project pages), and any related tools or communications.

This policy applies to: universities, research institutes, aerospace organizations, scientific institutions, students, educators and individual researchers who register, submit research, or otherwise interact with our Research Collaborators Service.

If you are a visitor who is not a Collaborator (e.g., a reader of published research on our site) please refer to our general privacy policies: General Privacy Policy (US) and General Privacy Policy (EU) available on our website.

2. Data Controller

Zendar Universe is the data controller for the Research Collaborators Service. Our operations and the research portal are managed by our team in Madrid, Spain. For research submissions and partnership questions please contact: elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com. For privacy-specific requests please contact privacy@zendaruniverse.com (or elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com if an alternate privacy address is not available).

3. What personal data we collect

We collect categories of personal data necessary to operate the Research Collaborators Service and to publish and promote submitted research. Typical categories include:

A. Organizational & account information

• Institution or organization name, address, website.
• Contact person name, professional email, phone number.
• Account username and password (where applicable).
• Role or position (e.g., Principal Investigator, Student, Educator).

B. Public profile & publication metadata

• Researcher profile information: name, affiliation, biography, ORCID (if provided), profile photo (professional, 1080×1080 recommended), social links (Twitter, LinkedIn, personal website).
• Research metadata: title, abstract, keywords, categories, project pages, dates, keywords and any submitted captions for images or figures.

C. Research content & files

• Manuscripts, preprints, technical reports, datasets, figures, images, code, slide decks, video/audio files and any documents you upload or send (any file format accepted).

D. Communications & transactional data

• Emails between collaborators and our team (including submissions to elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com), internal review notes, review decisions and publication status.

E. Technical & usage information

• IP address, device and browser characteristics, cookies and similar tracking technologies, logs, timestamps, and usage analytics related to the Research Portal and collaborator dashboard.

F. Optional / sensitive information

• Any special categories of data (for example health-related research data, genetic data, or biometric data) included in research files only if those data are essential to the research. We will only process these categories where we have a lawful basis and, where required by law, explicit consent or appropriate safeguards.

4. How we use personal data & lawful bases (high level)

We use personal data to provide, operate and improve the Research Collaborators Service, to review, publish and promote submitted research, and to comply with legal obligations. The lawful bases we rely on include:

• Performance of contract / provision of services: to operate collaborator accounts, deliver the research publication service, provide access to the collaborator dashboard, and perform our obligations under any partnership agreement.
• Consent: for optional processing (for example, publishing personal data in author biographies or clearly-identified optional profiling fields, or processing special-category research data where explicit consent is needed).
• Legitimate interests: to operate and secure the platform, perform research-site analytics, prevent abuse, and to promote published research. We balance our interests against the rights of data subjects and will not rely on legitimate interests where those interests are overridden by the data subject’s rights.
• Legal obligations: to comply with statutory requirements, respond to lawful requests, and protect the legal rights, property or safety of Zendar Universe, our collaborators and others.

For EU/EEA data subjects, and in line with GDPR, we will identify and document the specific lawful basis for each processing activity and rely on appropriate safeguards when processing special categories of data. (See sections 10 & 11.)

5. Publishing research — what we will publish and editorial control

When you submit a research publication (by portal upload or by email to elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com) you authorize Zendar Universe to:

• Review your submission for quality and policy compliance. Our review time target is 24 hours but may vary depending on volume.
• Publish the research as a Research Publication page (we offer one research publication per day at no cost by default, subject to our editorial schedule and policies).
• Create a Research Project page, Research Category pages, and Researcher Profile pages as appropriate to present the research (for example: https://zendaruniverse.com/research/exoplanet-discovery-program-edp/ and researcher profile pages such as https://zendaruniverse.com/research/researchers/dr-elena-vance/).
• Edit for formatting, clarity, SEO and style: our editorial and writing team may rewrite parts of the submission to improve readability and discoverability while preserving the core scientific summary and claims. We will not materially alter the scientific conclusions of a submission without author approval.
• Add images, figures, or alt text to enhance the published page (we will seek permission for third-party copyrighted images).

You retain authorship and (where applicable) copyright in your submitted materials unless otherwise agreed in a separate written agreement. By submitting content you grant Zendar Universe a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to publish, reproduce, modify, display and promote the submission on our platforms and through third-party channels for the duration described in our Terms of Service.

Editorial control & removal rights. We reserve the right to refuse, suspend, or remove any submission that violates our policies (including plagiarism, illegal content, personally-identifying sensitive disclosures about third parties, defamatory content, or serious ethical violations). If your submission is removed for policy reasons we will notify the submitting contact and provide a reason, subject to any legal constraints.

6. Who we share personal data with

We share collaborator personal data only as required to deliver the Service and to comply with law. Typical recipients include:

• Service providers and partners: hosting providers, content delivery networks (CDNs), cloud storage providers, email and communication platforms, analytics platforms, SEO/publishing tools, and payment processors (where payments are relevant). These providers act as processors and are contractually bound to protect the data.
• Public publication: author names, affiliations, ORCID and the public profile information you choose to include on a publication page will be publicly visible if you elect to publish them.
• Indexing & discovery services: search engines and scientific indexes if you opt-in or submit content intended for broad discoverability.
• Legal or safety disclosures: where required by law, court order or to protect rights, property or safety (for example, law enforcement requests).
• Mergers or corporate transactions: in the event of a corporate sale, merger or re-organization personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction under appropriate confidentiality protections.

We will never sell your personal data for advertising or commercial resale. If you are a California resident and wish to request the disclosure of data sold or shared, please see Section 11.

7. International transfers

Because the Research Portal is global, personal data may be stored and processed in multiple countries (including outside your country of residence). When we transfer personal data from the EU/EEA to countries that do not offer an adequacy decision, we will rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), approved transfer mechanisms, or recognized adequacy frameworks (for example the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework where applicable). We will also take reasonable steps to ensure equivalent protections for the transferred data.

8. Data retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary to provide the Service, meet legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Typical retention rules include:

• Account and collaborator data: retained while your account or partnership is active and for a reasonable period after termination (typically up to 7 years unless specified otherwise or required by law).
• Published research pages and public profiles: retained while published unless you request removal; archived backups may persist for a longer period for legal, compliance or historical reasons.
• Submission review records and communications: retained for the duration of the review and for documentable business purposes thereafter (e.g., 3–7 years).
• Aggregated anonymized analytics: retained indefinitely.

If you request deletion of your account or published content we will normally remove your profile and personal data from live pages. Residual copies in backups or caches may take additional time to delete. We will inform you of any material limitations to deletion where required by law.

9. Security

We take commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, including encryption in transit (TLS), access controls, role-based permissions, secure hosting, and periodic security testing. However, no system is 100% secure; if we become aware of a personal data breach that creates a risk to your rights and freedoms we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority as required by law.

10. Special categories of data & sensitive research data

If your submission includes special categories of personal data (as defined by the GDPR) such as health, genetic or biometric data, we will treat that data with heightened safeguards. Processing of these data will only occur where a lawful basis exists (for example explicit consent from the data subject or another permitted condition) and appropriate safeguards are in place. If your research includes identifiable third-party personal data you must ensure you have lawful authority to share those data with us.

11. Rights for EU/EEA data subjects and California residents (high level)

For EU/EEA (GDPR) data subjects: you have rights including access, rectification, erasure (in certain circumstances), restriction of processing, portability, objection to processing and the right to withdraw consent. We will respond to verified requests in accordance with GDPR timelines (generally within one month, extendable to two months for complex requests).

For California residents (CCPA/CPRA): you have rights to request: (i) disclosure of categories of personal information collected, sold, or shared; (ii) deletion of personal information; (iii) correction of inaccurate personal information; (iv) to opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information; and (v) non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights. Zendar Universe does not sell personal information for monetary consideration. We will follow California-specific verification and response procedures for consumer requests.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at privacy@zendaruniverse.com or elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com (for publication-related requests). You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (for EU/EEA subjects) or the California Privacy Protection Agency (for California residents).

12. Cookies, analytics & tracking

Our Research Portal uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the Service, to collect usage analytics, and to improve performance. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser and (where available) our cookie consent tool. Analytics data is typically aggregated and anonymized for product improvement.

13. Children & Minors

The Research Collaborators Service is intended for professional and academic use. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 (or the local age-of-consent threshold). If you are a minor, please do not submit personal data to our Service. If we learn we have collected a child’s personal data without parental consent we will take steps to delete it.

14. How we handle corrections, takedown and disputes

Corrections & updates. Collaborators may update their profile and publication metadata through the collaborator dashboard or by contacting elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com.

Takedown requests. If you believe content should be removed (copyright infringement, legal violation, privacy or ethical concerns), please submit a takedown request to elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com with details and supporting documentation. For copyright claims we may follow applicable law (including DMCA procedures in the United States).

Dispute resolution. If you are not satisfied with our response you may escalate the matter to our Data Protection contact (privacy@zendaruniverse.com) or to the relevant supervisory authority.

15. Data breach notification

Where required by applicable law (for example GDPR), we will notify the relevant supervisory authority of a personal data breach within 72 hours of becoming aware of it if it creates a risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals. We will also notify affected individuals without undue delay when there is a high risk to their rights and freedoms.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on our site and the Effective Date above will be updated. We encourage collaborators to review this policy periodically.

17. Contact & more information

If you have questions, requests or complaints about this policy or our processing practices, please contact:

Research submissions & collaborator matters: elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com

Privacy questions & data subject requests: privacy@zendaruniverse.com (or elena.vance@zendaruniverse.com)

Website & general inquiries: use the Contact form at https://zendaruniverse.com/contact/

Address (headquarters): Zendar Universe - Madrid, Spain (full postal address available on request via contact channels).

This Research Collaborators Privacy Policy is written to be consistent with our existing site privacy pages and with key international privacy principles. It is a template that should be reviewed by your legal counsel for local compliance and to reflect any additional contractual terms you may require of partners.