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von Karman Institute Newsletter – Data Privacy Statement

 Introduction

The von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (“VKI”, “we”, “us”) is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Data Privacy Statement explains how we collect, use, store, and safeguard your information when you subscribe to our newsletter. It is designed to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”).

Data controller

von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI)
Chaussée de Waterloo 72
1640 Rhode-Saint-Genèse
Belgium
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Personal Data We Collect

When you subscribe to the VKI Newsletter, we collect the following personal data:

  • Email address

  • First and last name (if provided)

  • Affiliation or organization (optional)

  • Subscription preferences

  • Interaction data (e.g., email opens, link clicks) collected through Brevo for analytics and performance monitoring

We do not collect sensitive personal data.

Purpose and Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • Sending the VKI Newsletter and related communications

  • Informing you about VKI events, research updates, training programs, and opportunities

  • Managing your subscription preferences

  • Improving the relevance and quality of our communications through Brevo’s analytics tools

The legal basis for processing your data is:

  • Your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) when subscribing

  • Legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) for internal analytics and service improvement

You may withdraw your consent at any time.

Use of Brevo as Our Email Platform

We use Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) as our email distribution and contact management platform.

Brevo acts as a Data Processor on behalf of VKI and processes your personal data only according to our instructions and for the purposes described in this statement.

Brevo is GDPR‑compliant and provides:

  • Secure data hosting

  • Encrypted data transfer

  • Access controls and authentication

  • GDPR‑compliant Data Processing Agreements (DPAs)

More information about Brevo’s privacy practices is available on their website.

How We Store and Protect Your Data

Your personal data is stored:

  • On VKI’s secure systems, and

  • On Brevo’s secure servers located in the European Union

Brevo hosts data in the EU and applies strict technical and organizational measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse.

 Data Sharing

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Your data may be shared only with:

  • Brevo, for newsletter distribution and analytics

  • IT service providers supporting VKI’s communication infrastructure

All third‑party processors operate under GDPR‑compliant agreements.

International Data Transfer

Brevo stores data within the European Union.

If, in exceptional cases, data is transferred outside the EU, such transfers are safeguarded through:

  • Adequacy decisions, or

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as you remain subscribed to the VKI Newsletter.

If you unsubscribe, your data will be deleted or anonymized within a reasonable period unless required for legal or administrative purposes.

Your Rights Under GDPR

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right of access

  • Right to rectification

  • Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”)

  • Right to restrict processing

  • Right to data portability

  • Right to object

  • Right to withdraw consent at any time

To exercise your rights, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You may also lodge a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority.

Unsubscribing

You can unsubscribe from the VKI Newsletter at any time by clicking the

Updates to This Privacy Statemen

We may update this Data Privacy Statement from time to time. Any changes will be published on the VKI website and, where appropriate, communicated to subscribers.

 

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