Privacy notice

As a public sector body, the vast majority of personal data processed by Invest NI is done so in the exercise of the ‘official authority’ vested in Invest NI by virtue of the Industrial Development Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 and the Industrial Development (Northern Ireland) Order 1982. Broadly these allow Invest NI to process data for economic development purposes.

The lawful basis we rely on is therefore article 6(1)(e) of the GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when this is necessary to perform our public tasks as an economic development agency. 

If the personal data we process contains special category data, such as health, religious or ethnic information the lawful basis we rely on to process it is article 9(2)(g) of the GDPR, which also relates to our public task and the safeguarding of your fundamental rights. And Schedule 1 part 2(6) of the DPA2018 which relates to statutory and government purposes.

For non ‘core’ functions not covered specifically by our statutory remit, such as logging visitors to our offices and CCTV usage, Invest NI will rely on its legitimate interests as a legal basis to process personal data in a proportionate and expected way. These legitimate interests are to maintain security. The lawful basis we rely on to process this personal data is article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when it is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests.

There will also be a legal obligation on Invest NI to process certain personal data (such as for tax purposes). The lawful basis for this is article 6(1)(C) of the GDPR, which relates to processing necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

Where we are relying on your consent under article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR to process your personal data we will make this clear at the point of collection.

Invest NI regards the lawful and correct handling of personal and business sensitive information as essential to its successful operation and to maintaining confidence of its customers. To this end, Invest NI maintains an Information Security Management System certified to the international security standard ISO 27001 to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of corporate information, including personal data entrusted to us by our customers and stakeholders.

Further detail on our data processing arrangements can be found in the Invest NI Information Security Handbook (PDF).

www.investni.com is the corporate website of Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI). We are committed to protecting the privacy of all personal information obtained from you during any visits to this website.

In this section, we set out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you choose to provide us in connection with the investni.com website (this Website), will be processed.

What information do we collect?

This Website may collect and process data you provide to us about you, for example through filling out an enquiry form, and other information that we automatically collect from you.

Information you provide to us

1. This Website

Information that you choose to give this Website includes the following:

a. Contact us form

We collect questions, queries or feedback you leave, including your name, email address, telephone and postcode, if you use our Contact Us form on this Website to get in touch. We use these details to respond to the feedback or query you send us. In some instances the information is passed to the authorised person in Invest NI, government department, agency or public body that we believe can best respond or assist you.

b. Media enquiry form

We collect questions, queries or feedback you leave, including your name, email address, telephone, postcode, media outlet and deadline for response, if you use our Media Enquiry form on this Website to get in touch. Our Press Office will use these details to respond to the feedback or query you send us. In some instances the information is passed to the authorised person in Invest NI, government department, agency or public body that we believe can best respond or assist you.

c. Sign-up to receive our email newsletter

We collect your name and email address when you sign-up to receive our weekly email newsletter, the 2 Minute Update. The 2 Minute Update gives you information about our latest events, news and features, our programmes and advisory services, advertising campaigns promoting our available support, and business advice and information from Invest NI and our economic development partners. You can opt-out from receiving our weekly newsletter at any time by selecting the ‘unsubscribe’ link that appears in the footer of every email newsletter we send.

2. MYINI Portal

MYINI is Invest NI’s customer portal through which you can register for events, and set up an account to access and apply for available support. MYINI is a sub-domain of this Website.

a. Event registration form

We collect your name, email address, company name, job title, mobile number and details of any access or dietary requirements if you register for an event through the MYINI Portal: https://myini.investni.com. We will use this information solely for the purposes of administering the event. You do not need to create an account on MYINI to register for an event. If you register for an event that is being hosted in partnership with other organisations, we will make this clear at registration and we will share your registration information with the partners. We will on occasion also include a list of attendees at the event as part of any information pack.

b. Paying for events

If you are registering for one of our paid events, such as an Export Skills Workshop through the MYINI Portal, we will collect payment through the third party payment gateway, Worldpay. Invest NI does not collect or store any card or cardholder information. In order to process your payment, Worldpay will ask for your card details (card number, security code and expiry date) and cardholder details (cardholder’s name, address, telephone and email address). You do not need to create an account on MYINI to register and pay for a paid event.

c. Creating an account

If you are creating an account on the MYINI portal, we will collect your name, company name and email address. We use this information solely to create the account and this will allow you to use your email address as a unique identifier for logging into the system.

d. Applying for support

To apply for support, either financial or programme based, Invest NI is required to capture data from you. Invest NI can collect your name, contact information, details of your business, its trading history, performance and future plans. Invest NI uses this information to carry out due diligence checks and also in support of an application for public funds. The specific data collected on an application will vary, depending on the type of support being sought. Customers will be expected to update their data periodically and will also need to confirm data is true, accurate, and up-to-date at the time of applying for support.

When applying for support, some programmes may use an automated online eligibility checker. When automated decisions are being used, you will be notified on the relevant eligibility checker page. Applicants will have the option to access a human review of an automated decision if they feel an incorrect decision has been made based on the information provided. 

Information we collect from you

Information that we may automatically collect in relation to your visits to this Website does not identify your personally. It provides us with information about how you use investni.com and engage with us. We use this information to improve our services and make them more useful to you. The information we collect includes some or all of the following:

1. Technical information

Your Internet Protocol (IP) address and detail of which type of web browser you used. We collect this information in a way which does not identify you personally.

2. Information about your visit to this Website

This can include:

• The pages you visited, when (date and time) you visited them and how long you visited them for.
• The website address from which you accessed this Website.
• The website address from which you exited this Website.
• Queries via this Website’s search engine.
• Internet browser and devices used.

We collect this information in a way which does not identify you personally.

We collect information on how you use this Website through cookies. Cookies are text files placed on your computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone to collect information. You can decide if you want to accept or reject particular cookies through our cookie control module or by changing the settings on your browser. To find out more, please read our cookie policy.

What we do with the information we collect

We use the information we collect to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, including the following:

• Respond to any requests or feedback you send us, if you have asked us to.
• Send email alerts to you, if you request them.
• Provide you with information, if you want it, about our latest events, news and features, our programmes and advisory services, advertising campaigns promoting our available support, and business advice and information from Invest NI and our economic development partners.
• Analyse, evaluate and improve this Website via data amalgamated from multiple visitors, which does not identify you personally.

Linking to other websites

www.investni.com contains links to many other government and non-government websites. This Website does not endorse or favour any specific commercial product or business. Non-government sites linked to from this website are present only because they may be useful additions to the information we provide.

A link to a third-party website does not imply endorsement - you must use your own judgement to decide whether the information or service on that website is suitable for your needs. If a website is not linked to ours, this does not mean or imply that it is unsatisfactory. The linked websites are regularly reviewed in the light of customer usage and feedback.

We are not responsible for the content of any linked website and cannot take responsibility for the consequences of you using the information or services on linked websites. We cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time.

Websites that we link to may have 'terms and conditions' that are different from ours. Do not assume that our privacy notice and cookie policy applies to other websites.

Other third party content

We embed external content from third-party websites such as YouTube. This content is not published on www.investni.com. It is delivered using devices and services provided by such third party sites that can be inserted into our site. We are not responsible for this content.

YouTube

Whilst we have made all reasonable efforts to display only appropriate YouTube videos through the embedded YouTube player, we are not responsible for any YouTube content accessed from our website. After a selected video clip plays, YouTube may suggest related videos, which can be played in the embedded video player. In virtually all cases, these will be directly related to the subject of the selected video. Occasionally, YouTube users may assign key words to a video by mistake. It is therefore possible that an unrelated video could be displayed. Again, we are not responsible for this content. If you are concerned about this possibility, you should avoid viewing YouTube videos from the embedded player on this website.

Security and virus protection

No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as totally secure. While we strive to protect such information, we do not warrant and cannot ensure the security of any information which you transmit to us. Accordingly, such transmission is at your own risk. We will not be liable for any damages or loss arising out of or resulting from any unauthorised access to, alteration to or modification of information contained on this website.

We make every effort to check and test our website during production. You must take your own precautions to ensure that the process which you employ for accessing this website does not expose you to risk of viruses, malicious computer code or other forms of interference which may damage your computer system. It is always wise for you to run an anti-virus program on anything you download from the internet.

We accept no liability for any loss, disruption or damage to your computer system or your data caused by using this website or arising as a result of having used this Website.

Cookie Settings

What are cookies?

"Cookies" are small text files that are stored on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website.

They allow the website to recognise your device and remember if you have been to the website before. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work more efficiently, as well as providing information to the owners of websites on site usage and performance.

There are different types of cookies. Necessary cookies enable a site’s core functionality - a website cannot function properly without these cookies. You can disable necessary cookies by changing your browser preferences. Analytical cookies measure the pages a customer visits on a website - website owners collect this information to make site improvements and report on site usage. Third party cookies can be used for advertising purposes. You can read about the different types of cookies that we use on investni.com on this page.

The Information Commissioner’s Office provide guidance on how to manage and delete cookies.

How are cookies used on investni.com?

Some of the cookies we use are essential for site functionality.

Other cookies help us to improve your website experience, including the content and technical performance of investni.com, by providing insights into how the site is used. For example, they allow us to count the number of visitors to specific pages, and to analyse website usage patterns and trends.

Some cookies help us to match relevant business support with your interests – this assistance may appear in the form of advertisements via websites you visit.

We use website visitor ID services provided by Visual Visitor LLC for prospecting and lead generation purposes in the USA. This enables us to identify the companies who are visiting our website. This service is only active if you consent to enabling our optional analytics cookies. Data relating to website visitors from outside the USA is deleted immediately following identification of their geographic location, and no further processing is conducted on non-USA visitors. An International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) is in place with the US-based service provider.

The information we collect does not enable us to identify any website visitor personally. No individual data or personal information is stored in our cookies.

Managing cookie consent on investni.com

We use a tool called Onetrust to manage cookie consent. It ensures that you are informed about the cookies we use and gives you control over your preferences.

When you first visit our site, you will see a pop-up notice, which allows you to consent to or customise the types of cookies you allow.

You can also access the Cookie Control Centre to modify your settings and manage your consent. This helps us comply with data protection regulations and gives you transparency and control over your data. You can click the "Manage your cookies" button at the top of this section to manage your cookie preferences at any time.

Measuring website usage 

We use analytics software to collect information about how you use investni.com. We do this to help make sure the site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements, for example improving site search.

Analytics stores information about:

• the pages you visit on investni.com
• how long you spend on investni.com
• how you got to the site
• what you click on while you’re visiting the site

We do not collect or store your personal information (eg your name or address). We do not allow Google to use or share our analytics data.

Invest NI provides a variety of support for businesses (as detailed on this Website). The vast majority of data that Invest NI collects to deliver this support is commercial non personal data.

However, we need to hold the details of those who have requested access to our support (programmes and services) in order to provide them with the necessary advice or support. The data that we keep on record may include your name, company name, job title, contact details, business experience, business financial information and business details, for example, sole traders, partnerships, owners and senior management of limited companies. Details of visitors to Invest NI offices will be recorded on visitor logs.

When a customer is on-boarding to become an Invest NI client we will conduct due diligence checks and will collect details about the customer’s business related activities (such as ownership records, stock exchange listings, bankruptcy records, court judgements, credit history, sanctions lists, civil proceedings and checks on adverse publicity and politically exposed persons) and also information to verify your identity (photographic) and contact details. This is known as the 'Know Your Customer' process.

When applying for support, some programmes may use an automated online eligibility checker. When automated decisions are being used, you will be notified on the relevant eligibility checker page. Applicants will have the option to access a human review of an automated decision if they feel an incorrect decision has been made based on the information provided.
  
On occasion, Invest NI may also support potential clients in their UK visa applications to assist in promotional fact finding visits to Northern Ireland. In doing so we may collect personal details (such as date of birth, home address) as these are necessary for the visa application process as determined by the UK Home Office Visa and Immigration division.

On occasion we may create a 'pen pic' profile of customers for example, to brief senior management, ministers or potential investors prior to any meetings with you. This data may have been provided by you, or it may have been obtained from social media platforms (such as LinkedIn or Facebook) or publicly available sources (such as Companies House and other business-related resources, the World-Wide-Web, publications and news articles).

When you attend an Invest NI event, we will collect your name, contact details and for certain events, your payment information. We will use this information for the purposes of administering the event and communications relating to the event. 

If you register for an event that is being hosted in partnership with other organisations, we will make this clear at registration and we will share your registration information with the partners. We may also include a list of attendees at the event as part of any information pack.

If you are attending an event where Invest NI is arranging travel and accommodation we will  collect information to facilitate this (such as passport details). It is likely that this information will be shared with our contracted facilitator for travel (Selective Travel).

If you are a speaker at an Invest NI event, we will publically promote your involvement through social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram, our email newsletters to our newsletter subscribers, and on our website. This data may continue to be processed by social media platforms after the event has ended.

Invest NI’s statutory functions include the requirement to promote the activities of the organisation. Therefore promotional and marketing activities will be carried out in the exercise of our official authority. You can unsubscribe at any time by selecting the ‘unsubscribe’ link within each email. We will never sell your personal data.

We use online advertising services provided by Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Invest NI does not collect or store any personal information which may be used by the providers in their delivery of these services.

When conducting promotional activities Invest NI will capture photographs and videos that identify people. Our legal basis for this activity is in the exercise of our official authority (the promotion of Invest NI role and remit). We will ensure that attendees are fully aware of the photography taking place and ensure that individuals have an option not to appear within a photograph. Images taken for promotional purposes will be shared with media outlets, our economic development partners, used on our websites and promoted through social media platforms. These images will be retained in line with our retention and disposal schedule however if you wish an image of you to be removed at any time please contact dpo@investni.com. We will also make use of quotes provided by customer representatives when publicising Invest NI supported projects.

Invest NI also engages in lead generation or prospecting activity to promote Northern Ireland and attract businesses to Northern Ireland. This mainly focusses on corporations but as part of this activity we will collect information on key decision makers such as a company’s owners and senior management team, including name, job title, contact details and biographical information. This may be collected from:

• Mutual acquaintances.
• Public sources, for example social media platforms (such as LinkedIn or Facebook) or publicly available sources (such as Companies House and other business-related resources, databases, the World-Wide-Web, publications and news articles).
• Business cards, promotional materials, brochures and attendee lists associated with sector specific conferences or events available for the public and businesses to participate in.

This information is placed on our CRM system and is kept in line with our records retention and disposal schedule (PDF). When this data is collected from third party sources, we will issue a notification to the individuals within one month to promote transparency of our processing.

Invest NI uses website visitor ID services provided by Visual Visitor LLC for prospecting and lead generation purposes in the USA. This enables us to identify the companies who are visiting our website. This service is only active if you consent to enabling our optional analytics cookies. Data relating to website visitors from outside the USA is deleted immediately following identification of their geographic location, and no further processing is conducted on non-USA visitors. An International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) is in place with the US-based service provider.

Invest NI’s Americas team use clear pixel tokens within prospecting emails to understand if their messages are being received. These pixel tokens collect the location the email was opened from, the open date and time, total times opened, and how long it took for the recipient to open it. Emails sent using this technology clearly state that tracking is active and recipients are provided with the opportunity to opt out of future emails being tracked.

You can contact our Business Support Team through 0800 1814422, by live chat, e-mail or a web contact us form. If you contact this team by any of these methods, the details you give us which may include your name, contact details and your postcode will be added to our CRM system and kept in line with Invest NI’s records retention and disposal schedule (PDF) i.e 3 years if you don't progress to client status.

We will also make a file note of your query and add this file note to our CRM system. If you opt in to receive direct marketing during a telephone call, we will make a record of this consent within a file note, to ensure that we have evidence after the call recording is deleted.

Your telephone call may be recorded for training and quality purposes to help assist your business. These calls are kept for a period of two years and are then deleted.

Invest NI also hosts and operates a Live Chat service, which we use to handle customer enquiries in real time. If you use our Live Chat service we will collect your name, email address, telephone number, postcode and the contents of your Live Chat session. This information will not be shared with any other organisations except as noted below.

During a Live Chat session, you can request a transcript of the conversation when you provide your email address at the start of your session; or when prompted at the end. 

If the service that your enquiry relates to is provided by another public body, such as a local Council, please note that we will share your data with the relevant body to address your query.

Emails sent to the Business Support Team through our Contact Us page are transferred through a cloud-based email management system hosted in the European Union (EU) by Freshworks. On occasion this system may be accessed by the Freshdesk technical support team based outside the European Economic Area (EEA). EU Standard Contractual Clauses are in place to safeguard any data transferred outside the EEA.

We are the data controller for the CCTV operated within the Invest HQ building within Bedford Square. This CCTV is maintained for security purposes and is managed under the facilities contract by Serco.

We are also the data controller for the CCTV operated on Invest NI owned business parks. The purpose is assist in the prevention and detection of crime; assist with the identification, apprehension and prosecution of offenders; prevent anti-social behaviour and nuisance (Public Safety) and protect Invest NI owned property/assets.

Images are retained for a period of 30 days or longer where required for investigations or if Invest NI is in discussions with a law enforcement agency in respect of disclosure.

In our dealings with some customers, we will likely collect details on key contacts within the company to allow us to build and maintain a relationship and deliver our services. This will include name, job role, and contact details. This information is placed on our CRM system and is kept in line with our records retention and disposal schedule (PDF).

To ensure proper governance in the use of public funds, at times, in the appraisal and payment of financial grants that include labour costs, we will require customers in receipt of financial grants to provide us with details of their employees. Depending upon the type of support, this may include name, employee reference number, national insurance number, salary, contracted hours, timesheets, training details or a CV. This information is held in line with our records retention and disposal schedule (PDF).

For the purpose of appraising the suitability of proposed projects for Invest NI support, we will request business plans which include information on customers’ management teams, employees and other key personnel such as their career experience, qualifications, salary. We may supplement the information provided through our own independent research, including the use of a range of online and other sources such as but not limited to LinkedIn and Companies House. Reports produced through the appraisal process may include opinions expressed regarding particular individuals.

For some collaborative programmes, one lead partner is required to complete an application form that may include some personal data of the other partners (such as name, company name, job title, contact details and business experience). On these occasions we will ask that the lead partner make the others aware of the data they are providing to us and we will also ensure that those individuals are notified of this privacy notice within one month.

On occasion, planning authorities request consultation input from Invest NI on property planning applications. The application documents received may include personal data such as names and addresses. These documents are stored on Invest NI systems within records of our review and response to the planning authority.
 
Invest NI accesses online company databases to download information requested by customers for the purpose of market research and making business connections.

The records downloaded include personal details and contact information for individuals whose companies are registered on the databases. Records of information sent to customers, namely extracts from the online databases, are stored on Invest NI systems.
 
This information is held in line with our records retention and disposal schedule (PDF).

During and after the procurement process we collect data on personnel within organisations who bid /deliver services for us under contract. This will include name, job title and contact details to allow us to manage the contract delivery. These may be shared with our customers for the purpose of service delivery. We may also collect relevant experience information to assess suitability for certain procurement exercises.

We hold the names and contact details of stakeholders we interact and work with in the delivery of our services.

Invest NI uses a Finance System provided by Oracle. This system contains supplier data such as names, contact details, bank details and payment records. The technical support for this system is delivered by technicians based in India who can access this data only when engaged to provide support. Standard contractual clauses are implemented as an appropriate safeguard under GDPR for the international transfer of personal data.

This information is held in line with our records retention and disposal schedule (PDF).

To deliver a service and conduct analysis of our service provision we may need to share your information with:

• Department for the Economy.
• Other agencies involved in economic development activities (such as local Councils, other government bodies, public agencies).
• Organisations that deliver our programmes (known as external delivery organisations).
• Invest NI's professional advisers, consultants and contracted suppliers working on Invest NI's behalf, who are subject to obligations of confidence
• Invest NI overseas offices, if required for the programme you are participating on, such as a trade mission.
• Collaboration partners where necessary and in line with legal requirements.

For effective public governance and auditing purposes Invest NI may need to share your data with government bodies we engage with such as our sponsor body the Department for the Economy, the Department of Finance, other government agencies involved in economic development and the European Commission.

For business improvement (evaluation) purposes we may also share your data with Invest NI’s professional advisers, consultants and contracted suppliers working on Invest NI’s behalf, who are subject to obligations of confidence.

To evaluate the impact and effectiveness of our support, we will share details of contacts in businesses who have received support with a service provider who conducts a quarterly Customer Satisfaction Survey on our behalf.

We will share your information with the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) where required for statutory archival purposes. Personal data which PRONI receives under the Public Records Act (NI) 1923 may be archived in the public interest, in line with the DPA and GDPR.

As required by law, we may disclose information to government bodies and law enforcement agencies for their enforcement purposes.

Where required and in compliance with relevant legislation we will share your data with our professional and legal advisors.

CompanyNet, and cloud migration partner Automated Intelligence, will be working with us to design and develop a new content management approach on Microsoft 365, and help migrate our customer and corporate records from our existing platforms onto SharePoint 365.

Invest NI will not sell your personal information.

All Invest Northern Ireland staff (including consultants and contract staff) must declare any gifts or hospitality offered to them in relation to their official duties, whether accepted or declined, including the names of those making and receiving the offer. There are a few exceptions such as seasonal/trivial gifts and conventional hospitality which may not need recorded on the register. 

The main category of personal data processed on Gifts and Hospitality registers is names, both of those Invest Northern Ireland staff receiving offers of gifts and hospitality and of those individuals making the offers. It may also be necessary to process information about the organisation the individual making the offer works for / represents, if relevant when describing the reason/context for the offer.

If you are offering a gift or hospitality to an Invest Northern Ireland official, your personal data (name) will be entered on the register. In some cases it might also be deemed necessary to record the organisation you work for / represent. 

Gifts and hospitality registers are shared within Invest Northern Ireland on a regular basis to enable staff to update them. An organisational gifts and hospitality register is published annually on Invest Northern Ireland’s website for all staff at Grade 6 and above. The register for all other staff below this grade is available upon request. This is a public accountability requirement outlined in DAO (DFP) 10/06.

To deliver a service it may be necessary to the transfer data outside the United Kingdom to our offices worldwide. To see the locations of these offices, click on this link: www.investni.com/about-us/where-we-are. 

It may also be necessary to transfer data to allow attendance at overseas trade missions in other territories where we do not have an office.

Whereas offices within the European Economic Area (EEA) have access to Invest NI’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System; other overseas offices have restricted access to this system. This restricted access includes only high level details of all companies on the system (such as name, address and contact details). Further access to business information is only granted on a case by case basis when a business requirement has been identified.

In order to deliver a service in a country outside the UK we may engage the services of an external contractor in that area. In doing so, Invest NI will ensure that the contract in place will include the required appropriate safeguards and where relevant additional supplementary measures to enable the compliant transfer of any personal data required to deliver the service.

Invest NI uses a Finance System provided by Oracle. This system contains supplier data such as names, contact details, bank details and payment records. The technical support for this system is delivered by technicians based in India who can access this data only when engaged to provide support. Standard contractual clauses are implemented as an appropriate safeguard under GDPR for the international transfer of personal data.

Emails sent to the Business Support Team through our Contact Us page are transferred through a cloud-based email management system hosted in the European Union (EU) by Freshworks. On occasion this system may be accessed by the Freshdesk technical support team based outside the European Economic Area (EEA). EU Standard Contractual Clauses are in place to safeguard any data transferred outside the EEA.

Invest NI uses website visitor ID services provided by Visual Visitor LLC for prospecting and lead generation purposes in the USA. This enables us to identify the companies who are visiting our website. This service is only active if you consent to enabling our optional analytics cookies. Data relating to website visitors from outside the USA is deleted immediately following identification of their geographic location, and no further processing is conducted on non-USA visitors. An International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) is in place with the US-based service provider.

Invest NI will not retain data longer than is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or as required by applicable laws or regulations. Information will be stored and then destroyed in line with our  records retention and disposal schedule (PDF).

When you make a request to exercise one of your rights under Data Protection or Freedom of Information legislation we will collect data necessary to allow us to respond to your specific request. Data processed will include a record of your name, contact details and the details of your request. 

On occasion, and in line with the relevant legislation, we may also collect information to verify your identity.

If your request relates to a service being delivered by a third party on behalf of or in collaboration with Invest NI then we may need to share your data in order to ensure that your request can be fulfilled.

When we receive a complaint from a person we open a file containing the details of the complaint. This normally contains the identity of the complainant and any other individuals involved in the complaint.

We will only use the personal information we collect to process the complaint and to check on the level of service we provide. We do compile and publish statistics showing information (for instance on the number of complaints we receive), but not in a form which identifies anyone.

We usually have to disclose the complainant’s identity to whoever the complaint is about. This is inevitable where, for example, the accuracy of a person’s record is in dispute. If a complainant doesn’t want information identifying him or her to be disclosed, we will try to respect that. However, it may not be possible to handle a complaint on an anonymous basis.

We will keep personal information contained in complaint files in line with our retention policy. This means that information relating to a complaint will be retained for three years from closure. It will be retained in a secure environment and access to it will be restricted according to the ‘need to know’ principle.

Similarly, where enquiries are submitted to us we will only use the information supplied to us to deal with the enquiry and any subsequent issues and to check on the level of service we provide.

Transparency is a key requirement of data protection law. You have the right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data. This privacy notice is designed to provide you with the information needed to allow you to see how and why Invest NI uses your personal data. Further details of specific uses of your data may also be supplied in online forms, frequently asked questions and physical application forms where the information is being collected.

You also have the right to ask for the personal data that we hold about you to increase your awareness of and allow you to verify the lawfulness of the processing. To protect your privacy we may ask you to verify your identity.

If you believe that personal data we hold on you is inaccurate or misleading then you have the right to request that it is rectified.

In some circumstances you can ask for your personal information to be deleted, for example:

• Where your personal information is no longer needed for the reason it was collected in the first place.
• Where you have removed your consent for us to use your information, where there is no other legal reason for Invest NI to use it.
• Where there is no legal reason for the use of your information.

Please note that we cannot delete your information where:

• We are required to have it by law.
• It is necessary to perform our functions as a public body.
• It is necessary for legal claims

It is envisioned that the right to erasure will be limited due to the legal reason the vast majority of personal data  processed by Invest NI is in the exercise of its 'official authority' i.e. following the requirements of legislation.

In certain circumstances if you raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you may also request that we 'restrict processing', meaning that the data will be preserved from further processing 'as evidence' either while we investigate your complaint or to support your complaint to the ICO.

In some circumstances, where you have provided your personal data directly to us that is processed by automated means and is done so purely on the basis of your consent, you will have the right to obtain and reuse your personal data in an electronic format for your own purposes across different services.

You have an unconditional right to object to direct marketing at any time. As noted within this privacy notice, Invest NI will not send you direct marketing without your consent and you can withdraw your consent at any time selecting the 'unsubscribe' link that appears in the footer of every email newsletter we send.

Processing is the term under data protection law that describes all uses of your personal data. This will include the collection, sharing, storage, retention and destruction of your data. 

You have the right to object any aspect of Invest NI’s processing of your personal data:

• that is processed for the performance of a task in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority; 

• that is processed based on Invest NI’s legitimate interests; 

• that is processed for purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics; and

• if it involves any automated decision making or profiling carried out by Invest NI.