Personal Data Protection Policy

     Last Updated:     1 January 2026

 

 

1. GENERAL

     In this policy on the processing of personal data (“Personal Data Protection Policy”), we explain how we, the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (“CARIRI”, “the Institute”,         “us”, “our”, “we”), collect and use your personal data when you communicate with us or visit our website, (the “Website”). This Policy shall be subject to the provisions of the         Data Protection Act, Chap. 22:04 of the Laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago or any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof.

     Our services are a combination of routine and non-routine offerings which span the science, technological and entrepreneurial realms with a primary focus on innovation and       knowledge management. The data we process is, therefore, primarily in respect of the Organization you represent.

     Whether your interaction with the Institute is as a private individual, corporate entity, NGO or Government entity, your data will be processed in compliance with this policy.

     The Institute’s Personal Data Protection Policy applies to personal data you provide us with via our website, forms, and questionnaires collected from the Website or from             other sources. 

     CARIRI holds confidential your personal data provided to the Institute via the website or other sources. Contact details for CARIRI are provided below for all communication         with the Institute.

     We use cookies on our Website to optimize your use of the Website. This is described in more detail in our cookie policy.

2. PERSONAL DATA – COLLECTION AND PURPOSE

     Website Visits: When you visit our website, we automatically collect data about you and your use of the Website. The data includes your IP address, what type of browser             you use, what pages you visit, what links you activate and general information about your navigation and use of the Website.

     The purpose is to pursue our legitimate interests in improving user experience and the functionalities of the Website and to be able to register the amount of time visitors             spend on the Website, and to show you relevant information.

     When you sign up for our:
       ● Programmes
       ● Projects
       ● Training initiatives
       ● Inquiries
       ● Requests for Quotation
       ● Other promotional initiatives

     The data we collect will include your name, gender, age, address, e-mail address, telephone number, what organization you represent, what industry you are from, method of       payment, information about the services ordered by you, the time and method of delivery, your consent and your interests and preferences if you choose to provide such             information. We also collect, where applicable biographical information which is required in relation to a specific proposal or project.

     Where the data collection is provided by minors, parents or guardians’ biodata and contact data are also collected.

     The purpose is to enable us to:
       ● Send you information and pursue our legitimate interest in sending you promotional material on the initiatives of the Institute.
       ● Enable us to deliver the services offered or agreed upon, and otherwise enable us to perform the contract concluded with you or the Organization you represent and to                handle your right to communicate with us.
       ● Enable you to confirm your understanding of the course you have signed up for.
              ○ Register you for the course and for the subsequent administration of your participation in the course. When you register for a course, the contract concluded
                  for participation in the course is the legal basis for processing your personal data.
              ○ Either alone or in partnership, seek funding for research and development projects, fulfil any agreement we have with you or your organization in respect of proposal
                  preparation, and fulfil the agreement with the funding authority in the event that the project is funded.
              ○ Reply to the enquiry and be able to communicate with you in order to provide the service you request.

     If you are the contact person of
       ● A client
       ● A stakeholder organization
       ● A supplier, or
       ● A vendor

     The data we collect will include your name, e-mail and telephone number, what Organization you represent, as well as any other data that you choose to provide, not                   including any sensitive data.

     The purpose of the data processing is to enable us to communicate with you by mail and telephone and to provide you and the Organization you represent with the best             possible service. In addition, we use the information to contact you or the Organization you represent in order to establish your level of satisfaction with the services we               provide and/or to send you information about other services that we think may be of interest to you or the Organization you represent.

     Specific to suppliers and vendors, our collection and data processing is to enable us to communicate with you and the Organization you represent by e-mail or telephone in
     connection with the tasks that you or the Organization you represent performs for the Institute.

3. RECIPIENTS OF PERSONAL DATA, INCLUDING THIRDPARTY TRANSFERS

     The Institute will only share your personal data with third parties if we are required to do so by law or in order to be able to provide the services we offer via the Website.

     Transfers to data processors. Your data will only be transferred to business stakeholders who process the data on our behalf. Such Organizations are data processors and are
     instructed by us to process data in respect of which the Institute is the data controller. Data processors must not use the data for any purpose other than performing their             contract with us, and their processing of such data is subject to non-disclosure agreements. We have concluded written data processor agreements with all data processors           processing personal data on our behalf.

     To the extent that we process personal data outside the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, such processing will be in compliance with the standard contractual clauses                     adopted by the data processing platform we engage.

4. REMOVAL OF PERSONAL DATA

     Data collected about your use of the Website will be erased at the latest 36 months after you last visited our Website.

     Data collected in the course of your interaction with us or in connection with your enquiries and requests for information will be erased when they are no longer needed for         the purpose for which they were collected.

     As a rule, data will be erased five years after the end of the calendar year in which the
     agreement to collect them was concluded. However, the data may be stored for longer periods of time if: i) we have a legitimate interest in storing the data for a longer               period of time, ii) it is necessary to establish, submit or defend a legal claim, or iii) such storage is necessary in
     order to meet legal requirements.

     Data collected when you sign up for our initiatives will be erased when we conclude the initiative. However, data may be stored for a longer period of time if we have a                 legitimate interest in the prolonged storage of such data.

     Data collected in respect of your participation in research and development proposals or projects will normally be archived six years after the formal closure of the project. If         a project is not funded or does not materialize, the data will be archived three years after the proposal is formally declared unfunded.

            A. Stakeholders’ data access requests
            In order to ensure that the manner in which we process your data is transparent, we state your rights in the next section.

            B. Right to access
            At any time, you have the right to ask us what personal data we have recorded about you, what purpose recording the data serves, what categories of personal data we                store and the potential recipients of such data, as well as information about the source of the data.

            Under the Freedom of Information Act 26 of 1999, a stakeholder has the right to request data/information held by CARIRI about them and to be given a description of                  the data together with details of the purposes for which their data is being kept. The stakeholder will make this request in writing, and the data controller will place the                  request under consideration and respond within the stipulations of the Laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

            No one Stakeholder can request that data be supplied relating to another Stakeholder unless that third party has consented to the disclosure of their data to the                            applicant. CARIRI reserves the right to redact data to omit references and, where it is not possible, to redact the data to ensure that the third party’s contract with CARIRI              is not compromised.

            Where a subsequent or similar request is made soon after a request has just been dealt with, it is at the discretion of CARIRI’s data controller to comply with the second                request, with no time limit but a reasonable interval from the date of compliance with the last access request. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

            You may send an email to mail@cariri.com should you need clarification, and you may be asked to provide documentation that confirms your identity.

            C. Right to rectification
            You have the right to have your data rectified in case of inaccuracy or incompleteness. If you become aware of errors in the data we have registered about you, please                  write to us to have the data rectified.

            D. Right to erasure
            In certain circumstances, you are entitled to have all or some of your personal data erased by us, for instance, if you withdraw your consent and the continued processing              has no other legal basis. To the extent that the continued processing of your data is necessary, for instance, in order to enable us to fulfil our legal obligations or in order              to establish, submit or defend a legal claim, we are not obliged to erase your personal data.

            E. Right to restriction of processing
            In certain circumstances, for example, if you believe the information we store about you is incorrect, you have the right to limit the processing of the data.

            F. Right to object
            At any time, you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes, which includes profiling purposes, to the extent that it is              related to such direct marketing.

            At any time, you also have the right to object to our processing of data on the grounds of our legitimate interests for reasons with respect to your particular situation.

            G. Right to withdraw your consent                                                                                                                                                                                                                                At any time, you have the right to withdraw your consent to a particular type of processing of your personal data, for instance, in connection with signing up for any of                  our initiatives.

5. CONTACT DETAILS
     If you have any questions about or comments on this Personal Data Protection Policy or wish to exercise one or several of your rights, you can contact us by using the                   Enquiry Form on our Website.

6. CHANGES TO OUR PERSONAL DATA POLICY
     If we make changes to our Personal Data Protection Policy, we will notify you of such changes by posting the revised policy on the Website.