Personal Data

For the purposes of this Personal Data Policy, “Personal data” means information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (“data owner”).

In these terms, an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier – such as a name, an identification number, location data, electronic identifiers – or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that individual. 

About the Bragança Polytechnic University

The Bragança Polytechnic University (hereinafter referred to as UPB) is a public higher education institution whose mission is to create, transmit and disseminate technical-scientific knowledge and knowledge of a professional nature, through the articulation of study, teaching, orientated research and experimental development. UPB, as an organisation that deals with personal data on a daily basis, considers itself committed to the matters regulated and the obligations imposed by the new European legislation on data protection, namely Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council (on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data), hereinafter referred to as the GDPR. To this end, this Personal Data Protection Policy is approved in order to reinforce its commitment and respect for the rules of privacy and personal data protection. Given the above, this Personal Data Protection Policy is directly applicable to all operations carried out within the scope of the activities pursued by all the organisations that make up the UPB.

Personal Data Protection Regulation

Personal Data Protection Regulation Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016 (GDPR), on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on their free movement, entered into force in May 2016, with a two-year transition period, which ended on May 25, 2018. In order to comply with the obligations resulting from the GDPR, UPB approves policies and procedures aimed at achieving compliance with these requirements, as part of its personal data protection strategy. UPB, as data controller, ensures that the processing of personal data is carried out within the scope of the purposes for which it was collected, implementing a culture of data minimization, and therefore only collects, processes and retains personal data that is strictly necessary for the pursuit of its activity. UPB’s Data Protection Supervisor is responsible for informing about the obligations arising from the GDPR, as well as ensuring that data subjects are aware of how their data is processed and how they can exercise their rights in this regard. Regulations Contacts: The Data Protection Supervisor (DPO) can be contacted by e-mail at protecao.dados@ipb.pt.

Student Ombudsperson

Student Ombudsperson The Student Ombudsperson is a person of recognised academic and teaching merit at the UPB, with a proven reputation for integrity and independence, nominated by the President of the UPB, after consulting the highest student body. The Ombudsperson is completely independent in the exercise of his/her duties and cannot fulfil management functions. The Ombudsperson works in coordination with the student associations and, in particular, with the Pedagogical Councils. The Ombudsperson is responsible for: a) examine student complaints and claims and, if it considers that they are justified, make the relevant recommendations to the bodies responsible for dealing with them; b) to make recommendations with a view to safeguarding the interests of students, particularly in the field of pedagogical activity and school social welfare. Student Ombudsperson Elisabete da Anunciação Paulo Morais Contacts The meeting requires prior appointment via e-mail: provedordoestudante@ipb.pt.

Quality

Since its origins, one of the pillars of the development of the higher education system has been to guarantee the quality of its activities. In this spirit, and since 2009, UPB has formally assumed its commitment to quality through the dissemination of the institutional Quality Policy, the creation and availability of the Quality Manual and the implementation and operationalization of the Quality Assurance and Management System (SGGQ). Quality Policy UPB’s quality policy is based on sharing the mission, vision and values, as defined in the Statutes, and the commitment to the guidelines defined in the strategic plan, with the aim of guaranteeing the quality and continuous improvement of all the activities carried out, as well as promoting good practices. The institutional policy for quality is based on the following principles:
      • Assume quality and quality assurance as the driving force behind the functioning and development of the institution;
      • To guarantee the quality of teaching/learning, research, internationalization, interaction with society and the defense of identity, in accordance with the applicable legal precepts, internal norms and external national and international standards;
      • Define processes and procedures that allow for systematic and routine monitoring and evaluation of the activities carried out and that indicate the level of accountability of those involved;
      • Creation of a structure responsible for quality assurance and management at institutional level to guarantee cohesion, coherence, harmony and comparability;
      • Ensure forms of involvement and active participation of the entire academic community and other stakeholders in processes of analysis, reflection and debate on the performance achieved;
      • To listen to the needs and expectations of all stakeholders and to gather input for quality improvement and/or assurance;
      • Organize an internal quality assurance and management system that follows an integrated and holistic approach, applying national and European quality assurance benchmarks, and that is also representative of the institutional culture of transparency and accountability;
      • Implement an adequate, simple, unbureaucratic and effective quality assurance and management system;
      • Promote a model of organization, operation, management and governance of the institution centered on efficiency, quality, transparency and accountability;
      • Ensuring that the UPB community is informed about the implementation, monitoring and review of the institutional quality policy and its practical application.
    Quality Manual The Quality Manual is the formal document that defines the institutional policy for quality and how it is implemented and materialized through the Quality Assurance and Management System. It is a structuring document, built with the participation of all internal stakeholders (Organic Units, Research Units, Social Welfare Services and Central Services) and has the status of a shared and recognized management tool. Quality Assurance and Management System The Quality Assurance and Management System is a group of processes that interact and complement each other and was developed using the continuous improvement cycle approach. It defines the set of interrelated activities, identifies the resources needed to carry them out and establishes the metrics to assess and monitor their performance and compliance with the established objectives. More information at sggq.ipb.pt.

    Social Welfare Services

    The Social Welfare Services (SAS-UPB) are the organisation responsible for ensuring the school’s social welfare functions, in particular managing student residences, providing catering services and coordinating with the Directorate-General for Higher Education in the process of awarding scholarships With administrative and financial autonomy, they implement the school social welfare policies defined by the government and UPB bodies. They have their own administrative and financial services, without prejudice to being able to share the Institute’s services, with the aim of rationalising human and financial resources. All the information can be found at sas.ipb.pt.

    Advisory bodies

    Ethics Committee The Ethics Committee aims to ensure that standards of integrity, honesty and technical quality are observed and promoted in the activities of the Organisational Units and Research Units, in order to protect and guarantee the dignity and integrity of the human person at the various stages of their constitution and development. The Ethics Committee is a multidisciplinary team made up of eleven members: a President, a Vice-President and nine other members. Disciplinary Committee The Disciplinary Commission, a body provided for in the UPB’s Student Disciplinary Regulations, is the advisory body that supports the President in disciplinary matters, pronouncing and issuing opinions within the scope of disciplinary action. It is made up of eleven members (five from among the teaching staff of each Organic Unit, two from among the non-teaching staff and four students) nominated by the President for the duration of their mandate. Quality Council The main functions of the Quality Council are to review and express an opinion on the Quality Policy and the guidelines of the Quality Assurance and Management System, to ensure that the quality assurance processes are articulated with the strategic plan and the activity plans and that they are aligned with the benchmarks defined by the national and European quality assurance systems for higher education, and also to check the final wording of the Quality Manual. Innovation Ecosystem Coordination Committee (Soon) Commission for Gender Equality, Inclusion and Diversity The Commission for Gender Equality, Inclusion and Diversity is a multidisciplinary and independent body, of an advisory nature, which aims to ensure the observance and promotion of a culture of equality, inclusion and diversity of the members of the UPB community, in order to guarantee the dignity and integrity of the human person, the conditions for equal treatment and opportunities, the promotion of inclusion and diversity of the student, teaching, research and non-teaching bodies in all UPB activities and positions. The Commission is also responsible for ensuring compliance with gender non-discrimination, reconciling professional and family life and combating forms of gender-based violence. The Commission comprises a multidisciplinary team made up of one member per organic unit, a student representative appointed by the Academic Association, as well as a representative from the Central Services and another from the Social Welfare Services, including a President, a Vice-President and an equal number of other members. For further information, please contact cigid@ipb.pt.