Survey Data Privacy & Use Policy

Survey Data Privacy & Use Policy

This page describes how data collected through LACCEI research initiatives involving surveys, questionnaires, and online forms is managed.

1. Governance and Purpose

This initiative is coordinated by LACCEI, in collaboration with partner institutions such as Harvard’s Growth Lab, Texas A&M University, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.

The objective of this initiative is to map engineering talent across the Americas, generate scientific evidence on knowledge circulation and productive capabilities, and enable the development of academic and professional collaboration networks to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems.

LACCEI acts as the coordinating entity responsible for the collection, management, and appropriate use of survey data.

Data is collected exclusively for academic and collaboration purposes, including:

  • research analysis
  • aggregated reporting
  • scientific publications
  • development of academic collaboration networks
  • facilitation of connections between researchers and institutions

2. Consent

Participation in surveys is voluntary. Some questions may be required to ensure the consistency and usability of the collected data. By completing a survey, participants acknowledge that:

  • they understand the purpose of the data collection
  • they consent to the use of their information for academic purposes
  • they may withdraw their consent at any time by contacting the project team

3. Data Minimization

This survey is designed to avoid the collection of sensitive private personal data.

The information collected focuses on academic and professional attributes, including identifiers such as ORCID® and optional LinkedIn® profiles. These identifiers are used exclusively to access and analyze information that participants have already made publicly available through these platforms or through other publicly accessible academic and bibliometric data sources.

No sensitive personal data (such as health, financial, or personal identity beyond the professional context) is intentionally collected.

4. Data Use and Sharing

Data may be used for:

  • academic research
  • aggregated statistical analysis
  • scientific publications
  • development of academic collaboration networks
  • facilitation of connections between researchers and institutions

Individual-level data will not be made publicly visible without the participant’s consent. Participants may be given the option to allow their professional profiles to be visible within collaboration environments or future platforms developed as part of this initiative.

5. Data Security

Survey data is stored using secure digital platforms with controlled access.

Access to identifiable data is limited to authorized project coordinators and designated research personnel.

If the initiative evolves into a collaboration platform, additional access controls and user-managed visibility settings will be implemented to ensure appropriate data protection and governance.

6. Data Retention

Data will be retained for a period of up to five (5) years from the date of collection, unless a longer retention period is justified for ongoing academic or collaboration purposes. During this period, data may be:

  • used for longitudinal research and analysis
  • integrated into collaboration platforms or academic networks
  • used to support academic publications and institutional initiatives

After this period, data will be:

  • anonymized for long-term research use, or
  • securely deleted

Participants may request the deletion of their identifiable data at any time, when feasible, by contacting the project team.

7. Participant Rights

Participants have the right to:

  • request information about how their data is used
  • request corrections to their information
  • request removal of identifiable data, when feasible
  • control whether their professional profile is visible in collaboration environments

Requests can be submitted to: info@laccei.org

8. Alignment with LACCEI Policies

This policy is aligned with LACCEI’s mission to promote collaboration, research, and innovation in engineering education across the Americas, as well as with its institutional policies on research ethics, compliance, and data protection. For more information, please refer to: https://laccei.org/editorial-policies/

Partners