Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Flandrien Association ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, apply for the Flandrien Scholarship Program, or interact with our services.

This Privacy Policy complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 and Belgian data protection laws, including the Law of 30 July 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data.

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for processing your personal data is:

3. Personal Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

3.1 Application Data

• Full name
• Email address
• Date of birth
• Nationality and country of residence
• UCI racing license number
• Cycling background and experience
• Motivation statement
• Availability dates
• Optional video introduction
• Information about funding from teams, federations, NGOs, or other entities

3.2 Assessment Data

• Personality assessment results
• Interview notes and recordings
• Evaluation scores and feedback

3.3 Communication Data

• Contact form submissions (name, email, subject, message)
• Email correspondence
• Newsletter subscriptions (if applicable)

3.4 Donation Data

• Donor name
• Email address
• Donation amount
• Payment information (processed by third-party payment providers)

3.5 Technical Data

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device information
• Website usage data and analytics
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds under GDPR Article 6:

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): When you voluntarily provide information through forms, subscribe to newsletters, or agree to cookies.
• Contract Performance (Article 6(1)(b)): To process scholarship applications, manage the scholarship program, and fulfill our obligations to selected scholars.
• Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)): For website analytics, security, fraud prevention, and improving our services.
• Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): To comply with Belgian and EU legal requirements, including tax and accounting obligations for donations.

5. Purpose of Processing

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To evaluate and process scholarship applications
• To conduct interviews and assessments
• To communicate with applicants and selected scholars
• To manage the scholarship program and provide accommodation, training, and support
• To process donations and maintain donor records
• To respond to inquiries and provide customer support
• To improve our website and services
• To ensure website security and prevent fraud
• To comply with legal obligations
• To send program updates and newsletters (with consent)

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your personal data with:

• Service Providers: Third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, processing applications, managing donations, or providing IT services. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and only use it for specified purposes.
• Payment Processors: Secure payment providers for processing donations (e.g., Stripe, PayPal). Payment information is handled directly by these providers and not stored on our servers.
• Legal Authorities: When required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety.
• Partners and Sponsors: With your explicit consent, we may share anonymized or aggregated data with partners and sponsors for program promotion and impact reporting.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

7. International Data Transfers

Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). When we transfer data outside the EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
• Adequacy decisions by the European Commission
• Other legally recognized transfer mechanisms

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy:

• Application Data: Retained for 3 years after the application period ends, unless you request earlier deletion. Successful applicants' data may be retained longer for program administration.
• Scholar Data: Retained for the duration of the scholarship and 7 years thereafter for legal and administrative purposes.
• Donation Records: Retained for 7 years as required by Belgian tax and accounting laws.
• Communication Data: Retained for 2 years or until you request deletion.
• Technical Data: Retained according to our legitimate interests, typically up to 2 years.

9. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have the following rights:

• Right of Access (Article 15): Request a copy of your personal data we hold.
• Right to Rectification (Article 16): Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure (Article 17): Request deletion of your data under certain circumstances.
• Right to Restrict Processing (Article 18): Request limitation of how we process your data.
• Right to Data Portability (Article 20): Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (Article 21): Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: File a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority (Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit/Autorité de protection des données) if you believe your rights have been violated.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We may use essential cookies or similar technologies required for basic website functionality and security. At this time, we do not intentionally set analytics or advertising cookies for tracking across sites.

• Essential Cookies: Required for website functionality and cannot be disabled.
• Local Storage / Session Storage: Our multi-step application form temporarily stores your in-progress answers in your browser (session storage) so you can navigate between steps. This information is stored on your device and is cleared after successful submission (or when you close your browser session / clear site data).

You can control cookies and site data through your browser settings. Note that disabling site storage may affect the ability to complete multi-step forms.

11. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption, secure servers, access controls, and regular security assessments. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Children's Data

Our scholarship program is open to applicants aged 19 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under 18 years of age. If you believe we have collected data from a minor, please contact us immediately.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

We will respond to your request within 30 days as required by GDPR.