Delivered by

University of Hull

Funded until 2023 by

European Regional Development Fund
EKE Awards 2020 finalist

Privacy Policy

The SparkFund programme provides business support services in the York, North Yorkshire, East Riding and Humber region. This support includes direct business support through the programme, specialist wrap around or due diligence support and grants.

This privacy notice is for businesses currently engaged or looking to engage with the SparkFund programme. It sets out the ways in which the SparkFund programme gathers, uses, stores and shares your data. The notice also sets out how long we keep your data and what rights you have in relation to your data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Where do we get your data from?

We collect data about you when you register an interest in the programme. Much of the data we hold on you comes from the information you provide in your eligibility form. Additional information may be provided during diagnostic, grant application, downstream funding agreement, procurement preparation and the claim process. Information relating to you and your business may have been provided to us by third parties e.g. other funded support programmes for the purpose of providing you with additional and appropriate support. Where third parties have provided this we will seek express permission from you that the SparkFund Programme may store this information.

In additional to the information provided, the SparkFund programme will undertake checks to ensure eligibility and obtain documents that are publically available and through internal systems e.g FAME

What data do we have?

Personal data including name, email address, telephone number, job title, company/business details.

Special category data including information about disability, ethnicity and racial origin (if you consent to provide this for the purpose of equal opportunities monitoring).

What is our legal basis for processing your data?

The SparkFund programme needs to collect and retain certain types of data, in various formats to fulfil its functions as a business support provider.

Typically, data will be processed:

  • Because you have given us consent
  • To monitor equal opportunities
  • On the grounds of contractual requirement or to take steps to enter into a contract with you e.g. to provide you with a funding agreement for support.

How do we use your data?

The SparkFund programme may process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To progress your enquiry and/or application for funded support
  • To progress a request for specialist wrap around or due diligence support including processing this with approved business support provides (annex B)
  • To administer and progress the financial aspects with you including processing claims and payments
  • To provide information to our programme evaluators Ekosgen
  • To provide information on engaged businesses via  progress reports to our external funding body – Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
  • To monitor equal opportunities
  • To enable the programme to effectively communicate with you

Who do we share your data with?

The SparkFund programme may share your data with:

  • Staff directly involved in the SparkFund programme for the purpose of providing you with appropriate support
  • Employees of the University of Hull for the purpose of providing you with appropriate support
  • Our funding body, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for contractual reasons
  • Third parties that process data on behalf of the SparkFund programme to enable effective communication with you (e.g. system providers including but not limited to MailChimp and Eventbrite)
  • Our external panel members for the processing of grant applications (details of our panel members can be found in annex A)
  • Our approved business support providers for the purpose of accessing specialist wrap around or due diligence support (details of our approved suppliers can be found in annex B)
  • Our approved programme evaluator Ekosgen for the purpose of undertaking an evaluation on the effectiveness of the programme.
  • Other business support programmes for providing you with appropriate business support. Your details will only be provided to third parties if you give us express permission to do so.

The SparkFund programme will not share your information externally for any other purpose without your consent.

How do we keep your data secure?

The SparkFund programme takes information security extremely seriously and has robust systems in place to protect your data. Access to information is restricted and will only be shared with the parties listed above. The SparkFund programme is required to keep printed copies of all paperwork, this data is held within locked offices which can only be accessed by SparkFund staff.

All electronic documents are stored on a secure server at the University of Hull. Access to documents are restricted to staff directly involved in the SparkFund programme. If your information is shared with any of the parties listed above we will send these securely with password protection via email.

How long will we keep your data?

The SparkFund programme will retain your data in line with legal requirements or where there is a business need.

If you enquire about the SparkFund programme or receive support from The SparkFund programme, this data will be maintained in line with the contractual requirements of the project. Currently the SparkFund programme is required to keep this data until 31 December 2033

What rights do you have in relation to your data?

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have a right of access to your data, a right to rectification, erasure (in certain circumstances), restriction, objection or portability (in certain circumstances). You also have a right to withdraw consent.

If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal data held by the SparkFund programme, please email us or write to us at the contact addresses below.

There may be circumstances in which we are unable to erase data held about you, in which case we will notify you. For example, if you have entered into a funding contract with us, we will be contractually required to keep records for a specified time period for reporting and audit purposes.

Questions or concerns

If you have any questions about this privacy notice or concerns about how your data is being processed, please contact us:

By post:

Pauline Mitchell, Programme Manager
SparkFund Programme
Room 111, Enterprise Centre
University of Hull
Cottingham Road
Hull
HU6 7RX

By email:

Enquiries.spark-fund@hull.ac.uk

By telephone:

01482 466106

Right to complain

If you wish to make a complaint, please contact the University’s Data Protection Officer in the first instance at dataprotection@hull.ac.uk

If you are unhappy with the way in which the SparkFund programme has handled your personal data, you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. For information on reporting a concern to the Information Commissioner’s Office, see www.ico.org.uk/concerns

Changes to our privacy notice

We keep our privacy notice under regular review and we will place any updates on the SparkFund web page. This privacy notice was last updated on 1 June 2018.

Annex A - SparkFund programme external panel members

SparkFund grant applications are submitted to an approved external panel for appraisal. Below is a list of current panel members who may be asked to review your grant application.

This list was last updated: 25 October 2022

  • Robert Lewis - 54DegreesNorth Ltd
  • John Doris - Retired College Vice Principal
  • Sallyann Garrard-Hughes - Engineering Construction Industry Training Board
  • Iain Elliott - HETA
  • Phil Glover - Hull & East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (Panel Chair)
  • Geoff Meacock - Oakheart Services Limited
  • Steve Page - PAGE Consulting Limited
  • Richard Hall - Pd-m International Ltd
  • Sue Jefferson - Possibilities Realised Ltd (Panel Deputy Chair)
  • Nicholas Fraser - Self Employed Solicitor
  • Stephen Gregory - University of Huddersfield
  • Suhail Aslam - University of Teesside
  • Geoff Archer - University of Teesside
  • Simon King - York, North Yorkshire, East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership
  • Ted Johnson - Retired HR Director
  • Sean Fahey - Retired Chief Information Officer
  • Ian Shepherd - DENLO Ltd
  • Alastair Robertson - OSL Consulting Ltd
  • Rob Partridge - Kingston Capital Finance Ltd
  • Thomas Mackenzie, Ranked Right Ltd
  • Christel Croft – Ideal Boilers (Groupe Atlantic UK, ROI and NA)
  • Wayne Willis – Edenic Group
  • Mary Cousins- i-CAN Global/Lloyd International Communications
  • Daniel Brett – York College
  • Jonathan Wurr – Jonathan Wurr Ltd
  • Alan Keasey – Foxgrove Tec Ltd
  • Katharine York – The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
  • Victoria Isaac, Bishop Burton College
  • Paul Burnley, Hull City Council
  • Jose Stewart, NE Lincolnshire Council
  • Dale Woods, Royal Academy of Engineering

Annex B – Specialist wrap around or due diligence support

The SparkFund programme has an approved framework for specialist wrap around or due diligence support. Below is a list of current approved suppliers who may have access to your information for the purposes of providing this business support

This list was last updated: 1 June 2020

  • Raymont-Osman Products Limited
  • Environmental Strategies Limited 
  • Gateway Procurement
  • The Excellence Partnership
  • The Biorenewables Development Centre
  • Swindell & Pearson
  • Thomas Harrison
  • Schlich
  • Edge Innovation 
  • Page Consulting
  • Green Borough Management 
  • Access Regeneration
  • The Innovation Partnership
  • Geraint Evans Limited
  • Inventya
  • Control Point Consulting
  • Kaizen Consulting 
  • Team Services 
  • NNFCC Limited