Privacy, Data Protection & Platform Use Agreement

The purpose of this Agreement is to establish the legal framework governing the collection, processing, storage, protection, disclosure and use of: personal data, institutional and corporate information, project-related content, operational and technical data, artificial intelligence-supported analyses, payment and subscription information, user interaction records, digital communications, uploaded documentation, and all other information processed within the scope of the Platform's activities and services.

The EPA Platform is an independent digital operational and coordination platform developed for purposes including, but not limited to: European Union programme operations, project coordination and management, funding and grant intelligence, institutional collaboration, consortium management, expert network administration, digital cooperation environments, operational workflow management, artificial intelligence-supported guidance systems, and data organisation services.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, the Platform does not claim to act on behalf of, represent, or constitute any official institution, agency, body or authority of the European Union or any public administration.

• Account creation and authentication
• Identity verification
• Provision and maintenance of Platform services
• Execution of project and consortium operations
• Expert and partner matching
• Artificial intelligence-supported analyses and recommendations
• Operational and technical support
• Fraud prevention and platform security
• Payment and subscription management
• Legal and regulatory compliance
• Operational analytics and service improvement

The Platform aims to operate, where applicable, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), European Union data protection principles, international data security standards, digital service compliance requirements, and commercial confidentiality obligations.

User data shall be processed in accordance with principles of: lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, proportionality, integrity, confidentiality, and security.

User data may be disclosed, transferred or shared strictly to the extent necessary with: technical infrastructure providers, secure payment service providers, identity verification providers, consortium partners, experts and consultants, operational and integration partners, cloud and hosting providers, legally authorised public authorities and regulatory bodies.

The Platform shall not sell, lease or unlawfully disclose User data to third parties for unauthorised commercial or advertising purposes.

The Platform may provide artificial intelligence-supported tools and systems for purposes such as: funding opportunity matching, eligibility assessments, proposal guidance, content recommendations, consortium and partner recommendations, operational analyses, and workflow optimisation.

The User acknowledges that AI-generated outputs are provided solely for informational and supportive purposes and shall not constitute binding legal, financial, regulatory or administrative advice. The User remains solely responsible for all decisions, submissions and actions taken on the basis of such outputs.

Payments processed through the Platform may be handled via third-party secure payment infrastructures and financial service providers. The Platform may rely on PCI-compliant payment service providers, manage subscriptions and memberships through external financial systems, and process billing operations through authorised payment infrastructures.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, the Platform does not directly store complete payment card information.

Users agree to maintain the strict confidentiality of all project-related information, consortium data, expert information, operational methodologies, business information, technical systems, strategic documentation, and non-public content accessed through the Platform.

Users shall not disclose, reproduce, distribute or communicate such information to third parties without prior written authorisation. These confidentiality obligations shall survive the termination or suspension of Platform access.

All rights related to the Platform, including but not limited to: trademarks, logos, software systems, user interfaces, source structures, operational methodologies, algorithms, databases, content, digital assets, documentation, and platform architecture are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and regulations.

Without prior written consent, no element of the Platform may be copied, reproduced, distributed, commercially exploited, modified, reverse engineered, or otherwise used beyond the authorised scope.

The Platform aims to implement reasonable technical and organisational security measures, including but not limited to: access control systems, encryption mechanisms, multi-factor authentication, activity logging, session monitoring, infrastructure security measures, and technical audits and monitoring systems.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the User acknowledges that no internet-based system can be guaranteed to be entirely secure or uninterrupted.

The Platform does not guarantee the outcome of European Union funding applications, grant approvals, uninterrupted availability of third-party services, the accuracy of external data sources, external API continuity, or the actions of third-party providers and Users.

All information, analyses and services provided through the Platform are offered on an informational and supportive basis only and shall not replace independent legal, financial, administrative or professional advice.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Platform shall not be held liable for indirect, incidental, consequential or business-related damages arising from the use of the Platform or reliance upon its services.

The Platform reserves the right to amend, modify or update this Agreement at any time in response to legal or regulatory developments, operational requirements, technological changes, security considerations, or platform updates. Updated versions shall become effective upon publication on the Platform unless otherwise specified.

This Agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with applicable European Union legislation, international data protection principles, and applicable digital services regulations. Any disputes arising out of or related to this Agreement shall be subject to the competent courts and authorities determined under applicable law.