Privacy Policy & Legal Information
1. Who We Are
Ascension-Q Ltd (“AscensionQ”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 10833152, with its registered office at C/O 264 Manchester Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 3RB.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, AscensionQ is the controller of the personal data collected through this website. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number ZB324099.
If you have any questions about this Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us at privacy@aq-trials.com.
2. Information We Collect
We collect and process the following categories of personal data through this website:
- Information you give us. When you complete an enquiry, demo-request, contact or newsletter form, or correspond with us by email, we may collect your name, job title, organisation, work email address, telephone number and the content of your message.
- Information about your visit. When you browse the website we may automatically collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type and version, device and operating system, referring pages, the pages you view, and the date and time of your visit.
- Cookies and similar technologies. We use cookies and similar technologies as described in our Cookie Policy.
We do not seek to collect special category data (such as health data) through this website. Please do not submit special category data through our web forms. Personal data relating to clinical trials is processed only within the AscensionQ platform under separate contractual arrangements, not via this website.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use personal data collected through this website to:
- respond to your enquiries, demo requests and other messages;
- provide information about our products, services and events that you have requested;
- where you have agreed, or where we are otherwise permitted by law, send you marketing communications relevant to clinical research, compliance and our platform;
- operate, maintain, secure and improve the website and understand how it is used;
- manage our relationship with you and your organisation; and
- comply with our legal, regulatory and contractual obligations.
4. Legal Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR we rely on the following lawful bases:
- Legitimate interests — to respond to enquiries, to run and secure our website, and to carry out business-to-business marketing to professional contacts, where this is not overridden by your rights and interests.
- Consent — where required, for example for certain marketing communications or non-essential cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time.
- Performance of a contract / steps prior to a contract — where we process your data to take steps at your request before entering into, or to perform, a contract.
- Legal obligation — where we must process your data to comply with the law.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object (see section 6).
5. Data Retention
We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected:
- Enquiry and contact data — retained for the duration of our correspondence and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage the relationship and our records.
- Marketing data — retained until you unsubscribe or otherwise object, and then suppressed to honour your preference.
- Website technical and analytics data — retained for a limited period in line with our analytics configuration.
We may retain certain data for longer where required to meet legal, regulatory, tax or record-keeping obligations, or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
6. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
Subject to the conditions in UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- be informed about how we use your personal data (this Policy);
- access the personal data we hold about you;
- request rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;
- request erasure of your data in certain circumstances;
- request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
- object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing at any time;
- request data portability where applicable; and
- withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, contact privacy@aq-trials.com. We will respond within the timeframes required by law (generally within one month). You will not normally have to pay a fee.
7. Cookies and Analytics
This website uses cookies and similar technologies. For full details of the cookies we use, their purposes, and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.
8. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal data. We may share it where necessary with:
- service providers who support our website, hosting, email, CRM/marketing and analytics, acting as our processors under written contracts;
- professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants, auditors and insurers;
- regulators, law enforcement, courts or other authorities where required by law or to protect our legal rights; and
- a successor organisation in connection with a business reorganisation, merger or sale, subject to appropriate safeguards.
9. International Transfers
We aim to keep personal data within the UK. Where any personal data is transferred outside the UK (for example by a service provider), we put in place appropriate safeguards required by UK data protection law — such as transfers to countries covered by UK adequacy regulations, or the use of the ICO’s International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
10. Data Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage. These include access controls, encryption in transit, secure hosting and ongoing monitoring. No internet transmission is ever completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your data.
11. Marketing Communications
Where we send you marketing communications, every message will include an easy way to opt out. You can also unsubscribe at any time by contacting privacy@aq-trials.com. Opting out of marketing will not affect any service-related communications necessary for an existing relationship.
12. Children’s Data
This website is intended for clinical research, healthcare and life-sciences professionals. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data relating to children through it.
13. Changes and How to Contact Us
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the law or regulatory guidance. The latest version will always be available on this page.
For any privacy question, or to exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@aq-trials.com or write to: Data Protection, Ascension-Q Ltd, C/O 264 Manchester Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 3RB.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to address your concerns first.
1. About These Terms
These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the website at aq-trials.com (the “Website”). By accessing or using the Website, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Website.
2. About Us
The Website is operated by Ascension-Q Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 10833152, with its registered office at C/O 264 Manchester Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1 3RB. You can contact us at info@aq-trials.com.
3. Using the Website
You may use the Website only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. The Website and its content are provided for general information about AscensionQ and its products and services. We may update, change, suspend or withdraw all or part of the Website at any time without notice.
4. Acceptable Use
You must not:
- use the Website in any way that breaches any applicable law or regulation;
- use the Website to transmit any unlawful, harmful, defamatory or misleading material;
- attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Website, its servers or any connected systems;
- introduce viruses, malware or other malicious or technologically harmful material;
- use any automated tools (such as bots, scrapers or crawlers) to access or extract content without our written permission; or
- reproduce, copy or resell any part of the Website except as permitted by these Terms.
5. Intellectual Property
All intellectual property rights in the Website and its content — including text, graphics, logos, designs, images and software — belong to Ascension-Q Ltd or its licensors and are protected by law. You may view and print content for your own internal, non-commercial reference. You may not otherwise use, copy, adapt or distribute any content without our prior written consent. “AscensionQ” and our logos are trademarks of Ascension-Q Ltd.
6. Third-Party Links
The Website may contain links to third-party websites and resources. These links are provided for your convenience only. We have no control over, and accept no responsibility for, the content of those third-party sites.
7. Disclaimers
The Website and its content are provided “as is” and “as available”. While we take reasonable care to keep the information accurate and up to date, we make no representations or warranties, express or implied, that the content is accurate, complete or current. Nothing on the Website constitutes legal, regulatory, clinical or professional advice, and you should not rely on it as such.
8. Limitation of Liability
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or for fraud. Subject to that, we will not be liable to you for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, arising out of or in connection with your use of, or inability to use, the Website, including any indirect or consequential loss, or any loss of profits, revenue, data or goodwill. Your use of any AscensionQ product or service is governed separately by your organisation’s contract with us.
9. Privacy and Cookies
Your use of the Website is also governed by our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, which explain how we handle personal data and use cookies.
10. Changes to These Terms
We may revise these Terms at any time by updating this page. The version in force is the one published here at the time you use the Website. Please check this page periodically.
11. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms, their subject matter and formation are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them.
12. Contact
For any questions about these Terms, contact us at legal@aq-trials.com.
1. Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains how Ascension-Q Ltd uses cookies and similar technologies on the aq-trials.com website, and how you can manage your preferences. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, to make them more efficient, and to provide information to website operators. Similar technologies (such as pixels, tags and local storage) may also store or access information on your device for related purposes.
3. The Cookies We Use
We use the following categories of cookies:
- Strictly necessary cookies — required for the Website to function, for example to maintain security and remember your basic preferences. These do not require consent.
- Analytics / performance cookies — help us understand how visitors use the Website so we can improve it. These are used only with your consent.
- Functional cookies — remember choices you make to provide enhanced features. Used only with your consent.
- Marketing cookies — used to measure the effectiveness of our campaigns and, where applicable, to show relevant content. Used only with your consent.
4. Consent and Managing Your Preferences
When you first visit the Website, we ask for your consent to non-essential cookies through our cookie banner. You can accept, reject or change your preferences at any time using the cookie settings on the Website. Strictly necessary cookies cannot be switched off as they are required for the Website to work.
You can also control cookies through your browser settings, including deleting existing cookies or blocking new ones. Note that blocking some cookies may affect how the Website functions. Guidance for common browsers is available at www.aboutcookies.org.
5. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies may be set by third parties that provide services on our behalf, such as analytics providers. These third parties process data in accordance with their own privacy policies. We do not use advertising cookies that track you across unrelated websites unless this is clearly disclosed and consented to.
6. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the cookies we use or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons. The latest version will always be available on this page.
7. Contact
For any questions about our use of cookies, contact us at privacy@aq-trials.com.
1. Our Commitment
AscensionQ is committed to protecting personal data and to processing it lawfully, fairly and transparently. We design our website, platform and operations to respect the rights of individuals and to support our customers in meeting their own data protection obligations.
2. Our Role: Controller and Processor
AscensionQ acts in two distinct capacities:
- As a controller for personal data we determine the use of — for example, website visitor and enquiry data, marketing contacts, and the account, login, support and security data of platform users.
- As a processor for personal data that our customer organisations upload to or manage within the AscensionQ platform in connection with clinical research. In that role we act only on the documented instructions of the customer (the controller), under a written contract and data processing agreement. See the Data Processing tab for details.
3. Data Protection Principles
We process personal data in line with the UK GDPR principles: lawfulness, fairness and transparency; purpose limitation; data minimisation; accuracy; storage limitation; integrity and confidentiality; and accountability.
4. Lawful Bases
Where we act as a controller, we identify an appropriate lawful basis for each processing activity — typically performance of a contract, compliance with a legal obligation, legitimate interests, or consent. Our Privacy Policy explains the bases we rely on for website data.
5. Individual Rights
We have processes to handle requests from individuals to exercise their rights — including access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection and portability. Where we act as a processor, we assist our customers in responding to such requests in respect of data held in the platform. Requests can be sent to privacy@aq-trials.com.
6. Security Measures
We maintain technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk, which may include:
- role-based access control and the principle of least privilege;
- multi-factor authentication for platform access;
- encryption of data in transit and at rest;
- audit logging and activity monitoring;
- secure, access-controlled hosting; and
- security management, backup and business-continuity processes.
[CONFIRM — reference any certifications/assurance you genuinely hold or have in progress, e.g. ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT). Don’t claim what you don’t hold.]
7. Sub-processors
Where we use third-party sub-processors to deliver our services (for example hosting and infrastructure), we put written contracts in place that impose data protection obligations equivalent to our own, and we remain responsible for their performance. A current list of sub-processors is available to customers on request.
8. International Transfers
We aim to keep personal data within the UK. Where any transfer outside the UK is necessary, we ensure an appropriate safeguard is in place under UK data protection law, such as a UK adequacy regulation, the ICO’s International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
9. Personal Data Breaches
We maintain procedures to detect, investigate and respond to personal data breaches. Where we act as a processor, we will notify the affected customer without undue delay after becoming aware of a breach affecting their data. Where we act as a controller, we will notify the ICO and affected individuals where required by law.
10. Accountability and Records
We maintain records of our processing activities, carry out data protection impact assessments where appropriate, and keep our policies under review.
11. ICO Registration and Contact
Ascension-Q Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under registration number ZB324099. For any data protection question, contact privacy@aq-trials.com.
1. Roles of the Parties
When a customer organisation uses the AscensionQ platform to process personal data (for example, data relating to research participants, site staff or other individuals), the customer is the controller and AscensionQ is the processor. AscensionQ processes that personal data only on the documented instructions of the customer, except where required to do otherwise by law.
2. Subject Matter and Duration
AscensionQ processes personal data for the duration of the customer’s subscription or services agreement, and for any additional period required to return or delete data on termination as set out in that agreement.
3. Nature and Purpose of Processing
The processing is carried out to provide the AscensionQ platform and related services — including electronic investigator site file (eISF), electronic trial master file (eTMF), quality management, document management, oversight and related compliance functionality — and to host, secure, support, maintain and back up that data.
4. Types of Personal Data and Categories of Data Subjects
The personal data processed is determined by the customer through its use of the platform, and may include identity and contact data, professional and role data, account and authentication data, and documentation uploaded by the customer. Depending on the customer’s configuration and use, it may include special category data such as health data relating to research participants. Categories of data subjects may include research participants, investigators and site staff, sponsor and CRO personnel, and the customer’s own users.
The customer is responsible for ensuring it has a lawful basis (and, for special category data, an appropriate condition) for the data it processes through the platform.
5. Processor Obligations (Article 28)
AscensionQ, as processor, undertakes to:
- process personal data only on the customer’s documented instructions;
- ensure that personnel authorised to process the data are bound by confidentiality;
- implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures (see section 7);
- respect the conditions for engaging sub-processors (see section 6);
- assist the customer, taking into account the nature of the processing, in responding to data subject rights requests;
- assist the customer with its obligations regarding security, breach notification and data protection impact assessments;
- at the customer’s choice, delete or return the personal data at the end of the services (see section 11); and
- make available the information necessary to demonstrate compliance and allow for and contribute to audits (see section 10).
6. Sub-processing
AscensionQ may engage sub-processors to support delivery of the platform (for example, hosting and infrastructure providers). We impose data protection obligations on each sub-processor equivalent to those in our DPA, and we remain liable for their performance. We will inform customers of intended changes to sub-processors and give them the opportunity to object, as set out in the DPA. A current sub-processor list is available to customers on request.
7. Security Measures
AscensionQ implements technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk, which may include role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, encryption in transit and at rest, audit logging and monitoring, secure hosting, and backup and business-continuity arrangements. The specific measures are set out in the DPA security schedule.
8. International Transfers
AscensionQ aims to host and process customer personal data within the UK. Any transfer outside the UK will be made only with an appropriate safeguard in place under UK data protection law (such as a UK adequacy regulation, the IDTA, or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses), and in accordance with the DPA.
9. Assistance to the Customer
Taking into account the nature of the processing and the information available to us, we assist customers with: responding to requests from data subjects; meeting their security and breach obligations; and carrying out data protection impact assessments and prior consultations with the ICO where required.
10. Personal Data Breaches
AscensionQ will notify the affected customer without undue delay after becoming aware of a personal data breach affecting that customer’s data, and will provide information to assist the customer in meeting its own notification obligations to the ICO and to data subjects.
11. Audit and Inspection
AscensionQ makes available to customers the information reasonably necessary to demonstrate compliance with Article 28, and allows for and contributes to audits and inspections conducted by the customer or its authorised auditor, subject to the terms and reasonable conditions set out in the DPA.
12. Return and Deletion of Data
On termination or expiry of the services, AscensionQ will, at the customer’s choice, return and/or delete the personal data it processes on the customer’s behalf, except to the extent that retention is required by law, within the timeframes set out in the DPA.
13. Requesting the Data Processing Agreement
The full Data Processing Agreement forms part of each customer’s contract with AscensionQ. To request a copy of our standard DPA, or to discuss data processing terms, contact legal@aq-trials.com or privacy@aq-trials.com.
