Privacy policy

Formas’ privacy policy describes how we at Formas collect, use and protect your personal data. You can also read about what your rights are regarding how we process your personal data.

Personal data is any information that either directly or indirectly can be linked to an identifiable living person. Examples of what constitutes personal data are names, personal identification numbers, images and e-mail addresses.

Processing of personal data

When you send an e-mail to us, visit our website, call Formas, apply for a grant through Prisma, are hired as a consultant or reviewer, or sign up for a newsletter, Formas can gain access to your personal data. Formas is a data controller for the personal data we collect from you. The purpose of collecting this data is to enable us to manage your case or provide you with the service you expect from Formas.

Principle of public access

As a government agency, Formas is subject to the principle of public access to official records. Messages that are sent to us become public documents. As a general rule, public documents must be saved. This also applies if the documents contain personal data. Formas may therefore not delete messages without a legal basis.

The principle of public access also means that Formas must disclose a public document if someone requests it and it is not subject to privacy laws. This also applies when the document contains personal data.

Principles relating to data processing

For Formas to be allowed to process your personal data, we must comply with the basic principles relating to personal data processing. This means that we collect only the personal data that is necessary to fulfill the purpose of the processing, we do not save personal data longer than we need to and we protect the personal data from unauthorised or unlawful processing. For the processing to be lawful, we must have a legal basis for the processing.

Legal basis

Because Formas is a government agency, we receive commissions from the Swedish Government to perform certain tasks. These commissions are formulated in documents such as Formas’ ordinance with instructions and appropriation directions. As the legal basis for the processing of personal data which Formas carries out as a result of receiving such commissions, Formas uses in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority. This applies, for example, to the processing of personal data in connection with research funding.

In some cases, Formas can also use the legal basis consent. This applies, for example, when you sign up for any of our newsletters or when we post a picture of you on our website. You may, at any time, withdraw your consent to processing.

Formas might also need to process your personal data as a result of a contract concluded between you and the government agency. This applies, for example, if you are an employee of Formas, a contracted consultant or a supplier.

The right to request information

You have the right to request information about which personal data of yours we process at Formas and, in some cases, to ask that we correct it. Note that Formas only has access to personal data that is necessary for our own activities, such as registers, customer records and subscriber records, and not data held by other government agencies and companies. If you want to know how Formas processes your personal data, please send a request to us.

Send your request to: registrator@formas.se

or

Formas Registrar
Box 1206
111 82 Stockholm

Comments on how Formas manages personal data

If you have any comments on how Formas processes your personal data, you can contact our registrar. Your comments will be forwarded to Formas’ data protection officer.

The Swedish Data Protection Authority is the supervisory authority for personal data processing. You always have the option to turn to this authority if you believe that Formas does not respond to your comments in a satisfactory manner.

Updated:28 August 2023
Page manager: Timothy Hallgren