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BioAlps Association Privacy Policy

16.09.2026

This Privacy Policy (this Policy) explains how we, BioAlps Association, a Swiss association, headquartered in c/o Biopôle, Route de la Corniche 8, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland, (BioAlps, we, us, or ourselves) processes personal data in connection with the BioAlps Association website (https://bioalps.org/) and a mobile app BioAlps Connect (together, the Platforms), where life sciences stakeholders, including companies, startups, investors, academic and research institutions, and their representatives (the Users, you, your, or yourself) can access a dynamic network, an innovative and supportive ecosystem, and immediate access to exclusive events, conferences, resources and the latest news and updates in the field of life sciences and innovations (the Services). This Policy is designed to comply with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection of 25 September 2020 (FADP) and, to the extent applicable to our processing of personal data, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, GDPR) (together, the Data Protection Laws).

This Policy applies to the personal data that BioAlps processes about visitors to the Platforms, our members and affiliate members, participants in our events and trainings, subscribers to our newsletters and email alerts, and any other individual who otherwise interacts with BioAlps Association, including by contacting us, registering for events, trainings or platforms, or requesting products or services from us.

By using the Platforms or otherwise interacting with BioAlps Association, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy.

Unless otherwise defined in this Policy, capitalized terms have the same meaning as in our terms (https://bioalps.org/general-terms-and-conditions/). Other technical terms such as personal data, processing, data controller have the meaning ascribed to them under the applicable Data Protection Laws.

This Policy describes how we process personal data in connection with our services.

We may change this Policy at any time. The up-to-date Policy is available on our Platforms.

Please read this Policy carefully, as it contains important information about how we handle personal data. If you do not wish your personal data to be processed as described in this Policy, please do not provide it to us, nor use the Platforms or our Services.

 

1. About BioAlps Association

Founded in 2003, BioAlps Association empowers the Swiss Health Valley and represents the Western Switzerland Life Sciences ecosystem (medtech, biotech, pharma, digital health, nutrition, cosmetics, and more). The organisation is supported by 6 cantons: Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Geneva, Valais and Jura, by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and by 17 academic institutions. Through the organization and support of numerous events in Switzerland and internationally, as well as through regular publications, BioAlps offers opportunities for synergies within the life sciences community to representatives of academia, industry, finance, politics and media.

BioAlps is an association governed by Swiss law (articles 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code), with its registered office and Secretariat General located at c/o Biopôle, Route de la Corniche 8, 1066 Epalinges, Switzerland. BioAlps Association is the data controller (responsable du traitement) responsible for the processing of your personal data described in this Policy. You can reach us by phone at +41 22 545 12 91, by email at contact@bioalps.org.

 

2. Which types of data do we process and how do we collect data?

The categories of personal information that BioAlps may collect for the processing purposes described under Section 3 are:

  • Information you provide when you register on or use the Platforms, such as:
    • your identification details, including your family name, first name and address or country residence,
    • professional data (such as organization, job title, activity, main area of interest)
    • contact data such as email address and mobile phone number,
  • Information regarding your user account and your use of our Platforms, such as the time and place of your login, the pages you access on the Platforms and what information you upload to the Platforms. When you visit our Platforms or open our newsalerts or newsletters, we may automatically collect certain information from your device, such as your IP address, device type, unique device identification numbers, browser-type, broad geographic location (e.g. country or city-level location) and other technical information. We may also collect information about how your device has interacted with our Platforms, including the pages accessed and links clicked. Collecting this information enables us to better understand the visitors who come to our website, where they come from, and what content on our Platforms is of interest to them.
  • Some of this information is collected using cookies and similar tracking technologies, as explained in Section 9 below.
  • Information you provide when you voluntarily complete surveys or provide feedback 
  • Any information you share when you communicate with us via our Platforms, by email or otherwise.

3. Why do we process data and on which legal basis?

BioAlps only processes your personal data where permitted to do so under applicable Data Protection Laws. The specific legal basis for collecting and using your personal data will depend on the personal data concerned and the context in which we collect it, as set out below.

We process your personal data to:

  • provide you with our Services, including to:
    • open and manage your account on the Platforms,
    • manage your membership as an affiliate member of BioAlps Association
    • receive BioAlps newsletters or information about our Services, including for marketing purposes by sending news alerts, newsletters, emails, or other communications relating to our Services and events that may be of interest.
    • register for BioAlps events and/or trainings.This is based on the performance of our pre-contractual or contractual relationship with you. Specific processing activities (e.g. receiving newsletters) may be based on your consent. We will provide an option to unsubscribe or opt out of further communications, as applicable.
  • comply with our legal obligations or our agreements with other parties involved in the Services (e.g. BioAlps partners, service providers, BioAlps funding partner): This is based on our legal obligations or on the performance of our contractual relationship with you;
  • improve our Services, develop new Services and/or offer you Services that may interest you, including, organizing surveys with respect to the Services provided to you: This is based on our legitimate interests or, where legally required, on your consent (e.g. non-essential cookies). BioAlps, or third parties on its behalf, may also use information provided in an aggregate and anonymous form for internal business and planning purposes

    Sharing of Information with ARI-SO    . With respect to the foregoing, BioAlps may use and share your information in non-anonymized form with its affiliates and funding partners, including the Association Réseau Innovation Suisse Occidentale ("ARI-SO"), solely to the extent necessary to fulfill BioAlps' reporting obligations towards ARI-SO. In this context, BioAlps will share only the minimum information required to enable ARI-SO to conduct satisfaction surveys and collect feedback and analytics regarding the Services provided to you by BioAlps.Please note that ARI-SO acts as an independent data controller with respect to any personal data it receives. Accordingly, any processing of your personal data by ARI-SO beyond the initial receipt of your contact details from BioAlps is governed exclusively by ARI-SO's own privacy terms and policies.
  • prevent misuse of our Services (e.g. to protect access to exclusive events or content) and facilitate the use of our Platforms: This is based on our legal obligations or on our legitimate interests, and to the extent it affects your rights to benefit from our Services, contract performance;
  • process and respond to your questions and/or inquiries. The legal basis is legitimate interests;
  • enforce our rights or defending ourselves against legal actions or other proceedings: This is based on our legitimate interests.

 

4. For how long do we keep your data?

BioAlps retains your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or until you request that we no longer process it, subject to any applicable legal, regulatory or contractual retention requirements. In general, we keep data for as long as you maintain a contractual relationship with us and for ten years thereafter.

When you submit an enquiry to us via contact@bioalps.org, the details of your enquiry may be stored in our email archives for as long as necessary to process the enquiry and for a reasonable period thereafter for evidentiary purposes.

 

5. To whom do we transfer your data?

BioAlps may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients, to the extent necessary for the purposes described in Section 3 above:

  • Public authorities and public and private institutions supporting BioAlps Association's activities, such as the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Geneva, Valais and Jura, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), ARI-SO and our academic institution partners, where necessary for the organization of joint events or programs.
  • Other participants of our events, other affiliate members of BioAlps Association and/or users of our Platforms, to the extent you agreed to share your profile with them on our Platforms, or in the context of our events (e.g. to organize one-to-one meetings with them ahead of one of our events).
  • Service providers acting on our behalf, such as our website hosting provider, our digital communications agency WNG (which implements Matomo Analytics on our behalf, see Section 9 below), providers of email and newsletter distribution services and other IT providers.
  • Courts, regulators and other public authorities, where required by law or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
  • Our professional advisors (e.g., legal, accounting or audit advisors), where necessary for their services to us.

BioAlps Association does not sell your personal data to third parties.

6. Where do we process your data?

As a Swiss association, BioAlps Association primarily processes personal data in Switzerland. For example, the data collected through Matomo Analytics on the Platforms is stored in Switzerland, at the data center referred to in Section 9 below.

In some cases, we may share your personal data with recipients located outside Switzerland, including in countries within the European Economic Area (EEA) or elsewhere, in particular where our service providers or event partners are located abroad. Where we transfer personal data outside Switzerland or the EEA, we ensure that such transfers are subject to appropriate safeguards, such as: (i) a decision of the Swiss Federal Council or the European Commission recognizing that the destination country ensures an adequate level of data protection; (ii) standard contractual clauses approved by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) or the European Commission; or (iii) other safeguards recognized under Data Protection Laws, as applicable.

 

7. Data Security

Protecting your privacy and your personal data is a priority for BioAlps. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. However, please note that no transmission over the Internet or electronic storage method can be guaranteed to be completely secure; BioAlps can only take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your data, and we encourage you to take steps to protect your own personal data. If BioAlps becomes aware of a data security breach that is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the FDPIC and/or the competent EU supervisory authority and, where required, affected individuals, in compliance with our obligations under Data Protection Laws.

 

8. What are your rights regarding your data?

You are entitled to submit a request to us at the email address set forth under Section 1 above, to:

  • request the completion or correction of your personal data that is incomplete or inaccurate;
  • restrict or object to the processing of your personal data;
  • erase your personal data;
  • receive, or request us to transmit to another designated person or entity, the personal data that we hold about you in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format; and
  • wherever processing of your personal data is based on your consent, withdraw your consent to the processing of your personal data, opt out (e.g. for newsletters) by cancelling your subscription to that Service.

The exercise of the abovementioned rights (e.g. your objection to the processing of your personal data or withdrawal of any previously given consent) may prevent us from providing you with all or part of our Services, including access to our Platforms and their content. If we consider that, by agreeing to your request, we would no longer be able to provide our Services to you in a manner that fulfils our quality standards, we may decide to terminate our relationship with you or refuse access to our Servies in the future.

The above-mentioned rights may also be limited – for example when we are required to obtain and process your personal data to comply with applicable law and regulation, to assert or defend against legal claims, or when we have other legitimate grounds for the processing that override your interests and rights. We may therefore be entitled to continue processing your personal data even after you have chosen to withdraw your consent or objected to the processing of your personal data.

If requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive, in particular because of their repetitive character, we reserve the right to either charge a reasonable fee taking into account the request or refuse to act on the request.

If you wish to raise a complaint about how we are using your information, exercise any of the rights set out above, or if you have any questions or comments about privacy issues, you can contact us by sending an email to contact@bioalps.org

You can also lodge a complaint to the competent supervisory authority, namely:

  • If you are based in Switzerland, or if you consider that our processing of your personal data infringes the FADP, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), Feldeggweg 1, 3003 Bern, Switzerland (https://www.edoeb.admin.ch).
  • If you are based in Switzerland, or the GDPR otherwise applies to the processing of your personal data, you also have the right to complain to the EU Data Protection Authority competent in your jurisdiction.

9. Cookies Policy and Other Tracking Technologies

9.1 Why and how do we use cookies?

Whenever you use our Platforms, information may be collected through the use of cookies and other technologies. In order to provide you with more personalised and responsive Services we need to remember and store information about how you use our Platforms. This is done using small text files called cookies. Cookies contain small amounts of information and are downloaded to your computer or other device by a server to our Platforms. Your web browser then sends these cookies back to our Platforms on each subsequent visit so that it can recognise you and remember things like your user preferences.

Our Platforms use necessary, preference and statistics cookies and similar technologies in order to improve navigation around the Platforms for the user and improve the quality of the Platforms and our Services.

We use different categories of cookies. Cookies that are strictly necessary for the operation of the website are used without your consent. All other cookies (including analytics and marketing cookies) are used only with your consent, which you may give and withdraw at any time via our cookie settings. Cookies which are not necessary are disabled by default. If you want to benefit of all functionalities of the website, you can manage your cookies settings in your browser settings directly. If you do not accept optional cookies, your experience may be affected but that does not prevent you from navigating through our Platforms.

By authorizing optional cookies, you agree to the deposit and reading of cookies and the use of tracking technologies necessary for their proper functioning.

When you consent to be contacted by BioAlps to receive news alerts or email events, be informed that they contain trackers to ensure their good reception in order to update the list of recipients, to automatically register your unsubscribing and to measure the overall interest in the subjects discussed.

 9.2 Audience Measurement

The audience measurement services used to generate useful statistics attendance to improve the site. We use Matomo Analytics.

We use Matomo Analytics Suite as analytics software and consent management tool for our Platforms. We collect data about website visitors based on cookies. The collected information may include a visitor's IP address, operating system, browser ID, browsing activity and other information.

We calculate metrics like bounce rate, page views, sessions and the like to understand how our website/app is used. We may also create visitors’ profiles based on browsing history to analyze visitor behavior, show personalized content and run online campaigns.

Matomo Analytics is implemented by WNG, our digital communications agency, the data is stored for 24 months in their datacenter located at SwissCenter (division commerciale de OpenBusiness S. A.), World Trade Center, Av. Gratta-Paille 2, CH-1018 Lausanne (Switzerland).

Matomo Analytics does not send the data about you to any other sub-processors or third parties and does not use it for its own purposes. For more, read Matomo Analytics’ privacy policy.

This data is used solely to improve the Platforms and your experience when using it; it is not otherwise used by BioAlps.

 

9.3 Managing Cookies via Your Browser

If you choose to deactivate cookies, some functionalities, pages or parts of the Platforms may not be accessible. BioAlps is not responsible in such cases.

For more information related to cookies parameters, you can consult the following websites:

– CNIL – http://www.aboutcookies.org/en

– Internet Explorer™ – http://windows.microsoft.com/fr-FR/windows-vista/Block-or-allow-cookies

– Safari™ –http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1677?viewlocale=fr_FR

– Chrome™ – https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=fr

– Firefox™ – https://support.mozilla.org/fr/kb/activer-desactiver-cookies

 

11. Links to Other Sites

The https://bioalps.org/ site may contain links to or from a number of third party websites (hereinafter referred to as "Third Party Sites"). BioAlps does not, in any way, control or operate the Third Party Sites. BioAlps is not responsible for the processing activities, privacy practices, content, policies or actions of the Third Party Sites. The use of any information you may provide to third parties on Third Party Sites, or which such parties may otherwise collect on other websites, is not governed by this Privacy Policy.

 

12. Social Networks

Social media plug-ins of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or services with user-generated content features are integrated into our Platforms. Where the BioAlps Platforms contain a plug-in to a social network site, these are clearly marked (e.g. with a LinkedIn button). If you choose to click on one of these buttons or links, your browser connects directly to the servers of the relevant social network. The other website’s privacy policy applies to any personal information you provide to that website. If you do not want the social network to collect the information about you, please review the privacy policy of the relevant social network and/or log out of the relevant social network before you visit the BioAlps Platforms.

 

13. Applicable law and jurisdiction

 

Applicable law. This Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with Swiss law, excluding its conflict or laws rules.

 

Jurisdiction. All disputes arising out of or in connection with this Policy shall be referred to the district courts of the city of Lausanne, Switzerland.