Privacy Policy

This document sets out who we are, what personal information we collect, and what we do with the personal information we collect from people when they:

  • visit our websites www.ncimb.com and store.ncimb.com
  • create an account on our websites www.ncimb.com and store.ncimb.com.
  • make enquiries via email, phone, or at meetings and events
  • request a quote or place an order for our goods and services
  • complete and submit any forms available on our websites.

If, when you use this website or contact us in other ways, you provide information from which you can be personally identified, it will only be used in accordance with this privacy notice.

NCIMB Ltd may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with the changes.

Who are we?

NCIMB is a company that provides microbiology products and services, analytical services and biomaterial storage services.

Our address is: NCIMB Ltd, Ferguson Building, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9YA, UK.

We can be contacted by email at enquiries@ncimb.com

Personal information that we collect

We may ask you to provide:

  • Name
  • Job title
  • Contact, delivery and billing information, including email address
  • Credit or debit card information and /or other payment information

We may also collect:

  • Any other information that you choose to provide us with when you email us or otherwise make contact with us
  • Details of your visit to our site, using a website analytics service.

When we collect personal information

We collect information that can personally identify you when you:

  • Complete any of the forms on our website and send them to us
  • Phone or email to make an enquiry or place an order
  • Complete a form at an event to opt in to receive updates about our products and services
  • Create an account on our website
  • When you visit our website, we use Google Analytics to collect standard internet log information. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the website. Google Analytics transmits website traffic data to Google servers in the United States where it is processed.  Our Google Analytics account is set to use IP anonymisation i.e. the system anonymises the IP address as soon as technically feasible. For more information  see https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2763052?hl=en. Google Analytics does not identify individual users or associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.  

How we use your personal information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To process enquiries, orders and payment
  • To obtain credit references, credit checks and for debt collection, fraud detection and prevention and risk management purposes.
  • To provide agreed goods and services to you
  • For record keeping, our own business analysis and internet reporting
  • To communicate with you, including to respond to information requests, enquiries submitted and/or to obtain your feedback on our products and services.
  • If you have previously purchased or enquired about our goods or services, we may provide you with details of similar goods or services that we provide, that you may be interested in.
  • To seek consent for news stories, case studies, or other marketing content that makes reference to your employer as an NCIMB customer
  • If you have completed form QF67 Accession form: Open Collection, and the strain has been included in our open culture collection, the name and business address of the depositor and the individual that isolated the strain will be included in our online culture collection catalogue unless consent is not given, or consent is withdrawn.
  • To investigate any complaint you make.

Direct marketing

We may send you direct marketing in relation to our own products and services by phone or post as long as this is in line with any marketing preferences that you have provided to us.

We will only send you direct marketing in relation to our own products and services by email:

  • Where you have consented to this or
  • Where you have not objected to this and we are marketing similar products and services to those which were the subject of a previous enquiry, sale or negotiations of a sale to you.

You can choose to opt out of receiving direct marketing from us at any time, through the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email you receive or by contacting us by email at enquiries@ncimb.com

Who will your personal data be shared with?

We only share your personal data with third parties for the purposes of operating our own business. We may share your personal data with:

  • Third party providers in order for us to process payments that are due to us
  • Licensed credit reference agencies, debt collection agencies and lawyers when we carry out credit checks, to report on our payment performance and/or seek to recover debts due to us
  • Our accountants, auditors, lawyers or similar advisors when we ask them to provide us with professional advice
  • Third party providers who provide the following types of service to us: marketing, market research, logistics, software, customer relationship management
  • SurveyMonkey: we occasionally carry out customer surveys using SurveyMonkey. This involves storing email addresses in SurveyMonkey. SurveyMonkey Inc.’s privacy notice states that the company participates in and has certified its compliance with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield. Their full Privacy Notice is available here.
  • Investors and other relevant third parties in the event of an actual or potential sale or other corporate transaction related to NCIMB Ltd.

Legal basis for processing

There must be a legal basis for any processing of personal data that we carry out. We process data for a range of purposes. The legal basis that we use for processing personal data varies depending on the purpose for which it is being processed.

  • “For the performance of a contract with you” is the legal basis when we process information for the provision of goods and services, or to take steps that you have requested prior to entering into a contract.
  • “Consent” is the legal basis for processing your data if you have provided your consent to receive direct marketing communications about our own products and services. You may have done this by opting in to receive newsletters and marketing update emails via our website or by completing an opt-in form at a conference or event.
  • “For our legitimate interests” is the legal basis when we process data for:
    • Maintaining our relationship with you and communicating with you
    • Sending direct marketing relating to our own products and services where you have not provided consent
    • Our internal record keeping analysis and reporting; internal training; obtaining credit reference and credit checks.
  • “Consent” is the legal basis for processing your data if you have provided your consent for us to store and process your data for the purposes of preparing marketing content that makes reference to you or your employer as an NCIMB customer.
  • You can object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interests at any time by emailing enquiries@ncimb.com

How long we keep your personal information

We retain personal information for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data is collected. When determining the relevant retention periods, we take into account factors including:

  • Legal obligations.
  • Potential disputes.
  • Guidelines issued by relevant data protection authorities.

Links to third party websites.

Our website contains links to other internet websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites, including such sites use of any personal information.