Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: November 2, 2026
The Ocean & Earth Research Institute ("OERI", "we", "us", or "our"), headquartered in Tortola, British Virgin Islands (VG1110), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or engage with our research programs.
1. Information We Collect
We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you contact us, subscribe to our publications, apply for research partnerships, or otherwise interact with our Institute. This may include your name, email address, institutional affiliation, country of residence, and any message content you submit. We also collect non-personal technical data automatically, such as IP addresses, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site, through standard server logs and analytics tools.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to respond to your inquiries and partnership requests, to send you scientific publications, newsletters, and expedition updates you have requested, to improve our website and research communications, to comply with applicable legal obligations, and to protect the security and integrity of our systems. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for commercial purposes.
3. Legal Basis for Processing
Where applicable under data protection law (including the GDPR for individuals in the European Economic Area), we process your personal data on the following legal bases: your consent, the performance of a contract or pre-contractual steps at your request, compliance with a legal obligation, and our legitimate interests in operating and improving our scientific research communications.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and gather aggregate usage statistics. You may configure your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Please note that some parts of the site may not function properly if cookies are disabled. We do not use cookies for targeted advertising.
5. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We may share your information with trusted service providers who assist us in operating our website and conducting our research activities, subject to confidentiality agreements. We may also disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of OERI, our staff, or the public. We may share anonymized or aggregated data for scientific and statistical purposes.
6. International Data Transfers
As an internationally operating research institute based in the British Virgin Islands, your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure that such transfers comply with applicable data protection laws, including the use of standard contractual clauses where required.
7. Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. When your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it.
8. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to access, correct, update, or request deletion of your personal information. You may also have the right to object to or restrict certain processing, and to data portability. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the address below. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law.
9. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including scientific journals, partner institutions, and data repositories. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies independently.
11. Children's Privacy
Our website and services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete it.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. We will post the revised policy on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: Ocean & Earth Research Institute, Tortola, BVI VG1110. Email: partnerships@oeri.science