Privacy policy

1. Who we are

We are Energy Systems Catapult Limited, a company limited by guarantee, and registered in the UK under company number 08705784, whose main place of business is at 7th Floor, Multistory, 18 Priory Queensway, Birmingham B4 6BS (“us”, “we”, “our”). We are committed to protecting and respecting the privacy of the users of the SENSE website (the “Site”).

This privacy notice (the “Privacy Notice”) applies to all personal information processing activities carried out by us in relation to the Site.

This policy (together with our Terms and Conditions) sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us (“data”), will be processed by us.

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Energy Systems Catapult Limited is the Data Controller. We also comply with the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 where applicable to the sharing and use of data within innovation and research projects.

2. About the SENSE project

SENSE is a secure data access platform designed to enable researchers to discover, access and analyse energy-related datasets for bona fide research purposes. The platform provides access to Open, Safeguarded and Secure datasets, subject to eligibility checks and applicable licence conditions. It can also host hidden datasets, only visible to the data uploader.

3. Information we may collect about you

We collect and process the following personal data when you register for and use the SENSE platform:

  • Name

  • Organisation or academic institution

  • Work email address

  • Account and access records, including dates of registration, approval decisions, access permissions, and audit logs relating to dataset use

  • Any personal data you voluntarily provide when contacting us (for example, in support queries or feedback)

  • Audit logs recording log-ins, dataset access, approvals and usage activity

We do not intentionally collect special category data or children’s data as part of the SENSE platform.

Information we collect about you: each of your visits to our Site may automatically collect the following information:

  • technical information, including the Internet Protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform;

  • information about your visit, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URL) clickstream to, through and from our Site (including date and time); content you viewed or searched for; page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page.

4. Cookies

What is a cookie?

A “cookie” is a small text file that’s stored on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit a website or use an app. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

How we use cookies

We use two types of cookies on the Site: essential cookies and analytics cookies.

Essential cookies are necessary for the Website to operate.

Analytics cookies

We use these to identify unique visitors and track visitors’ sessions on the site. These are optional and you can opt out.

5. Uses made of the information

We use your personal data to:

  • Create and manage your SENSE user account

  • Grant and manage access to datasets in line with licence conditions

  • Communicate with you about your account, access requests, or platform updates

  • To administer our Site and for internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, and statistical purposes

  • To improve our Site to ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your device

We only use your personal data where it is necessary to operate and govern the SENSE platform and to protect the security and integrity of the data it hosts.

We will only send service-related communications essential to the operation of your account. If you believe you are receiving unnecessary notifications, please contact us.

6. Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data under Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR, Legitimate Interests. Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests in providing a secure and controlled data access platform, verifying users, managing access to safeguarded datasets, and ensuring responsible use of research data. These interests are balanced against your rights and freedoms by limiting the data collected, applying strict access controls, and providing clear information about how your data is used.

7. How long we keep your personal data

We retain your personal data for as long as you hold an active SENSE account and while the SENSE platform is operational. The SENSE project is currently funded to run until January 2028 but is expected to remain operational beyond that date. We will notify you if an extension is applied.

You can leave the platform and exercise any of your rights as a data subject at any time (see section 9 below).

When your account is closed, or when the platform is decommissioned, your personal data will be securely deleted unless we are required to retain it for legal, audit, or accountability purposes.

Anonymised data may be retained for reporting and research purposes where it can no longer identify you.

8. Storage and security of data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss or misuse. Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel, and systems are monitored and tested to maintain security.

9. Disclosure of your personal information

We share limited personal data with our data processor, STFC Hartree Centre, which hosts and maintains the SENSE platform on our behalf. STFC Hartree acts only on our instructions as a data processor and is bound by a Data Processing Agreement that requires appropriate technical and organisational security measures.

Where required by law, we may also share personal data with the relevant authorities.

We do not sell your personal data or share it with third parties for marketing purposes.

If you have provided datasets that have been uploaded to the platform as the Data Owner, personal information relating to that dataset is retained until those datasets are deleted. Any personal data contained within the metadata may be visible to other users

10. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Be informed about how your personal data is used

  • Access the personal data we hold about you

  • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data

  • Request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances

  • Request restriction of processing

  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests

  • Receive your personal data in a portable format, where applicable

  • Not be subject to solely automated decision-making, where applicable

  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

You can find out more information about how the ICO handle complaints here: Make a complaint about how an organisation has used your personal information | ICO, or by calling their helpline on 0303 123 1113.

11. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we handle your personal data, or if you would like to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact:

Data Protection Officer

Energy Systems Catapult Limited

Multistory, 7th Floor

18 Priory Queensway

Birmingham

B4 6BS

Email: dataprotectionoffice@es.catapult.org.uk

12. Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. Any significant changes will be communicated via the SENSE platform or our website.

Published date: 26 January 2026

Version number: 1