Privacy Policy & legal information
1. Data protection and privacy
ADVAC takes the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with the legal provisions on data protection and this information notice.
The use of our website is possible without providing personal data. With regard to personal data (e. g. name, address or e-mail address) collected on our website, this is always done on a voluntary basis. This data will not be transmitted to third parties without your express consent. However, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that data transmission over the Internet (e. g. communication by e-mail) may have security breaches. Complete data protection against access by third parties is not possible.
2. Collection of personal data
We only collect personal data if it is necessary for the proper evaluation of applications.
You can visit our site without providing any personal information. When you complete the "APPLICATION FORM" all information provided remains confidential. It is only sent to the ADVAC Scientific Committee whose members are listed on our website and to the few people who administratively support the work of the Scientific Committee.
Data processing procedure:
- Registration of applications is open every year from July to November
- Registration is closed and applications are processed for evaluation from November to January
- Decisions (Admitted, Rejected or Stand-By) are communicated to candidates in January/February
- All application files are deleted as soon as the course ends (early June)
If you have taken the course, your status as a "STUDENT" then becomes "ALUMNI" and only your contact details* are kept. You can access your account at any time to view or modify information. You can also request us to delete this information.
If you have not taken the course, you have the status of "CANDIDATE" and all your data and documents are deleted. You will be required to complete a new application form again should you wish to resubmit an application in the future.
If you are a "FACULTY" or member of the "SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE", only your contact details* are kept.
*Contact details are:
Gender, First and Last Names, Year of Birth, Nationality, Function, Institution, Address, Location, Country, Work Phone, Mobile Phone, as well as a "Short Biography and photo".
N.B. You can access your account at any time to view or change your contact information.
3. Use of personal data
- Mandatory fields and optional information: Please note that there are mandatory fields for data collection via the website. These are marked with an asterisk and an entry is required to process your request.
- Appropriate use of personal data: The personal data you provide us with will be used for the purpose for which it was sent. This includes processing your application, sending of information relevant to ADVAC Alumni activities, etc.
- Use for other purposes, in particular for advertising purposes: We do not use any data received for advertising purposes.
4. Transmission of personal data to third parties
Your data will not be transmitted unless we are legally obliged to do so (e.g. request from an investigating authority) or authorised (e. g. in the context of the processing of an application registration data) or you have expressly consented to their transmission to third parties.
Status "CANDIDATE"
Only your personal data necessary for the evaluation of your application are transmitted exclusively to the members of the ADVAC Scientific Committee and the few people who administratively support the work of the Committee. The members of this Committee are obliged to protect your data and to use it only for the specific purpose for which it is intended. In addition, they are required to process the data in accordance with this data protection statement and the applicable legal situation.
The data and contact information of the CANDIDATES are never transmitted or accessible to the public or other members of the ADVAC community (Alumni or Faculty).
They are systematically deleted from our databases at the end of the Course (early June of each year).
Status "ALUMNI”
Only your contact details* are kept. They are not accessible to the general public. Only the ADVAC community has access to your contact details which are available in the private part of the website under the menu "ALUMNI > List of Alumni".
Status "FACULTY"
Only your contact details* are kept. They are not accessible to the general public. Only the ADVAC community has access to your contact details which are available in the private part of the website. In accordance with the regulations of the European Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), Conflict of Interest Disclosure Forms of all Lecturers (faculty) are posted on the public part of the website. These forms are mandatory and must be updated annually. They may only be deleted when a person is no longer an active Lecturer.
Status "COMMITTEE"
Only your contact details* are kept. Only your full name, function, institution, short bio and photo are available to the general public. Only the ADVAC community has access to your complete contact details which are available in the private part of the website. In accordance with the regulations of the European Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), Conflict of Interest Disclosure Forms of all Steering Committee members are posted on the public part of the website. These forms are mandatory and must be updated annually. They may only be deleted when a person is no longer a member of the Scientific Committee.
*Contact details are:
Gender, First and Last Names, Year of Birth, Nationality, Function, Institution, Address, Location, Country, Work Phone, Mobile Phone, and a "Short Biography and photo".
You can access your account at any time to view or modify the details. You can also request us to delete this information.
We are also entitled to give access to your personal data to our contracted service providers domiciled in Switzerland, insofar as this is appropriate for the data processing described in this data protection statement. They are bound, to the same extent as we are, to data protection.
5. Right to information, deletion, blocking
You have the right to obtain free-of-charge and at any time, information on your stored personal data, its origin and recipients, and the purpose of the data processing, as well as the right to revise, block or delete this data. If you have any questions about this or other personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at
6. Data Security
Your personal data which is shared with us via the website is generally transmitted in encrypted form which corresponds to the current state of the art. We protect our website and other systems with technical and organizational measures against the loss, destruction, access, modification or distribution of your data by unauthorized persons.
7. Use of cookies
In order to make your visit to our website attractive and to enable the use of certain functions, we use cookies on different pages. These are small text files containing configuration information that are stored on your mobile device or computer.
Some of the cookies we use are deleted after the end of the browser session, i.e. after you close your browser (session cookies). Other cookies remain on your device and allow us to recognize your browser the next time you visit (persistent cookies).
You have the option at any time to delete cookies stored locally on your computer or to configure your browser so that you are informed of the configuration of cookies. This will allow you to decide individually on their acceptance, or exclude the acceptance of cookies in certain cases, or in general.
If cookies are not accepted, the functionality of our website may be limited. If you would like to receive more information about the use of these cookies, please consult our statement on cookies.
8. Consent
You will find below the exact wording of your consent to data protection, insofar as you have given your consent:
Yes, I confirm that I have read and understood your information note and give my express consent for my personal data transmitted to ADVAC to be processed by ADVAC exclusively for the purpose of my application request. I know that I can revoke my consent at any time with effect in the future, by e-mail to
9. References to external links
The website contains links to third-party websites ("external links"), the content and design of which ADVAC has no influence whatsoever. The operator of the linked site is solely responsible for the content and accuracy of the information provided. At the time the link was established, ADVAC was not aware of any violation of the law. ADVAC has no influence on the current and future content of the linked websites. The creation of external links does not mean that ADVAC endorses as its own the content of third parties that may be referred to under the links. ADVAC cannot reasonably be expected to check and examine external links without concrete evidence of possible violations of the law. However, if we become aware of any violations of the law, these external links will be immediately removed.
10. Amendments to data protection regulations
New data protection rules apply to future contacts with ADVAC. The old data protection provisions continue to apply to data already stored, unless the law does not allow it.
11. Advertising
This site refuses any form of advertising. The co-sponsors and funding agencies have no influence on the content of the site and are not responsible for it.
12. Data controller and contact person
In order to ask questions or submit comments regarding this statement and our privacy practices, or to make a complaint about our compliance with applicable privacy laws, please contact us through our contact form available on www.advac.org or write to the person in charge of data processing at the address below:
Professor Claire-Anne Siegrist
Director, Center for Vaccinology
University Medical Center
University of Geneva
1 rue Michel Servet
1211 Geneva 4
Switzerland