Privacy Policy

This policy (the “Privacy Policy”) describes how IFPMA and Speak Up Africa (“IFPMA”, “Speak Up Africa”, “our”, “we” or “us”) process information relating to you that we may obtain (i) through this website, (ii) when you get in contact with us and/or (ii) through your participation in the Africa Young Innovators for Health Award (“Award”). We process your Personal Data in compliance with the applicable laws on data privacy of Switzerland.

This Policy describes:

  • What personal information we collect from you, how it is used and with whom it may be shared.
  • The security procedures in place to protect the misuse of your information.
  • Your rights and choices which apply to our use of your personal information, including how to request access to, update or delete your personal information.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully in order to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it.

Data Controller and Contact

IFPMA, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.

Contact details for any enquiry related to data protection are provided below.

Definition of personal data

For purposes of this Privacy Policy, Personal Data is all information relating to an identified or identifiable natural or legal person; this includes, for example, contact information, unique identifiers, such as IP addresses and equipment identifiers.

Personal Data we collect from you

We collect Personal Data as provided by visitors to our website or provided by applicants participating in the Award. We may also collect Personal Data about you when you contact us,  interact with us on social media sites and from other third parties. In addition, we automatically collect basic technical information from all visitors to the Website.  We collect technical information during your visit to the Website through our automatic data collection tools, which may include cookies and other commonly used technologies (e.g. web beacons). Please see for further details our cookie policy .

Depending on how you interact with the Website, we will process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • to contact you and respond to your requests and enquiries;
  • to manage and maintain our relationships with you;
  • to personalize your visit and use of our website and to assist you while you use them;
  • to carry out, monitor and analyze our business or website operations;
  • to manage the Award process;
  • to enter into or carry out contracts relevant to the participation in the Award;
  • for fraud prevention and detection and to comply with applicable laws, regulations, guidance or professional obligations that we may be subject to;
  • to contact you to tell you about services offered by us which we believe may interest you unless you advise us that you do not wish to receive marketing or market research communications from us;

Our Sites may use “cookies” or similar technologies to enhance user experience. A cookie is a small file placed on your device or computer. To find out more about our use of cookies please see our [Cookies Policy].

Processing of your Personal Data is necessary to allow you participate in events related to the Award, to enter the competition/award (performance of a contract), to meet the legal requirements applicable to competitions/awards (legal obligation) and to meet the legitimate interests pursued by IFPMA and Speak Up Africa, which are the promotion of innovative solutions to healthcare in Africa and the protection of healthcare workers.

Sharing information

We may share your Personal Data for the purposes mentioned above with:

  • service providers in connection with the operation of this website, including website hosting, the provision of technology related services and promotional material distribution; or
  • to share data with public authorities, including the police, government regulators, law enforcement, the court, or other government and fraud prevention agencies, as required or permitted by law or when compelled by an order; or
  • our members and partners in the context of IFPMA and Speak Up Africa’s activities relating to the purpose for which the personal data was collected.
  • members of the Jury for the purposes of evaluating the inventions submitted to the Award.

International transfers

IFPMA is based in Switzerland and Speak Up Africa in Senegal and operates globally. As a consequence, we may transfer and process your Personal Data worldwide both in our own facilities and with service providers, or partners. Certain Personal Data may be hosted in the UK.

Whenever IFPMA and/or Speak Up Africa shares your Personal Data with a third party outside Switzerland/the EEA/UK IFPMA and/or Speak Up Africa will put in place contractual protections, approved by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), to secure your Personal Data.

Data Security

We maintain appropriate technical, physical and organizational measures to protect Personal Data against accidental or unlawful destruction or accidental loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure or access. Unfortunately, no information security system can be 100% secure. As a result, although we strive to protect your Personal Data, we cannot warrant the security of the Personal Data against unpredictable loss or unauthorized access. You should always use caution when transmitting personal data over the Internet.

Your Rights

Subject to restrictions under applicable law, you have the right to request from us access, rectification, erasure, restriction and deletion, and portability of your Personal Data. Such requests can be addressed to dataprotection@ifpma.org.

Data Integrity

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the Personal Data we collect is relevant for the purposes for which it is to be used and that the Personal Data is reliable for its intended use and is accurate, complete and current. You are responsible for making sure that your data is up-to-date and accurate when you provide it to us and where our services offer you the tools to maintain your data.

Retention of Personal Data

We will only retain Personal Data for as long as we are required to do so by applicable law(s), or for as long as necessary for the purpose(s) for which it is processed. We will delete Personal Data when it is no longer needed, and, in any case, upon expiration of the maximum storage term set forth in applicable law or upon your request to delete it.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will post a revised link on the home page of the website and indicate the month and year of the last update. You should check this website periodically to see if any recent changes to this Privacy Policy have been made.

Links to Other Internet Websites

The privacy practices set forth in this Privacy Policy are for IFPMA and Speak Up Africa’s Africa Young Innovators for Health Award website and other specified activities only. Other websites hosted by third parties may have different practices. If you link to or otherwise visit any other websites managed by third parties, please review the privacy policies posted at those websites. We have no control over those websites and are not responsible or liable for the policies and practices followed by third parties.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at: dataprotection@ifpma.org.

If you think that your complaint has not been adequately addressed, you may have a right to lodge a complaint with the Supervisory Authority for data privacy in your country.

The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner’s contact information is – Email: info@edoeb.admin.ch; and telephone: +41 58 462 43 95.

The Senegalese Data Protection Authority’s (Commission de Protection des Données Personnelles) contact information is – Email: contactcdp@cdp.sn; and telephone: +221 33 859 70 30

Revised Privacy Policy: January 2021