Privacy Notice

Please find the link to our updated Privacy Notice.

Privacy Notice 051125

1. Purpose

Rocket Science respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data.

This privacy policy explains how we use any personal information we collect about you when you contact us by phone, email, letter, attend any of our events, subscribe to our newsletter or when you use our website.

Rocket Science takes data seriously, complies with its obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).Rocket Science is committed to being concise, clear and transparent about how it obtains and uses personal information and will ensure data subjects are aware of their rights under the legislation. 

2. What information we collect, use and why?

We will collect data where we have a legitimate reason and where possible will limit and redacted to reduce exposure and risk.

This means personal data must be information that relates to an individual. That individual must be identified either directly or indirectly from one or more identifiers or from factors specific to the individual.

The UK GDPR refers to sensitive personal data as “special categories of personal data” (see Article 9). These are:

  • Racial or ethnic origin
  • Political opinions
  • Trade union membership
  • Religious of similar beliefs
  • Health or sexual life
  • Genetic data
  • Biometric data

The special categories specifically include genetic data and biometric data where processed to uniquely identify an individual.

We will collect data where we have a legitimate reason and will ensure is limited and redacted where possible to limit exposure and risk.

We collect or use the following personal information to manage:

2.1 Client contacts

We collect or use the following personal information for the operation of client contracts:

  • Names and contact details.

2.2 Delivery of client contacts (consultancy and grantmaking)

Where Rocket Science has been contracted to deliver services on behalf of a client such as research, evaluation or grantmaking services, we collect or use the following personal information for the operation of client contracts:

  • Names, employer name and contact details.

Depending on the service we may also collect or use the following special category information to deliver services for clients. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature and includes:

  • Racial or ethnic origin
  • Religious or philosophical beliefs
  • Genetic information
  • Health information
  • Sexual orientation information

2.3 Mailings and marketing purposes

We may collect or use the following personal information for mailings and marketing purposes:

  • Your name, role and organisation
  • Contact details including email address

We collect material that you proactively post or contribute to our sites and any correspondence you have with us.

We also collect information on your website usage through cookies, if your browser accepts them. Some of our websites feature tracking software – this means that if you have filled an online form or have previously clicked a link in one of our emails, we may link your website usage information (such as pages visited, IP address, browser and device used) to other information we hold about you, such as your name and organisation.

When you contact us by email, letter or on the phone, we may also record this information on our customer relationship management system to help us process your request efficiently.

We collect or use the following personal information to comply with legal requirements:

  • Name
  • Contact information
  • Health and safety information
  • Any other personal information required to comply with legal obligations
  • Safeguarding information.

2.5 Recruitment purposes

We collect or use the following personal information:

  • Contact details (e.g. name, address, telephone number or personal email address)
  • Date of birth
  • National Insurance number
  • Copies of passports or other photo ID
  • Employment history (e.g. job application, employment references or secondary employment)
  • Right to work information
  • Details of any criminal convictions (e.g. Disclosure Barring Service (DBS), Access NI or Disclosure Scotland checks)

2.6 Queries, complaints or claims

We collect or use the following personal information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims:

  • Names and contact details
  • Addresses
  • Customer or client accounts and records
  • Correspondence.

3. Lawful basis and data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.

Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are set out in brief below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:

If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.

To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

4. Lawful bases for the collection and use of your data

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for the operation of our research, evaluation and fundmaking activities on behalf of our client or customer accounts are:

  • Consent – we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.
  • Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are:
  • In order to deliver contractual services for charities and funders, we may need to collate data from individuals. We will always look to redact and minimise requirements to enable services to be delivered. This could be to deliver research to review the needs of a particular thematical area, needs analysis or for grantmaking to evidence programme registrations and outputs and outcomes.

For more information on our use of legitimate interests as a lawful basis you can contact us using the contact details set out above.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for information updates or marketing purposes are:

  • Consent – we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are:
  • Through our work we may connect with other people and reach out with newsletters and other information which may be useful.

For more information on our use of legitimate interests as a lawful basis you can contact us using the contact details set out above.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to comply with legal requirements:

  • Consent – we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for recruitment purposes are:

  • Consent – we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims are:

  • Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are:
  • In order to manage enquiries and complaints we would require an email or telephone number to seek further information or to provide updates and an outcome.

For more information on our use of legitimate interests as a lawful basis you can contact us using the contact details set out above.

5. Where we get personal information from

  • Publicly available sources
  • Suppliers and service providers
  • Websites and public information
  • Delivering grant programmes on behalf of funders
  • Delivering research and evaluation services for charities and funders.

6. How long we keep information

For more information on how long we store your personal information or the criteria we use to determine this please contact us using the details provided in section 10 below.

For consultancy projects we hold data for 5 years after the completion of the project, though this may differ depending on the contractual arrangements with the client (data controller).

For grantmaking, we retain unsuccessful data for 1 year after the decision date and 7 years for grant awards.

7. Who do we share information with?

7.1 When we are joint data controllers

In some cases we may have a joint controller relationship with Clients to deliver services. We process your personal information with that joint controller for the following reason: To deliver consultancy and grant making services.

7.2 When we are data processors

For the majority of our service delivery, Rocket Science is data processor with Clients being the data controller. This is where we are collating or processing data on behalf of research, evaluation, or grantmaking service on behalf of a client (i.e. charity or funder).

In this case, clients can have access to data collected by us, as they have instructed us to collect. Any information shared, would be shared securely.

7.3 Others we share personal information with

In some exceptional cases, and mainly related to employees, we may share some data with the following:

  • Insurance companies, brokers or other intermediaries
  • Professional or legal advisors
  • Organisations we’re legally obliged to share personal information with
  • Publicly on our website, social media or other marketing and information media
  • Suppliers and service providers. For example, Eurosystems are the data processor for the following activities: Managing our IT systems
  • In the case of safeguarding concerns, we will share relevant information with relevant bodies – this could include clients, social services, the police, etc.
  • Third parties:
    • MBM as HR advisors; RBS to provide access to banking facilities.

8. How we store your personal data

We hold all personal data securely and in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. We will retain personal data securely and only in line with how long it is necessary to keep for the purposes or for a legitimate and lawful reason. The data controller is Rocket Science, registered at 22 Stafford Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7BD.

Your data might be stored in all or some of the following locations:

  • Our website is hosted by 34sp, a UK technology company with local servers. We use Hub Spot for our newsletters. While their servers are located in the US, Hub Spot is compliant with data protection regulation in the UK. Find out more in their privacy statement.
  • We use Eventbrite for event registrations. Their servers are located in the US and data regulation might differ to data regulation in Europe. Find out more about their privacy statement here.
  • In the case of our research, evaluation and grantmaking work, we may store some of your data on our cloud-based shared filing system SharePoint. SharePoint is a Microsoft product attached to Office 365. All access to SharePoint is password protected. Any device with access to our SharePoint is also password protected and stored securely.

9. Cookies

When you visit our website a small text file called a ‘cookie’, is downloaded onto your computer. This is called a session cookie. This will only remain on your computer until you close your browser. This cookie is not used to identify you personally in any way but is used by Google analytics to help us understand how visitors use the site. All of the information collected will be anonymous and used to help us improve your experience of our website. You can opt to view the site without cookies by adjusting your browser’s settings. If you do disable cookies some functions of the site may no longer work correctly.

For more information on cookies see the All About Cookies website.

10. Contact

If you have any questions about our privacy statement, the data we hold on you, or you would like to exercise one of your data protection rights, please do not hesitate to contact our data protection officer Alan Martin.

Email us: dpo@rocketsciencelab.co.uk

Call us: 0131 226 4949

Or write to us: Rocket Science, 22 Stafford Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7BD

11. Complaint

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint to us using the contact details at section 10 of this privacy notice.

If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:           

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

12. Last updated

This policy was updated on 27 November 2025.

About Rocket Science
Rocket Science is a social purpose business, working towards a future where everyone can live healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives. Our objectives are to help our clients reimagine systems, maximise investment to have the greatest impact and transform lifetime outcomes using a whole-person and prevention lens. We do this through research, mapping and analysis, evaluation and impact measurement, strategy and service design, participatory and peer research, learning, collaboration, and end to end fund management.   For more information please contact us at
info@rocketsciencelab.co.uk rocketsciencelab.co.uk Edinburgh | London | Newcastle © Rocket Science UK Ltd