Privacy policy

1. Name and contact details of the controller and of the data protection officer

This privacy information applies to the data processing on our website referenzfabrik.de by the controller:

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

for its Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU (hereinafter “Fraunhofer IWU”)

Email: info@iwu.fraunhofer.de

Fraunhofer’s data protection officer can be reached at the address given above, marked for the attention of the data protection officer, or at datenschutz@zv.fraunhofer.de. You may contact our data protection officer directly at any time with questions about data protection law or your rights as a data subject.

2. Processing of personal data and purposes of processing

a) When visiting the website

You can visit our website without disclosing your identity. The browser on your device automatically sends only such information to our web server as is needed to establish a connection (e.g. browser type and version, date and time of access). This includes the IP address of your device. It is stored temporarily in a log file and automatically deleted after 14 days.

The IP address is processed for technical and administrative purposes relating to establishing and maintaining the connection, in order to ensure the security and functioning of our website and, if necessary, to trace unlawful attacks against it. The legal basis for processing the IP address is Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest follows from the security interest described above and from the need to provide our website without disruption. The processing of the IP address and other information in the log file does not allow us to draw any direct conclusions about your identity.

This website does not set cookies and does not use any analytics or tracking services. All components of the site — including fonts, images and videos — are delivered from our own server. Simply opening a page establishes no connection to any third-party server and transmits no data to third parties.

b) When using the contact form

We offer you the option of contacting us via a form provided on the website. The following details are mandatory:

• Name
• Email address
• Your message

You may additionally provide a subject line on a voluntary basis. We collect no further data through the form.

We need your data in order to establish who the enquiry is from and to be able to answer and process it. The processing takes place at your request and, in the context of responding to a contact enquiry, is based on our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR.

Your details are forwarded by email to the responsible contact person at Referenzfabrik.H₂; they are not stored in a database. We automatically send a short acknowledgement of receipt to the address you provide. Dispatch takes place via the mail infrastructure of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The personal data we collect through the contact form is deleted once your enquiry has been dealt with.

c) When subscribing to our newsletter

If you have given your express consent pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. a GDPR, we use your email address to send you selected information at regular intervals about the work of Referenzfabrik.H₂ and related events. The following details are mandatory in order to receive the newsletter:

• Email address
• Form of address
• First name
• Last name

We need your name and form of address in order to address you personally in our newsletter. You may voluntarily provide your academic title and your company in addition.

The subscription form transmits your details directly to the central newsletter system of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (newsletter.fraunhofer.de). This data is not stored on our own web server.

After subscribing you will receive a registration notification by email which you must confirm in order to receive the newsletter (known as double opt-in). This serves as evidence that the registration was in fact initiated by you. You can unsubscribe at any time, for example via a link at the end of every newsletter. Alternatively, you are welcome to send your unsubscribe request at any time to kundendatenschutz@iwu.fraunhofer.de. Once you withdraw your consent, your email address will immediately be blocked for newsletter dispatch.

3. Disclosure of personal data to third parties

We disclose your personal data only where

• you have given your express consent pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. a GDPR;
• this is necessary pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. b GDPR for the performance of a contract with you;
• there is a legal obligation to disclose it pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. c GDPR.

Recipients may use the disclosed data solely for the purposes stated. Should personal data be transferred to a third country (outside the EU) or to an international organisation, this will be indicated separately. No such transfer currently takes place.

4. Cookies, analytics services and third-party content

This website does not set cookies. Nor does it use comparable recognition techniques such as local storage or tracking pixels.

We use no web analytics or tracking services and embed no third-party content — in particular no video platforms, map services, font services or social media plugins. References to external offerings, such as our LinkedIn profile, are plain links: a connection to the respective provider is established only once you click the link.

5. Your rights as a data subject

You have the right:

• to withdraw your consent at any time pursuant to Art. 7(3) GDPR. As a result, we may no longer continue the data processing that was based on that consent;
• to request information about your personal data processed by us pursuant to Art. 15 GDPR. In particular, you may request information about the purposes of processing, the categories of personal data, the categories of recipients to whom your data has been or will be disclosed, the envisaged storage period, the existence of a right to rectification, erasure, restriction of processing or objection, the existence of a right to lodge a complaint, the origin of your data where it was not collected by us, and the existence of automated decision-making including profiling together with meaningful information about the details thereof;
• to request the immediate rectification of inaccurate personal data or the completion of your personal data stored by us pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR;
• to request the erasure of your personal data stored by us pursuant to Art. 17 GDPR, unless the processing is necessary for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information, for compliance with a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest, or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims;
• to request the restriction of processing of your personal data pursuant to Art. 18 GDPR where you contest the accuracy of the data, where the processing is unlawful but you oppose erasure, where we no longer need the data but you require it for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or where you have objected to the processing pursuant to Art. 21 GDPR;
• to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or to request its transmission to another controller, pursuant to Art. 20 GDPR; and
• to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR. As a rule, you may contact the supervisory authority of your habitual residence or place of work, or that of our registered office.

6. Information about your right to object under Art. 21 GDPR

You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is carried out on the basis of Art. 6(1)(e) GDPR (processing in the public interest) or Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (processing on the basis of a balancing of interests); this also applies to profiling based on that provision within the meaning of Art. 4 no. 4 GDPR.

If you object, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or unless the processing serves the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Where your objection is directed against processing for direct marketing purposes, we will cease the processing immediately. In this case there is no need to state a particular situation. This also applies to profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.

If you wish to exercise your right to object, an email to datenschutz@zv.fraunhofer.de is sufficient.

7. Data security

All data you transmit personally is sent in encrypted form using the widely established and secure TLS (Transport Layer Security) standard. TLS is a secure and proven standard that is also used in online banking, for example. You can recognise a secure TLS connection by the letter s appended to http (i.e. https://) in your browser’s address bar, or by the padlock symbol in your browser.

We also employ appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your data against accidental or intentional manipulation, partial or complete loss, destruction, or unauthorised access by third parties. Our security measures are continuously improved in line with technological developments.

8. Validity and amendment of this privacy information

This privacy information is currently valid and dated July 2026. As we develop our website and the services offered through it, or as a result of changed legal or regulatory requirements, it may become necessary to amend this privacy information. The current version can be retrieved and printed at any time at referenzfabrik.de/en/datenschutz.