Privacy Policy

ColLab Privacy Policy — Last Updated: September 25, 2025

This Privacy Policy for COLLAB TECHNOLOGY LLC ("ColLab," "we," "us," or "our") explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal information when you use our services ("Services").

ColLab provides a software platform that enables universities, principal investigators (PIs), and applicants to streamline the research application process. ColLab does not make admissions decisions, process payments, or act as the official custodian of academic records. We act as a service provider to institutions.

We collect the following categories of information when you use our Services such as:

• Identifiers: Name, email, institution, job title
• Demographics (if voluntarily provided): Ethnicity, gender, and financial aid status
• Student/Education Data (FERPA): Unofficial transcripts

You may be asked to provide optional demographic information, such as race/ethnicity, gender, or first-generation status. Providing this information is entirely voluntary and will not affect your ability to use ColLab. If you choose to provide it, demographic information will only be used in de-identified or aggregated form for institutional planning and to improve the Services. ColLab does not disclose individual demographic data to other users.

Sensitive Information Disclaimer: ColLab does not request or require users to provide highly sensitive data such as medical information, biometric identifiers, government-issued identification numbers, etc. If a user voluntarily submits materials containing such data through the Services, ColLab will handle it only as necessary to operate the platform and in accordance with applicable laws. Users remain responsible for ensuring they do not upload unnecessary sensitive information.

We process personal information for:

• Account creation, authentication, and security.
• Providing and operating our Services to users.
• Service-related communications.
• Platform improvement, bug resolution, and service updates.
• Compliance with law and university contractual obligations, only as necessary.

ColLab does not sell personal data, and we do not share personal data with third parties for advertising, marketing, or profiling purposes.

We only share personal information with or in the event of:

• Service Providers: e.g., AWS and other vendors who host or support our Services
• Legal Authorities: When required to comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request
• Corporate Events: In case of merger, acquisition, or restructuring, with equivalent protections.

Applicants may upload materials such as unofficial transcripts and other academic documents. These applicant-submitted materials may constitute “education records” under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

ColLab acts as a school official with a legitimate educational interest under FERPA, processing such records solely on behalf of and at the direction of the institution. The institution remains the custodian of education records and is ultimately responsible for FERPA compliance.

ColLab does not determine the accuracy of uploaded records and does not access, use, or disclose education records except as permitted by contract or law. Superseded or outdated records remain in ColLab’s systems until the institution instructs us to update, replace, or delete them. Residual copies may also remain in secure backups until purged under our retention schedule.

We only use strictly necessary cookies (e.g., session tokens) for login and security. No tracking or advertising cookies are used.

ColLab may use AI services (e.g., OpenAI) solely to pre-populate PI profiles from publicly available information, such as institutional websites, publications, or other public data sources. This feature is intended to reduce setup time for faculty accounts. No applicant, student, or university-submitted data is ever processed by AI services. AI tools are not trained on university or applicant data, and no data is retained for model training or reuse.

Any AI-generated profile information is fully editable by the PI and may be reviewed, modified, or deleted at any time, and users maintain full control to review, modify, or remove AI-generated content at any time.

ColLab is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

Individuals under the age of 18 may only use ColLab with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

While we strive to maintain reliable Services, ColLab does not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free operation.

We implement reasonable organizational, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect data. However, no system is 100% secure. We are not liable for breaches caused by third-party acts directed towards infrastructure managed by your institution (e.g., compromised SSO accounts, impersonation, or external hacking).

Depending on jurisdiction, you may have rights to:

• Access, update, or delete your information.
• Withdraw consent at any time.
• Appeal a decision.

Requests may be submitted to support@collabtechnology.com.

Residents of California and other states (e.g., CO, VA, CT) may have additional rights, including:

• Right to access, delete, and correct personal data.
• Right to limit use of sensitive data.
• California “Shine the Light” law disclosures (request once per year).

Users located outside of the United States may contact us at support@collabtechnology.com with questions or requests regarding their personal data. If you are located in these jurisdictions, you may contact us at any time with questions about how your data is processed, your privacy rights, or to exercise rights of access, rectification, erasure, or restriction of processing. We will respond in accordance with the timelines and requirements set forth in the GDPR and UK GDPR.

ColLab is committed to ensuring that international users receive the same level of transparency and protection as users located in the United States, and we encourage you to reach out to us if you have any concerns about your personal data.

We retain information as long as necessary for the purposes described, or as required by law unless otherwise specified in a written agreement with the University Partner. For example:

• Account Information: Retained for the life of the account, and securely deleted within 90 days of account closure.
• Application Materials (e.g., resumes, transcripts): Retained until the application process is complete and for 30 days thereafter.
• Sensitive Demographic Information (e.g., gender, ethnicity, first-generation status): Retained only as long as required for institutional reporting purposes, then deleted 30 days thereafter. If institutional policy requires longer retention, we will follow the institution’s direction accordingly.

ColLab provides functionality that allows applicant submissions to be transmitted directly to faculty or lab administrators via email. When this pathway is used, application materials (including any attachments) are delivered to the recipient’s institutional email account. ColLab maintains a copy of the submission within the platform for tracking and workflow purposes, but we are not responsible for how the recipient institution or its personnel handle, secure, or retain the information within those emails once delivered.

ColLab is not responsible for fraudulent or unauthorized use of accounts, including impersonation or misuse of university SSO systems. Institutions and users are responsible for safeguarding their login credentials.

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect operational, legal, or regulatory changes. The “Last Updated” date will always indicate the latest version.