Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Concrete Solutions 2027 ("the Conference", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, shares and protects your personal information when you visit this website, submit a paper, register for, or attend the 10th International Conference on Concrete Repair, Durability and Technology, held at Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort, Balchik, Bulgaria from 28–30 September 2027.

2. Who Is Responsible for Your Data

The data controller responsible for your personal information is:

3. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

3.1 Registration Information

• Full name, title, and professional affiliation
• Contact details (email address, phone number, postal address)
• Dietary requirements and accessibility needs
• Payment information (processed securely through third-party providers)
• Student status documentation (for student registrations)

3.2 Paper Submission Information

• Author names and affiliations
• Paper abstracts and full manuscripts
• Correspondence related to peer review

3.3 Website Usage Information

When you visit this website we record aggregated, anonymous statistics: the page viewed, the referring website, your approximate location (country and region), and your browser, operating system and device type. We cannot use this information to identify you. Our hosting provider also processes your IP address in order to deliver the website to you.

4. Why We Use Your Information and Our Legal Basis

Data protection law (including the GDPR) requires a legal basis for each use of your personal information. Ours are:

• Registration, payment, badges, certificates, visa invitation letters, and accommodation or travel help you ask for: Performing our contract with you
• Abstract and paper submission, peer review and publication: Performing our contract with you
• Invoicing and financial record-keeping: Legal obligation
• Dietary requirements and accessibility needs: Your explicit consent, because this information can reveal health or religious beliefs. You can withdraw it at any time.
• Updates about this edition of the conference: Performing our contract with you, or our legitimate interest in running the event
• Sharing your name and organisation with sponsors: Our legitimate interest in supporting the event's sponsors. You can opt out.
• Photography and recording at the conference: Our legitimate interest in documenting and promoting the conference. You can opt out (see section 10).
• Best Paper Award consideration: Our legitimate interest in recognising outstanding papers
• Aggregated website statistics: Our legitimate interest in understanding how the website is used

5. Paper Publication

Accepted papers will be published in a dedicated issue of MATEC Web of Conferences. By submitting a paper, authors agree that:

• Author names, affiliations, and email addresses will be published alongside the paper
• Papers will be assigned a DOI and made publicly accessible
• Papers will be indexed in relevant academic databases

6. Information Sharing

We may share your personal information with:

• Conference Organising Committee: For conference administration and logistics
• Venue (Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort): For accommodation and catering arrangements
• MATEC Web of Conferences / EDP Sciences: For paper publication
• Payment Processors: For secure payment processing
• Sponsors: Delegate lists may be shared with sponsors (name and organisation only) unless you opt out
• Vercel Inc.: Hosts this website and provides its anonymous visitor statistics

Before abstract submission and registration open, we will name here the online systems and payment provider we use for them.

We will not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

7. International Data Transfers

The Conference is held in Bulgaria, and data may be processed in the European Union and United Kingdom. Our website host, Vercel Inc., is based in the United States; transfers to Vercel are covered by the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses and, for UK data, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for any other international transfers of personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, including conference administration, financial record-keeping (typically 7 years), and maintaining academic records of published papers (indefinitely for published works). Dietary and accessibility information is deleted after the Conference. Website statistics are kept only in aggregated form.

9. Your Rights

Under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR), you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Restriction: Limit processing of your data in certain circumstances
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, without affecting processing that took place before you withdrew it

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in section 2. We will respond within one month.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, in particular in the country where you live, work, or where you believe your rights were infringed. We would appreciate the chance to address your concern first.

10. Photography and Recording

The Conference may be photographed and recorded to document the event and to promote future editions. We do this on the basis of our legitimate interest, and you can opt out. If you do not wish to appear in photographs or recordings, tell us when you register or at the registration desk on arrival, and we will take reasonable steps to leave you out. You can also ask us at any time to remove a published image of you, and we will do so wherever we reasonably can.

11. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Cookies and Website Statistics

This website does not use cookies. Visitor statistics come from Vercel Web Analytics, which works without cookies: visits are counted using a temporary identifier derived from the incoming request, which is discarded after 24 hours. It does not track you across other websites and cannot identify you.

If we add a service that uses cookies, we will update this section and ask for your consent where required.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us: