Terms of Use

Informed Consent

The Impact Lab Platform is part of the Impact Lab research project run by a research team at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. By accepting the terms of use, you agree to allow the Impact Lab research team to record and use your contributions and profile information for research purposes. All data will be handled in line with our privacy statement (see Item 5 in Terms of Use). The Impact Lab research team will maintain the confidentiality of the data. Please be aware that even if you decide to participate now, you may stop participating at any time by sending an e-mail to impactlab@vu.nl. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Impact Lab research team at impactlab@vu.nl.

Terms of Use

1. Definitions

Impact Lab Platform: an online platform where Challenges are issued, to which Participants can respond by uploading their Idea through the platform.

Challenge: an issue category about which Participants are asked to contribute Ideas.

Idea: Idea uploaded by the Participant via the Impact Lab Platform in response to a particular Challenge.

Account: the personal page of a Participant on the Impact Lab Platform.

Participant: a person affiliated with the VU and in possession of a VUNet ID who has registered on the Impact Lab Platform.

2. Applicability

2.1 These terms of use apply to all Participants on the Impact Lab Platform.

2.2 By creating an Account on the Impact Lab Platform, a Participant agrees to these terms of use, the privacy statement, and the code of conduct. The Impact Lab research team has the right to change these terms of use at any time. The user will be informed of this and asked to reconfirm any changed terms of use.

3. The Impact Lab Platform

3.1 Anyone who is affiliated with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and has a personal VUNet ID can participate in the Impact Lab Platform.

3.2 Impact Lab platform is accessible via computer, smartphone, and tablet.

3.3 Participants are allowed to contribute (by posting Ideas, comments, or feedback) to all Challenges.

3.4 Participants are allowed to contribute multiple Ideas per Challenge.

3.5 The Impact Lab research team ultimately determines which contributions are rewarded. Any decisions with regards to the rewards are non-debatable and fully up to the Impact Lab research team. 

3.6 Impact Lab research team reserves the right to, at any time, refuse Participants, change or cancel a Challenge, and/or deny a Participant access to the Impact Lab Platform.

4. Prohibited information

4.1 This article contains a non-exhaustive list of information that Participants may not include or mention in or with any contribution (Idea, comment, feedback) or Account. Participant guarantees that his/her input on the Impact Lab Platform does not contain the following information:

- information that is discriminatory or may otherwise be called offensive;

- information that is contrary to good morals;

- information in which personal data of others is made available;

- information that violates any law or regulation.

5. Privacy statement

5.1 To be eligible to participate in Challenges posted on the Impact Lab Platform, the Participant is required to use his/her VUNet ID to log in. This will create an Account for the Participant linked to the Participant’s VU e-mail address. All other personal information in the Account, such as the profile picture and the “About me” section, are optional and not required to participate. 

5.2 Personal data of Participants will be handled with the greatest possible care. User behavior data is collected, aggregated, and anonymized. This data is used for research purposes. Impact Lab will not sell or otherwise provide personal data to third parties.

6. Code of Conduct

6.1 All participants need to respect diversity. Openness to diversity in nationalities, world views, and social convictions is a core value of the Impact Lab Platform. Platform participants should respect others’ onions, ideas, and perspectives.

6.2 The Impact Lab Platform is a place for discussion. If anything is unclear, participants need to ask others to clarify instead of assuming what they might have meant.

6.3 The ideas posted on the Impact Lab Platform do not need to be perfect. All participants must be respectful to others' (partial) solutions and ideas.

Do you have any questions? Then please contact us at impactlab@vu.nl.