Privacy Policy

01Who we are

This website (vectorgene.hk) is operated by VectorGene Biotech Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong ("VectorGene", "we", "us", or "our").

VectorGene is a biotechnology and technology transfer company supporting governments, hospitals, research institutes, and biotechnology partners in localizing genomics, CAR-T manufacturing, cell therapy, and gene therapy programs.

For the purposes of the Hong Kong Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance ("PDPO") and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), VectorGene is the data controller for personal information submitted through this website.

02Information we collect

We only collect personal information that is reasonable and necessary for the purposes described in this policy. The categories we collect include:

Information you provide directly

• Identity and contact: name, work email, phone or WhatsApp number, country, organization name, role or job title.
• Partnership enquiry details: type of organization, areas of interest, project timeline, and the message or project description you submit through our partnership form.
• Direct correspondence: emails or messages you send to partnerships@vectorgene.hk or other VectorGene contacts.
• Documents you choose to share as part of partnership discussions (concept notes, RFPs, hospital profiles, etc.).

Information collected automatically

• Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referring URL, and pages visited.
• Usage data: aggregate analytics on how visitors interact with the website (sessions, page views, time on page, navigation paths).

03How we use your information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to partnership enquiries and follow up on collaboration discussions.
• To assess feasibility, scope, and fit of proposed technology transfer or partnership programs.
• To send you relevant information about VectorGene's services where you have requested it or where there is a legitimate business interest.
• To improve the functionality, security, and content of our website.
• To comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and reporting obligations.
• To protect VectorGene's legal rights and the rights of our partners.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

04Legal basis for processing

Under the PDPO, we process personal data based on principles of fair and lawful collection, purpose specification, and data minimization. Where the GDPR applies (visitors located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland), we rely on the following legal bases:

• Consent — when you submit a partnership enquiry through our form and check the consent box.
• Legitimate interests — for direct B2B communication with institutional partners, website security, and analytics.
• Performance of a contract — when we engage with you under a partnership agreement, MoU, or service contract.
• Legal obligation — when we are required to retain or disclose information by law.

05Sharing & disclosure

We share personal information only as necessary and only with parties who are bound by appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations. Categories of recipients include:

• Service providers — including our website hosting provider (Hostinger), form submission service (Formspree), and email infrastructure providers.
• Partner institutions — only where directly relevant to your enquiry and only with your awareness (for example, if your enquiry concerns a specific technology platform that requires coordination with a Chinese partner institution).
• Professional advisors — legal, accounting, regulatory, and compliance advisors operating under professional confidentiality.
• Authorities — where required by valid legal process, regulatory inquiry, or to protect VectorGene's legal rights.

Partner institutions and confidential commercial details are never disclosed publicly without explicit prior written consent.

06Cross-border transfers

VectorGene operates internationally. Personal information may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in jurisdictions outside Hong Kong, including:

• The location of our hosting and infrastructure providers (which may include the European Union, United States, or Asia-Pacific data centers).
• Partner jurisdictions where collaboration discussions are taking place.

Where personal data is transferred from a jurisdiction with stricter data protection requirements (such as the EEA under GDPR), we apply appropriate safeguards including standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions, or other lawful transfer mechanisms as required.

07Data retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting requirements.

• Active partnership enquiries: retained for the duration of the partnership discussion and ongoing engagement.
• Concluded partnerships: retained for the duration of the partnership agreement plus the legal limitation period applicable to that agreement.
• Enquiries that did not progress: typically retained for up to 24 months from the last meaningful contact, then deleted or anonymized.
• Website analytics data: retained in aggregated form for up to 26 months.

08Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — request confirmation of whether we hold personal data about you, and obtain a copy.
• Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion — request deletion of your data where there is no compelling legal reason to retain it.
• Restriction — request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Data portability — receive a copy of certain data in a structured, machine-readable format (where applicable under GDPR).
• Withdraw consent — withdraw any consent previously given, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at partnerships@vectorgene.hk. We will respond within the time period required by applicable law (typically 30 days under PDPO and GDPR).

If you are unsatisfied with our response, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong, or with the data protection authority in your country of residence.

09Cookies & analytics

vectorgene.hk uses a minimal number of cookies and analytics technologies, limited to what is necessary for the website to function and to understand aggregate usage patterns.

• Essential cookies — required for the website to function correctly (such as session and security cookies).
• Analytics cookies — we may use privacy-respecting analytics (such as Google Analytics or similar) to understand aggregate visitor behavior. Where required, analytics is configured with IP anonymization and limited data retention.

You can disable cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

10Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information, including:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption of all data transmitted to and from this website.
• Restricted access to partnership enquiries on a need-to-know basis.
• Use of reputable hosting and form-handling providers with their own security certifications.
• Regular review of information handling practices.

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we apply reasonable safeguards, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11Children

This website is intended exclusively for institutional and professional audiences. It is not directed at, or intended for, individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted information to us, please contact us so we can remove it.

12Updates to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was most recently revised. Material changes will be communicated via the website or, where appropriate, by direct email to active partnership contacts.

13Contact us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy, or to exercise your rights regarding personal information, please contact us:

For Hong Kong privacy-related complaints, the supervisory authority is the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (PCPD).