Data Privacy Information

When you access and use this website of the Daimler and Benz Foundation, we (“we”, “the Foundation”) process your personal data in accordance with data protection law, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In this information on data protection we are informing you, among other things, about the processing of your data, applicable legal bases, and your rights under the GDPR and vis-à-vis the competent data protection supervisory authority.

1. Information on the responsible party

Daimler and Benz Foundation
Dr.-Carl-Benz-Platz 2
D-68526 Ladenburg
Tel.: +49 6203-1092-0
Geschützte E-Mail

2. Accessing our website

When you visit our website, so-called log files are automatically processed by our systems. These log files are as follows:

• IP address of the requesting computer
• type of Internet browser used
• date and time of the visit
• possibly further technical data of this type

The log files contain your IP address, which may comprise personal data, but it is anonymized prior to being stored; it therefore cannot be assigned to you, and your data are not stored in conjunction with other personal data.

Processing of the above-mentioned data is necessary for the provision of our website. The legal basis for the processing (abridgement) of your IP address for the purpose of anonymization is Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR (Basic Regulation on Data Protection). Carrying out this abridgement is in our legitimate interest and is in accordance with the purpose of data minimization.

3. Establishing contact in general (contact form, email, or telephone)

You have the opportunity to contact us by contact form, email, or telephone. Your personal data transmitted by this means (e.g. given name, surname, email address, your message, and any attachments) are stored with us. The data are not forwarded to third parties and are processed for the sole purpose of handling your contact. The legal basis for the processing of your transmitted data is Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. It is in our legitimate interest to process your request, communicate with you, and provide you with an appropriate response to your contact. The data are stored until they are no longer required for the purpose of conducting a conversation with you and until the concern of your contact is fully clarified.

If your contact serves to conclude a contract with us or is established in connection with an existing contractual relationship with us (e.g. application form, travel expense statement, request for funding, proof of usage, etc.), the additional legal basis for the processing of your transmitted personal data is Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR. Your data are stored for as long as necessary for performance of the contract. We otherwise only store your data for the purpose of fulfilling contractual or legal obligations (e.g. tax obligations) (Art. 6 (1) lit. c GDPR).

In addition to the data that you voluntarily convey to us, we may possibly receive the date and time of transmission of your data to us, as well as your IP address. The processing of these data is in our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR) in order to ensure the security of our systems and to prevent misuse. These data, which we additionally collect when you contact us, are deleted as soon as they are no longer required, but at the latest when the concern of your contact is fully clarified.

4. Invitations to our events by email or post

The Foundation processes your contact data in order to send you information and invitations electronically or by post and to prepare the respective events. If you no longer wish to receive this information, you may inform us accordingly by email or in writing (see Section 1).

Your data will only be processed in connection with the dispatch of invitations and the preparation of our events. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR, as it is also in our legitimate interest to inform you of future events at our company.

Opportunity for objection

You can unsubscribe from our invitations or deny the use of your data for this purpose at any time. Simply inform us accordingly by email or in writing (see Section 1 above).

5. Processing of your data for the organization of events

When you register for an event with us, we process the personal data you provide in order to prepare and organize the event. For events subject to an admission fee, where applicable we also process your payment data and bank details in addition to your contact data. The image and sound recordings made for the Foundation’s public relations work are published on the Foundation’s website, in brochures, on the Foundation’s YouTube channel, and on LinkedIn, Instagram, Mastodon, and Bluesky.

The legal basis for the processing of your personal data is Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. b GDPR (Performance of a contract), and/or Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. f GDPR (it is in our legitimate interest to inform the public of our work and to promote events). If an invoice is issued, we rely on the additional legal basis of Art. 6 (1) lit. c GDPR for processing. The provision of your personal data is a requirement (in the case of events with an admission fee) for the conclusion of the contract with us; you will otherwise not be able to participate in the event. We otherwise only store your data in order to fulfill contractual or legal obligations (e.g. tax obligations) (Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. c GDPR).

6. Application for a scholarship and nomination for the Bertha Benz Prize

6.1 Application for a scholarship

At certain times, you can apply for a scholarship on our website and submit your personal data. These include for example master data, contact details, institution, specialist field, etc. The provision of your personal data is a requirement for the selection process and, if successful, for funding by the Foundation.

If you apply for a scholarship via our website, we process the personal data you provide in order to decide on the awarding of the respective scholarship. The data are not processed for other purposes. The personal data of applicants who are not selected are deleted once the respective procedure is completed.

The legal basis for the processing of your personal data is Art. 6 (1) lit. a (Your consent), lit. b (Contract initiation and fulfillment), and lit. f (Legitimate interests) GDPR. It is in our legitimate interest to process the personal data you provide in order to prepare and implement the decision on the awarding of the respective scholarship.

6.2 Nomination for the Bertha Benz Prize

We may possibly receive and process your personal data because you have been nominated for the Bertha Benz Prize by the management of the university at which you are preparing your doctorate. Your data will be used for the sole purpose of selecting the candidate who is to be awarded the prize and of informing her accordingly. The provision of your personal data is a requirement for the selection process and, if applicable, for conclusion of a contract with us. The personal data of applicants who are not selected are deleted once the respective procedure is completed.

If you do not wish your personal data to be processed in connection with the nomination and selection process for the Bertha Benz Prize, please inform us by e-mail or in writing (see Section 1 above). Your data will then be deleted immediately and no longer considered for the selection process.

The legal basis for the processing of your personal data is Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. It is in our legitimate interest to process the personal data provided as a result of your nomination in order to prepare and implement the awarding of the prize.

7. Other applications (incl. for funding)

We process your personal data, as well as further personal data relating to other persons that you submit in connection with the application, if you apply for our funded projects listed on the website (e.g. Ladenburger Research Networks, Ladenburger Horizons, or Innovative Science Communication). We process the data provided on the application you submit, e.g. your name, CV, and contact details, in order to assess and to decide on the application. The provision of your personal data is a requirement for the selection process and, if successful, for funding by the Foundation.

We hereby reserve the right to also have individual applications assessed externally in the course of the application process. The legal basis for the processing of your personal data is Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR (Contract initiation and fulfillment). The personal data of applicants who are not selected are deleted once the respective procedure is completed.

8. Alumni Portal

The alumni Portal serves for the networking of current and former scholarship holders of the Daimler and Benz Foundation. You can register by entering data on the registration page; in addition to information required in the mandatory fields, you have the option of providing further details. After verification and approval by the Foundation, you are given access to your profile. In the portal, the data you provide will be made visible to other registered current and former scholarship holders, who can then view your profile and contact you. By completing the registration process, you consent to this processing of your personal data. The legal basis for the processing of your data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR, which you can revoke at any time with future effect. If you revoke your consent or delete your profile, your personal data will be removed from the Alumni Portal.

9. Applicant data

From time to time, we provide information on our website about vacancies in our team; you can submit your application to us by email. Regardless of this, you have the opportunity to submit an unsolicited application to us by email at any time. We process your data in order to handle your application; your application will thus be viewed by the employees responsible for the preselection process. Your data will not be forwarded to third parties, and we will not use your data for other purposes.

Your application data will be stored with us. Should we reject your application, we will only store the data for as long as necessary, but for a maximum of six months, unless you give us your consent to store your personal data for a longer period so that we can contact you after this period has expired.

The legal basis for the processing of your data is Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR in conjunction with Art. 88 GDPR and Section 26 BDSG.

10. Rights of affected persons

When we process your data, you are an “affected person” in the context of the GDPR. You then have the following rights: right to information, right to rectification, right to restriction of processing, right to deletion, right to notification, and right to data portability. In addition, you have the right to objection and the right to revocation as well as the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

10.1 Right to information

You have the right to demand confirmation from us as to whether we are processing your personal data. If this is the case, you have the right to obtain the following information in particular: the purposes of processing; the categories of personal data processed; the recipients or categories of recipients to whom your personal data have been or will be disclosed; if possible, the planned duration of storage of your personal data; the existence of a right to rectification or deletion of personal data relating to you, or of a right to restriction of processing by us, or of a right of objection to such processing; the existence of a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

10.2 Right to rectification

You have the right to rectification and/or completion of the data that we have stored relating to you if these data are incorrect or incomplete. We will immediately effect such correction or completion.

10.3 Right to restriction of processing

Under certain circumstances, you have the right to demand that we restrict the processing of your personal data. This is the case, for example, if you dispute the accuracy of the data; if you object to deletion of the data; in the event of legal disputes; during examination of an objection.

10.4 Right to deletion

You have the right to demand that we immediately delete your personal data if we are obliged to do so. This is particularly the case if your data are no longer required; if consent is withdrawn and there is no other legal basis for their retention; in the event of unlawful data processing.

If we have publicized your personal data and are obliged to delete them in accordance with the above conditions, we will take appropriate – also technical – measures, taking into account the technologies and implementation costs available to us, to inform other responsible parties who process the personal data to the effect that you have obligated us to delete all links to them together with copies or replications thereof.

However, your right to deletion does not apply in particular if the processing is necessary for the following reasons (exceptions): exercising the right of freedom of expression and information; compliance with a legal obligation; assertion, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

10.5 Right to notification

If you have asserted your right to rectification, deletion, or restriction of processing toward us, we are obliged to notify all recipients to whom we have disclosed your personal data of the rectification, deletion, or restriction of processing of your data, unless this proves impossible or would require a disproportionate effort.

10.6 Right to data portability

Under certain circumstances, you have the right to receive the personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and the right to have these data transmitted to another responsible party. This is the case, for example, when the processing is based on consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1) lit. a or Art. 9 (2) lit. a GDPR and is effected by automated means. You have the right to demand that we transfer your personal data directly to another responsible party, insofar as this is technically feasible and does not affect the freedoms and rights of other persons.

10.7 Right to objection

If we process your personal data for the purpose of direct marketing, you have the right, in particular, to lodge an objection at any time to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of such marketing. This also applies to profiling, insofar as this is associated with the direct advertising. If you object to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of direct marketing, we will cease processing it for this purpose.

10.8 Right to revocation

In accordance with Art. 7 (3) GDPR, you have the right to revoke your consent at any time. Withdrawal of such consent does not retroactively invalidate the legality of the processing.

10.9 Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, irrespective of any other administrative or judicial right of appeal. In particular, you can assert your right to lodge a complaint in the Member State of your place of residence, your place of work, or the place of the alleged infringement if you are of the opinion that the processing of your personal data contravenes the GDPR.

You can find an overview of the data protection officers of the respective German states and their contact details under the following link: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.

11. Status of these data protection provisions

Status: March 2026