Privacy Policy

YOUR PRIVACY MATTER TO US
LIFT-VA — Life-Sciences Innovation & Future Talent — Virginia is committed to protecting the privacy of every person who visits our website or submits an application to our program. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have regarding your personal data.

This policy applies to all information collected through the LIFT-VA website (www.lift-va.org) and any associated application forms, including the Instructor Application, College Student Application, Secondary Student Application, and Partner/Employer Application.

LIFT-VA is operated as a collaborative program of Future Kings, Inc., Athari BioSciences, Inc., and GEMS (Genomic Education Mentors & Scientists). References to "LIFT-VA," "we," "us," or "our" throughout this policy refer to the collaborative and its member organizations.

 

1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
 

Information You Provide Directly
When you visit our website, contact us, or submit an application, we may collect the following categories of information:

Contact and Identity Information

• Full name

• Email address

• Phone number

• Mailing address

 

Demographic and Educational Information

• Age and date of birth

• Current grade level or year in school

• School, college, or university name

• Degree program or area of study

• Expected graduation date

• GPA (where requested)

 

Career and Program Information

• Career interests and goals

• Areas of scientific focus

• Prior laboratory or work experience

• Resume or curriculum vitae

• Written responses and personal statements

 

Parent or Guardian Information (for secondary school applicants under 18)

• Parent or guardian name

• Parent or guardian contact information

• Relationship to applicant

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Employer and Organization Information (for Partner/Employer applicants)

• Organization name

• Job title

• Industry sector

• Company size

• Workforce development interests and goals

 

Communication Preferences

• Preferred method of contact

• How you heard about LIFT-VA

 

Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the LIFT-VA website, certain technical information may be collected automatically through standard web technologies, including:

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• IP address

• Browser type and version

• Device type and operating system

• Pages visited and time spent on each page

• Referring URL

• Date and time of visit

 

This information is collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies and is used solely to improve website performance and user experience. It is not used to identify individual visitors.

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2. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION 
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

 

Program Admissions and Operations

• To review and process your application for the LIFT-VA program

• To determine program eligibility and make admissions decisions

• To communicate with applicants regarding application status, selection, and next steps

• To coordinate program logistics, scheduling, and cohort assignments

• To track student progress, outcomes, and program performance

 

Communications

• To respond to inquiries submitted through our Contact Us form

• To send program-related updates, important dates, and announcements

• To send newsletters or program news, where you have opted in to receive them

 

Program Improvement and Reporting

• To evaluate program effectiveness and measure outcomes

• To prepare reports for GO Virginia, partner organizations, funders, and government stakeholders as required by grant agreements

• To conduct research and analysis that improves the quality of LIFT-VA programming

 

Legal and Compliance

• To comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations

• To fulfill obligations under grant agreements with GO Virginia and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)

• To protect the rights, safety, and interests of program participants, staff, and partner organizations

 

We do not use your personal information for advertising, marketing to third parties, or any purpose unrelated to the administration and improvement of the LIFT-VA program.

 

3. HOW WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION
We take the sharing of personal information seriously. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

 

Within the LIFT-VA Collaborative
Information submitted through LIFT-VA applications and forms may be shared among the three partner organizations — Future Kings, Inc., Athari BioSciences, Inc., and GEMS — for the sole purpose of administering the program, making admissions decisions, and delivering program services.

 

With Program Partners and Employers
For participants who are approved for internship placement, job referrals, or employer interviews, relevant professional information — such as your name, credentials, and program performance — may be shared with partner employers including but not limited to ATCC, Virongy Biosciences, Capra BioSciences, Virginia Bio, and the Northern Virginia Data Center Academy. This sharing will only occur as part of the program's workforce placement process and will be communicated to participants in advance.

With Government and Grant Oversight Bodies
As a recipient of GO Virginia Region 7 funding, LIFT-VA is required to report aggregate and individual program outcomes to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the GO Virginia State Board. Personally identifiable information shared for this purpose is governed by the data sharing requirements of our grant agreement and applicable state law.

With Service Providers
We may share information with third-party service providers who assist in operating our website, managing our student information system (Classter), or processing applications. These providers are contractually required to handle your information securely and only for the purposes we specify.

As Required by Law
We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or government regulation, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of any person or to respond to a legal process.

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4. INFORMATION ABOUT MINORS 
LIFT-VA's secondary school program serves students as young as 11 years of age. We take the privacy of minors seriously and comply with applicable laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) where applicable.

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• Applications for secondary school students under the age of 18 require a parent or guardian to participate in the application and enrollment process.

• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.

• Parents and guardians may review, correct, or request deletion of their child's personal information at any time by contacting us at the address provided at the end of this policy.

5. DATA RETENTION 
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, including:

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• Active applicants and program participants: for the duration of program participation and up to five years following program completion, to support alumni tracking and outcome reporting

• Unsuccessful applicants whose information is held for future cohort consideration: up to two years from the date of application

• Partner and employer inquiry records: up to three years from the date of submission

• When personal information is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymized.

 

6. DATA SECURITY 
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include secure data storage through our Classter student information system, limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis, and staff training on data privacy practices.

While we take data security seriously, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.

 

7. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

 

Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

 

Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information.

 

Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to our legal and grant-related retention obligations.

 

Withdrawal of Consent: Where we process your information based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

 

Opt-Out of Communications: You may opt out of non-essential communications at any time by contacting us directly or using the unsubscribe link in any email we send.

 

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:
E sjackson@athari.bio
P 703.982.0492

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8. COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and understand how visitors interact with our content. You may control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling cookies may affect certain features of the website.

We do not use cookies for targeted advertising or third-party tracking.

 

9. THIRD-PARTY LINKS
Our website may contain links to external websites, including those of our partner organizations and funders. This Privacy Policy applies only to the LIFT-VA website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party website and encourage you to review their policies independently.

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10. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or program operations. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

 

11. CONTACT US
If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy, please contact:

Sonora Jackson
VP Communications & Outreach

LIFT-VA / Athari BioSciences / GEMS
E sjackson@athari.bio
P 703.982.0492

45925 Horseshoe Drive, Suite 170

Sterling, VA 20166