Research terms
About these research terms
These research provisions form part of Ludi’s Terms of use. They describe the research purposes, permitted data and safeguards. Athletes receive separate privacy information and decide about participation themselves.
Scientific research
Ludi may conduct scientific research in sport psychology as an independent controller (Art. 4(7) GDPR). Research is separate from professional support.
We use personal data for this research only with the athlete’s valid, explicit research consent. Refusing or withdrawing consent does not affect the athlete’s professional support or access to Ludi.
A code replaces the athlete’s name so that changes over time can be studied. The coded (pseudonymised) data remains personal data and can include health data; it is not anonymous. The research purposes, data used, recipients, safeguards, retention and withdrawal procedure are set out below and in the Privacy information for athletes.
Research purposes and data
Ludi’s research examines:
- relationships between psychological characteristics;
- relationships between personality, psychological characteristics and outcomes;
- changes over time and the effects of interventions;
- the reliability and validity of questionnaires.
Only the following data may be used, without names:
- Questionnaire data: responses, scores, version and parts used in individual questionnaires, check-ins and team questionnaires, and answers carried over from the previous round; the intended injury phase for injury check-ins; and, for team questionnaires, the coded round, the type of leader rated and whether the athlete was left out of the team result. Teams are not named.
- Structured assessments: scores for the areas assessed, observation items ticked, areas marked as reviewed, and the assessment’s type and status. Sources include observations, AI-assisted drafts, questionnaires, instruments and other assessments.
- Injury history: the start and end of an injury period, and injury status and phase at each assessment or questionnaire (before diagnosis, after diagnosis or return to sport).
- Intervention plans: the areas addressed, tools selected from Ludi’s catalogue, and the status of each plan and tool.
- Completed sessions: type, duration in minutes, areas addressed, catalogue tools used and associated plan.
- Background information: sport selected from Ludi’s list, type of sport and gender, plus age in whole years and the level of the athlete’s teams at each assessment or questionnaire.
Dated records are limited to the study’s cut-off date. Calendar dates in those records are replaced by the number of days since the athlete’s first entry; the study cut-off date is the only calendar date included. Sport, gender, current injury details, team memberships and the status of assessments and plans reflect the later export date and may include changes made after the cut-off.
Research data never contains names, contact details, dates of birth, free text, custom tools, sports typed in by hand, named teammates, the WHO-5 wellbeing questionnaire, or team questionnaires that promised answers would only count in the team total. The date of birth is used only to work out age. Using any other data needs a change to these Terms and the athlete’s new research consent before that use begins.
Research uses only the data covered by the athlete’s consent. An updated notice or these Terms does not expand an earlier consent; any additional use requires new, valid consent before it begins.
Legal basis for research
Research is based on the athlete’s explicit consent (Art. 6(1)(a) and Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR). Athletes give or refuse it in Ludi themselves, separately from everything else.
- Ludi offers research participation only in these countries and from these ages: 16 in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Spain, and 18 in France, Italy, Israel and the United States. These are Ludi’s participation limits; they are not a statement that the same ages apply to every type of research under local law. Eligibility is checked using the athlete’s date of birth and country. Meeting these limits does not replace any other legal requirement for valid consent. Where those requirements are not met, the athlete’s data is excluded from research. Ludi does not offer a parental-consent route for its research.
- Ludi does no research without consent.
Refusing or withdrawing consent has no adverse effect on professional support or use of Ludi. Athletes who refuse or withdraw are excluded from further research use.
Before starting a study, Ludi checks that its purposes and use of data fall within the consent given. Any use outside that scope requires new consent before that use begins.
Your responsibilities for research
The Customer’s instruction to make coded records available for Ludi’s research is given in the Customer’s service agreement and Data Processing Agreement, not by accepting these Terms. You may give instructions on the Customer’s behalf only within your authority. Research data never contains free text.
You must:
- point athletes to the Privacy information for athletes for the details of the research;
- respect each athlete’s research decision and not pressure anyone to participate;
- keep the date of birth and country you are authorised to enter accurate;
- promptly notify nelson@ludisp.com of a withdrawal or any other reason why an athlete should be excluded from research.
You will not receive individual research data.
Research safeguards
The following safeguards apply to research data:
- A research code replaces the athlete’s identity. The key linking the code to the person is stored separately.
- Each study’s purpose, approval, cut-off date and end date are recorded before the first export. Each study uses its own codes, so data from two studies cannot be linked by the code.
- Only people Ludi has specifically authorised can access research data. Normal user accounts cannot.
- Ludi does not try to find out who is behind a code. The key is used only to create coded records and to handle withdrawals and deletion requests.
- Customers, coaches, clubs and other third parties do not receive individual research data. Only research partners can, under the conditions below.
- We publish only anonymous group findings, never individual research records. We may describe them on our website and in materials explaining or promoting Ludi. Before publication, we check that no athlete can reasonably be identified, including from small groups or combined details. Identifiable testimonials, quotations and cases require separate permission.
- No exports happen after a study ends. When a study ends, its data is deleted or made anonymous.
- After a withdrawal, Ludi stops using the athlete’s data for research and removes it from running studies. Published group results stay.
- Research exports are logged and access is restricted. Researchers cannot change or delete the log through the platform.
Research consent must cover any use of findings to promote Ludi. We may improve the safeguards without reducing their level of protection.
Research partners and contact
Ludi may run studies itself or with universities or other research institutions. A partner receives only the study’s coded records, never the key, under a written agreement. The parties determine their data protection roles before sharing data. The agreement limits use to the study, prohibits re-identification and onward disclosure, requires appropriate security and anonymous group reporting, and provides for deletion or anonymisation at the study end.
Ludi transfers research data to a partner outside the European Economic Area (EEA) only where the conditions of Chapter V GDPR are met (Art. 44 GDPR).
For questions about research privacy, contact Ludi GbR at nelson@ludisp.com.