Reporting Channel

INESC TEC guarantees: 

• the safe and timely submission and follow-up of reports
• completeness, integrity, and preservation of reports
• confidentiality regarding the identity or anonymity of reporting persons
• confidentiality regarding the identity of the any third party mentioned in the reports
• lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, minimization, accuracy, storage limitation in the processing of personal data
• preventing access by unauthorized persons
• independence, impartiality, trust, confidentiality and absence of conflicts of interest in relation to the people appointed to receive and follow-up on reports
• Prohibition of retaliation

Confidentiality

The identity of the reporting person and of the person mentioned in the report/person concerned, as well as any information that directly or indirectly makes it possible to deduce their identity, are of a confidential nature and are restricted to the persons responsible for receiving or following-up on the report.

Anonymous reporting

The possibility of submitting anonymous reports is guaranteed. In this case, the follow-up of the report must be consulted in the specific reporting channel, by entering a unique report number, generated automatically at the time of submission.

An anonymous reporting person who is subsequently identified benefits from the whistleblower protection under the same terms.

Who is a whistleblower/reporting person?

The law considers a whistleblower to be a natural person who reports information on breaches acquired in the context of his/her work-related activities, including those that since ended or are yet to begin, pre-contractual negotiations and recruitment processes.

The following can be considered whistleblowers

• workers, including civil servants;
• Service providers, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, as well as any persons acting under their supervision and direction;
• Associates and persons belonging to administrative, management or supervisory bodies, including non-executive members;
• Volunteers and paid or unpaid trainees.

Legal protection is given to anyone who, in good faith and with serious grounds for believing that the information provided is true, reports a breach committed within the organization.

Whistleblower protection

The legal protection of whistleblowers is based on their key role in exposing and preventing breaches of Union Law, as well as safeguarding the welfare of organizations and society. 

The main guarantees of whistleblower protection are:

• Prohibition of retaliation against the whistleblower, including the reversal of the burden of proof and the presumption that certain acts, when carried out up to two years after the reporting, are motivated by the whistleblowing;
• Legal protection in general terms, including protection for witnesses in criminal proceedings; and
• Non-application of disciplinary, civil, misdemeanour or criminal liability in cases of reports made in accordance with the legal requirements.

 Alternative ways of reporting

In addition to reporting through this Platform, reports may be submitted in writing, verbally or both. In this context, a verbal report can be made by voice message or, at the request of the complainant, in a face-to-face meeting with the person responsible for receiving reports in each specific area.

Platform Security

The platform adopted is an open source Globaleaks platform, following industry best practices to ensure maximum security for the entire process of receiving and processing reports.

The service's infrastructure has been designed to comply with all the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation.

All data and backups are stored exclusively on servers hosted in INESC TEC's own datacenters.

When should I report?

A: When you become aware, within the in the context of your work activities related to INESC TEC, of a conduct that violates the law, internal regulations and policies, codes of ethics and codes of conduct and you have reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided is true.

What can I report?

A: The object of the report can be:

- breaches that have already been committed;

- breaches that are being committed;

- breaches that you can reasonably predict that will be committed;

- attempts to conceal breaches committed.

How should I report?

A: INESC TEC provides a secure electronic platform for reporting infringements or irregular conduct in the areas of Ethics, Harassment, Corruption and Breaches of European Union law. As an alternative to this platform, you can report on the same topics in writing, verbally or both to those persons responsible for receiving and following-up on reports.

To whom should I report?

A: Regarding Ethics, Harassment, Corruption and Breaches of European Union law, reports submitted on the electronic platform are received by the persons designated for each topic. If submitted in writing or verbally, they must be addressed to these people, who are bound by specific confidentiality commitments.

Reports on other matters should be addressed to the Executive Board.

Can I report anonymously?

A: Yes. If the anonymous report is made through the Platform, its follow-up must be consulted by entering a unique report number, generated automatically at the time of submission.

Can I trust the person who receives my report?

A: The persons designated to receive and follow-up on reports are bound by specific duties of confidentiality, as well as ensuring independence, impartiality, trust, and the absence of conflicts of interest.

What will happen to me if I report?

A: As long as you have submitted the report in good faith and have reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided is true, nothing will happen to you, since retaliation against whistleblowers is expressly prohibited by law.

However, the protection of whistleblowers does not exclude their liability if the obtention or access to the information constitutes itself a criminal offence.

What protection do I have as a reporting person?

A: See "Whistleblower protection" in the "Rights and Duties" section above.