Lecture on Personal Data Protection Held for Heads of University Services

As part of the regular meeting between the Secretary General of the University, Branka Roščić, Dr. phil., and the heads of University services and independent departments, attended by the Vice-Rector for Quality, Identity, and Mission, Prof. Ante Crnčević, PhD, a lecture was held on Thursday, October 29, 2026, by the Data Protection Officer of the Catholic University of Croatia, Josipa Razlog, dipl. iur., on the topic of "Personal Data Protection."

The aim of the lecture was to strengthen the professional and transversal competencies of services across the University. The field of data protection is of paramount importance to the University, given that large volumes of sensitive information and personal data are collected, processed, and stored on a daily basis, and the University's operations in this area are governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Act on the Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation. Through this approach, the University respects the right of every individual to privacy protection and to autonomous decision-making regarding the sharing of their personal data. The presentation provided an overview of key concepts in data protection, data subjects' rights, and the obligations of data controllers and data processors. It offered a comprehensive look into safeguarding the collection, processing, authorized contractual use, retention, and erasure of personal data concerning both University students and employees.

The lecture prompted a discussion covering numerous specific issues, leading to an agreement on the future professional development of services and independent departments through ongoing training and the drafting of new operational guidelines and protocols for personal data collection, processing, and retention—particularly within University governing bodies. A framework was also established for reinforcing cooperation and contractual safeguards with third-party data processors acting as external service providers. The next lecture in the series will address the broader scope of business data protection.