Conditions for participation

Thank you for visiting the registration platform for the Smart City Hub Switzerland Private-Pool and for your interest in participating in tests and studies (“studies”).

This Private-Pool is available for studies of the Smart City Hub Switzerland and various public bodies.

Please read these conditions of participation and the privacy policy carefully before registering. By registering, you agree to these conditions of participation and the data processing described in the privacy policy.

Note: Some of the services for the Private-Pool are provided by our service provider TestingTime AG, Rieterstrasse 6, CH-8002 Zurich, Switzerland (“TestingTime”). The use of the registration platform is subject to TestingTime’s terms of use.

Registration as a test subject

If you agree to be available for studies, you transmit your personal data to our service provider TestingTime.
TestingTime coordinates the registration of test subjects and the sending of invitations to participate in studies on our behalf.

After registering, you will receive an e-mail to verify your e-mail address and will then be included in the Private-Pool.

Registration as a test subject is free and voluntary. You can have your data deleted from the Private-Pool database at any time.

Further information on how we handle your personal data and how we ensure its protection can be found in our privacy policy.

Participation in studies

The Private Pool of Smart City Hub Switzerland is available to various organizations as a test subject pool for their studies.
The studies can be conducted by Smart City Hub Switzerland itself or by certain public bodies (according to the list of authorized public bodies[A3]) (“organizational unit responsible for the study”) or by their contracted service providers.

There are three types of study:

• In-house study: The test person is invited to a location or rented premises for the purpose of the study.
• Online questionnaires: The test person fills out a questionnaire online.
• Remote testing: The test run takes place via a video conferencing tool.

Test subjects are selected by TestingTime on the basis of certain criteria defined by the organizational unit responsible for the study, which are relevant to the study in question. If your details in the Private-Pool database match these criteria, TestingTime will usually request additional data from you. If you are eligible for a particular study, TestingTime will contact you directly and invite you to participate in the study. The selection of test subjects is at our sole discretion, and you have no right to participate in a particular study.
Once you have been invited as a potential test subject for a particular study, you must confirm your participation in the study within the communicated deadline. In order to participate in the study, your personal data will be transmitted to the organizational unit responsible for the study and you will be contacted by the organizational unit responsible for the study.

Confidentiality

All information, documents, tests and test results, including all records and copies thereof, made available in oral, written or other form in the course of the studies must be treated confidentially by you at all times and must not be used, exploited or disclosed to third parties for commercial or personal purposes.

Compensation

You will receive a fixed fee for participating in a study. You will receive the compensation within 5 to 10 working days of participating in the study. Due to the small amount, this compensation is not reported as earned income to the Swiss employment insurance schemes (AHV / IV / EO and ALV).

Responsibility and liability

Neither the Smart City Hub Switzerland nor its employees, representatives or contractors are liable to test subjects in any way, in particular not for damages or losses in connection with your participation or non-participation in a study, the content or linked information relating to the studies or third-party websites.

The same applies to the organizational units responsible for the study and their employees and contractors.

Termination and exclusion

The Smart City Hub Switzerland reserves the right to exclude test subjects from participating in further studies if they violate these conditions of participation or obstruct studies.

There is no entitlement to study participation. Smart City Hub Switzerland may change or dissolve the pool of test subjects at any time. As a test subject, you can waive your right to be part of the pool of test subjects at any time.

Final conditions

Should any term of these Terms and Conditions of Participation be declared illegal, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable in whole or in part, it shall be replaced by a valid term of similar economic effect. The remaining terms shall remain unaffected and effective.

These terms of participation are subject to Swiss law to the exclusion of the provisions of international private law. The exclusive place of jurisdiction is the registered office of Smart City Hub Switzerland.

We reserve the right to amend these conditions of participation from time to time. We will inform you of such changes in writing to the e-mail address you have provided. The change will be deemed to have been approved when you participate in a study, but at the latest if you do not cancel your account within one month of the notification being sent.

List of public bodies entitled to studies

• City of Zurich
• City of Winterthur
• Canton of St. Gallen
• Canton of Thurgau