Please read and complete the following consent form before proceeding to our questionnaire.

Informed consent form

1. Introduction

This document is an informed consent form, please read this document carefully before making a decision on whether participating or not. Please feel free to ask any questions to ensure that you fully understand the purpose and proceedings of this study, including risks and benefits.

2. SUREFIT project

SUREFIT project will demonstrate fast-track renovation of existing domestic buildings by integrating innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally conscious prefabricated technologies. This is to reach target of near zero energy through reducing heat losses through building envelope, and energy consumption by heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting, while increasing the share of renewable energy in buildings. This will be achieved through a systematic approach involving key stakeholders (building owners/users, manufacturers, product/services developers) in space heating, cooling, domestic hot water, lighting and power generation, as well as a demonstration phase in 5 representative buildings in different European climates. More info about the project can be found at https://surefitproject.eu/.

3. Purpose of this activity

SUREFIT, among other activities, is performing a socio-economic modelling and a social acceptance assessment associated to the scope of the project (i.e. fast-track renovation of existing domestic buildings by integrating innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally conscious prefabricated technologies). With this purpose, you have been selected to participate in this survey to be undertaken for the tasks of WP2/ WP8.

4. Involvement in the activity

If you agree to participate in the study, you will be asked to participate in a survey carried out through an online form.

The participation in these activities is strictly voluntary, and you have the right to withdraw it at any moment and may decline to answer any questions.

5. Privacy and confidentiality

The results of this study will be published but this publication will not contain any information that could identify you. SUREFIT will collect and store your contact details (name, company, email and phone number), and may gather information on your profile (e.g. professional activity, age, years of occupation in the building, etc.). These contact and profile data will guarantee your anonymity and will not be included in any deliverable or publication.

This collection is in strict compliance with national and European legislation on data protection, will not be shared with third entities, and will be destroyed after SUREFIT project ends. The treatment and analysis of the data collected in this activity will the responsibility of partners ISQ, UNOTT, FSM, AALTO and AMS, and will be used only under the project scope. All data collected by the partners will be stored digitally in a shared folder (cloud), accessible only to key personnel from each consortium partner working in SUREFIT who has already signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

It is important to note that SUREFIT activities to be conducted will not involve:

• Collection or processing of sensitive personal data (e.g. health, sexual lifestyle, ethnicity, political opinion, religious or philosophical conviction) nor the processing of genetic information.

• Tracking or observation of participants (e.g. surveillance or localization data, and WAN data, such as IP address, MACs, cookies etc.).

6. Consent

By continuing to the questionnaire, you are accepting these terms and agreeing to take part in the study. You will be given a copy of this document for your records and one copy will be kept by the project coordinator with the study records. Be sure that questions you have about the study have been answered and that you understand what you are being asked to do. Please, do not hesitate to contact the researcher after this activity if having additional questions.

7. Contact

If you have any questions about this research or your prospective involvement in it, please contact the project coordinator, Dr Muriel Iten, Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, email: surefitproject@isq.pt / mciten@isq.pt, telephone: +351 927 951 273.

8. Statement of consent

This consent form is made pursuant to the relevant national, European and international data protection laws and regulations and personal data treatment obligations. Specifically, this consent document complies with the EC Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.

Please, select “yes” or “no” to affirmatively consent to the following statements:

• I confirm that I have read and understood this informed consent form, and have been informed by the researcher in charge of this activity. I had the time and opportunity to ask questions as needed, and they were answered. Select an answer Yes No

• I understand that I am free to withdraw my consent at any time without giving reason. Select an answer Yes No

• My personal data can be gathered to be used, stored and shared in the ways described in this informed consent form. Select an answer Yes No

• Data from my participation may be used to write project deliverables, articles for peer reviewed journals and relevant industry magazines, for presentations at conferences and workshops, under the scope of the project and not containing any personal or sensitive information or information that could identify me. Select an answer Yes No

• I agree to voluntarily take part in the SUREFIT research. Select an answer Yes No

Thank you for completing the consent form. You can answer our questionnaire.