Terms of Service

Internal Services (VUB - UZ Brussel)

SQUARE’s core mission is to provide free in-house consulting on quantitative and qualitative research, and to perform statistical analysis and machine learning / AI. For students at the Jette campus, consultancy is available in support of the master’s thesis; however, this explicitly excludes performing actual analyses or use of results of our analyses in the thesis.

To ensure self-sustainability, SQUARE also offers paid services such as data cleaning, tutoring, automation, and AI development for internal researchers. 

Consultants retain the right to accept or decline requests, considering their workload, available time, the client’s level of effort, and the perceived importance of the study. They provide advice to the best of their ability and within their domain of expertise—quantitative and/or qualitative research. Consultants may refer clients to other experts if necessary. The substantive responsibility for a study remains entirely with the client or researcher. SQUARE cannot be held responsible for inadequate advice resulting from incomplete or incorrect information provided by the client.

Consultations must be requested through the online booking tool. Each consultation lasts a maximum of one hour. Sessions can take place online or in person at the consultant’s office. For (PhD) students, promoter's consent is generally required.

Requests for analysis should be submitted well in advance, as immediate support cannot be guaranteed. For more complex analyses, appropriate compensation may be required. Ideally, SQUARE services should be included in project proposals to secure the necessary funding.

All data provided for analysis must be pseudonymized and ready for processing. Data cleaning is only available as a paid service. The data remains the property of the provider, while the analyses themselves remain the property of SQUARE. Unless fully compensated, at least one SQUARE member will be included as a co-author on any resulting publication. Co-authorship entails a responsibility to contribute to the communication of methods and results, as well as participation in the review process. 

Reference:
Core facility - Support for Quantitative and Qualitative Research (SQUARE), Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Services to (semi-) external clients

For researchers who are not part of the participating faculties at VUB / UZ Brussel, SQUARE offers paid services. A compensation is agreed upon with the acting consultant and/or the coordinator, following a first free intake consultation. 

For services to (semi-) external clients, it is implied that clients accept the following general conditions:

1. SQUARE shall perform the project or services in accordance with the activities, timing and cost as mutually agreed between both parties.
2. Client shall pay all invoices in accordance with the payment terms as mentioned on the invoice; invoices have to be paid within 30 calendar days following date of invoice.
3. SQUARE has the right to use the results for the purposes of academic research and education.
4. SQUARE shall use reasonable efforts to perform the project or services and this in accordance with the standards of care and diligence as normally practiced by universities providing services of similar nature.
5. SQUARE assumes no obligation whatsoever with regard to the achievement of certain scientific results.
6. SQUARE does not give any warranty, whether implied or explicit, with regard to the results of the project or services.
7. SQUARE is only liable in case of its gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
8. The name and/or logo of VUB / SQUARE may only be used after obtaining the prior agreement of SQUARE.
9. These services conditions are governed by the laws of Belgium. Any dispute, which cannot be settled amicably, shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Brussels.