Rights and Obligations

as of: December 2023

The rights and obligations of the Certificate Holder are described below.

Preliminary information

Upon written request (e.g. from potential clients of a Certificate Holder), the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority may provide information on whether this person is legally holding the certificate by stating the certificate number. The name, date of birth and place of birth of the Certificate Holder are stored for identification purposes. With the registration, participants declare by their signature their intention to accept these regulations in the event of the certificate being issued. The Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority is bound by the provisions of the German Federal Data Protection Act.

2. Rights

Within the scope of his/her occupation the Certificate Holder is entitled to

  • refer to his/her certification on letterheads, on the internet in connection with their person and other printed documents in connection with their person in the following way: certified “NAME OF THE CERTIFICATE”, approved by the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority” or certified “NAME OF THE CERTIFICATE”. By using Alternative 1, he/she shall check that the designation of “approved by the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority” does not appear bigger than the name of the certified person.
  • use the certificate as a whole referring to the certification
  • view the document “Certification Handbook“of the respective certification profile, which explains the certification system of the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority at Fraunhofer FIT.

Further details: cf. Section 3 below.

3. Obligations

The following principles must be complied with by the Certificate Holder while performing the tasks in the area of the respective certification profile:

3.1. Diligence

The Certificate Holder shall exercise his/her occupation in accordance with the “State of the Art”.

The actions of the certificate-holder are characterized by the principle of always achieving an error-free and high-quality work result.

The Certificate Holder is obliged to not use the certification in an improper manner and to not make any statements that must be considered misleading or unauthorized by the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority.

3.2. Independence

The Certificate Holder shall act without regard to official relations within the company and/or its employees or their desired results (personal independence).

3.3. Personal Performance

The Certificate Holder shall perform all required services with regard to preparation, execution and evaluation of projects in the field of the respective certification profile in person. He/she shall not use the deed of the certification falsely or in any misleading way.

3.4. Permitted use of certificates

The following regulations shall also apply for the use of certificates:

  • The certificate shall be granted to the Certificate Holder. The actual certificate/document shall remain the property of the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority.
  • Only valid certificates shall be used.
  • The certificate shall not be abused inappropriately.
  • The actual certificate may only be used in its unmodified and complete form.
  • The certificate shall be returned to the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority
    • after expiration of the certificate,
    • after the Certificate Holder has been informed by the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority about the withdrawal.
  • In case of suspension, withdrawal or lapse of the certification the Certificate Holder shall immediately cease the use of the certificate. References of the Certificate Holder to the certification and/or the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority shall be removed immediately. In this event letterhead or other printed material shall be destroyed immediately or in case of suspension shall not be used during suspension.
  • The use of the certificate or references to it are only permitted within the scope of the certificate.
  • The certificate may only be used in connection with the person who is mentioned as certified in the certificate.
  • The use of the certificate and references to it are only permitted if the observer explicitly recognizes who has been examined and certified.
  • By using the certification or making references to it he/she shall not give the impression that the certified person is an employee of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft or that he/she acts on behalf of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
  • The Certificate Holder is responsible for the correct use of the Certificate. Possible doubts shall be the responsibility of the Certificate Holder.

3.5. The Use of the Fraunhofer-Logo

The certificate of the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority contains the Fraunhofer-Logo. The Logo shall exclusively be used as a part of the certificate in that way that the certificate as a whole may be copied or made available in the internet as proof of the issuing Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority for e.g. clients or employers. Any further use beyond this of the Fraunhofer-Logo or the use of the name Fraunhofer as trade mark is expressly prohibited. In case of violation Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is entitled to apply for injunctive relief or damage claims.

3.6. Duty to give Notice

The Certificate Holder shall notify the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority without delay of:

  • any changes of name (e.g. in case of marriage),
  • any change of place of residence,
  • the loss of the certificate.

In addition, the Certificate Holder must inform the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority immediately of any matters that may affect their ability to continue to fulfil the certification requirements (e.g. newly occuring physical limitations).

3.7. Duty to Disclose

Upon request of the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority at Fraunhofer FIT, the Certificate Holder shall disclose and furnish all necessary particulars and documents regarding the monitoring of activities and compliance with the aforementioned duties within a set deadline and without compensation.

He/she may refuse to provide self-incriminating information or such information that may incriminate his/her relatives.

4. Violation of Duties as Certificate Holder

Depending on the gravity of the violation of a duty stated in this document the certification may be suspended or revoked, which is communicated to the Certificate Holder in written form. For the duration of the suspension or after the certification has been revoked, the Certificate Holder is no longer entitled to refer to his/her certification and the Fraunhofer Personnel Certification Authority.