Organization

BIRD & BIRD LLP

International law firm providing data protection, GDPR, and technology regulation expertise to EU research and innovation consortia.

International technology law firmdigitalUK

H2020 projects

As coordinator

Total EC funding

€1.2M

Unique partners

What they do

Their core work

Bird & Bird is a major international law firm that provides specialized legal expertise on data protection, privacy regulation, and technology law to EU research and innovation consortia. In H2020 projects, they contribute legal analysis on GDPR compliance, data governance frameworks, service level agreements, and the regulatory dimensions of emerging technologies like big data platforms, 5G communications, and cybersecurity systems. Their role is to ensure that technical innovations developed within projects are legally sound, privacy-compliant, and commercially deployable across European jurisdictions.

Core expertise

What they specialise in

Data protection and GDPR complianceprimary

3 projects

DEFeND focused directly on GDPR data governance, LeMO addressed data privacy in transport, and TOREADOR dealt with trustworthy data analytics platforms.

Technology law and service level agreementsprimary

2 projects

SLALOM developed open legal models for cloud service level agreements, and TOREADOR addressed legal aspects of big data analytics-as-a-service.

Cybersecurity and information security lawsecondary

2 projects

THREAT-ARREST addressed cyber security training and assurance, while DEFeND covered security and privacy by design.

Telecommunications and 5G regulationsecondary

1 project

BroadWay involved regulatory aspects of pan-European interoperable broadband and mission-critical 5G communications.

Transport data governanceemerging

1 project

LeMO examined legal and socio-economic dimensions of big data exploitation in transport operations.

Evolution & trajectory

How they've shifted over time

Early focus

Cloud and big data law

Recent focus

GDPR and data governance

Bird & Bird's early H2020 involvement (2015-2016) centered on cloud computing legal frameworks and big data analytics service models, exemplified by SLALOM and TOREADOR. From 2017 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward data protection regulation — GDPR compliance, privacy by design, and data security — reflecting the regulatory landscape change as GDPR came into force in 2018. Their later projects also expanded into sector-specific applications of data law in transport, public safety communications, and cybersecurity.

Bird & Bird is moving toward sector-specific data regulation expertise, particularly where emerging technologies (5G, AI, cybersecurity) intersect with European privacy and security law.

Collaboration profile

How they like to work

Role: specialist_contributorReach: European21 countries collaborated

Bird & Bird exclusively participates as a partner or third-party expert — never as coordinator — which is consistent with a law firm providing specialist legal input to technically-led consortia. With 74 unique partners across 21 countries from just 7 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia and do not appear tied to a fixed set of partners. This makes them an accessible and experienced legal partner for new consortia needing regulatory expertise.

Bird & Bird has collaborated with 74 unique partners across 21 countries through 7 projects, indicating broad European reach and experience working with diverse technical, academic, and industrial organizations. Their London base and multinational law practice give them strong pan-European legal coverage.

Why partner with them

What sets them apart

Bird & Bird brings something most technical consortia lack internally: deep, practice-tested expertise in European technology regulation, particularly around data protection and digital services law. Unlike generic legal advisors, they have direct H2020 project experience translating regulatory requirements (GDPR, cybersecurity directives) into actionable frameworks for research teams. For any consortium developing data-intensive or privacy-sensitive technology, they offer a credible legal partner with a track record across multiple sectors.

Notable projects

Highlights from their portfolio

TOREADOR
Largest funding (EUR 706,750) — addressed legal and trust dimensions of big data analytics-as-a-service platforms.
DEFeND
Directly tackled GDPR data governance with privacy by design, reflecting Bird & Bird's core legal expertise.
BroadWay
Long-running project (2018-2023) on pan-European 5G public safety communications, showing engagement with critical infrastructure regulation.

Cross-sector capabilities

Transport data regulationCybersecurity and public safety lawTelecommunications and 5G regulationResearch infrastructure legal frameworks

Analysis note: Profile is well-supported by keyword and project data, though several projects lack keywords, limiting granular analysis. Bird & Bird is a well-established law firm whose broader capabilities extend well beyond what H2020 data alone reveals. No website URL was provided in the dataset. Activity window is 2015-2018 (start dates), with no projects starting after 2018, which may indicate reduced H2020 participation in later years.