KPMG

Their core work

KPMG is a global professional services firm providing advisory, audit, and consulting services. In the H2020 context, their Ireland office contributed data analytics, risk assessment, and decision support expertise to infrastructure and energy projects. They bring business consulting capabilities to research consortia — helping translate technical outputs into decision-making frameworks, market analysis, and implementation strategies for cities and infrastructure operators.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

KPMG's early H2020 involvement (2018) focused on transport infrastructure resilience and smart energy districts — applied consulting work around monitoring systems and urban energy transitions. By 2021, their focus shifted toward geotechnical engineering, critical infrastructure protection, and climate change adaptation, reflecting a broader infrastructure risk advisory positioning. The trajectory shows a move from sector-specific consulting toward cross-cutting infrastructure resilience and environmental risk management.

KPMG is moving toward infrastructure resilience under climate change — a growing area where their advisory and data analytics capabilities meet increasing EU policy demand.

How they like to work

KPMG has participated exclusively as a consortium partner, never leading projects — consistent with a professional services firm contributing specialized advisory and analytics capabilities to research-led consortia. With 65 unique partners across 16 countries in just 3 projects, they join large, diverse consortia rather than small focused teams. This suggests they are comfortable operating in complex multi-partner environments and bring cross-functional business perspective rather than deep technical research.

Despite only 3 projects, KPMG has built connections with 65 unique partners across 16 countries, reflecting participation in large pan-European consortia. Their network spans transport, energy, and geotechnical research communities across most of Europe.

What sets them apart

KPMG brings something most research consortia lack: professional services muscle in risk assessment, business case development, and market strategy. While academic partners provide the science, KPMG can translate research outputs into frameworks that infrastructure operators, cities, and policymakers can actually use. Their global brand and advisory network also add credibility and dissemination reach that smaller consultancies cannot match.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GEOLAB
  Largest funded project (EUR 311,750), combining geotechnical engineering with ICT and data science for critical infrastructure — an unusual mix for a professional services firm.
• CityxChange
  Major smart cities project on positive energy districts, where KPMG likely contributed energy market analysis and community engagement strategy.
• FORESEE
  Infrastructure resilience project integrating satellite data and decision support systems for transport networks facing extreme events.