OSBORNE CLARKE

Their core work

Osborne Clarke is an international law firm that provides legal and regulatory advisory services to EU-funded transport and mobility research projects. Their contributions center on the legal, policy, and regulatory dimensions of advanced driver assistance systems, autonomous vehicles, mobility-as-a-service platforms, and data-sharing frameworks. In H2020 consortia, they bring expertise on compliance, liability, data governance, and the regulatory landscape surrounding emerging transport technologies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 work (2016–2019), Osborne Clarke focused on the technical-regulatory intersection of advanced driver assistance systems — driver impairment detection, drowsiness, stress, and HMI under automation — contributing legal expertise to safety-critical ADAS development. By 2020, their focus shifted toward broader mobility policy themes: Galileo-based geolocation services, MaaS data-sharing governance, open data, transport culture, climate change, and SDG alignment. The evolution shows a clear move from narrow vehicle technology regulation toward systemic transport policy and sustainability governance.

Moving from vehicle-level safety regulation toward systemic mobility governance, data frameworks, and sustainability policy — positioning them for future consortia on MaaS regulation and green transport transitions.

How they like to work

Osborne Clarke consistently joins as a participant, never leading consortia — typical for a law firm providing specialist advisory services within larger research teams. With 62 unique partners across 15 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia and connect broadly rather than repeatedly with the same partners. This makes them an accessible, experienced consortium partner who understands multi-national project dynamics.

Despite only 4 projects, they have collaborated with 62 unique partners across 15 countries, reflecting participation in large multi-national consortia. Their Brussels base positions them at the center of EU policy-making networks.

What sets them apart

As an international law firm with a Brussels office, Osborne Clarke brings a rare combination of legal expertise and direct experience with EU-funded transport research — most law firms do not participate in H2020 consortia. They can advise on regulatory compliance, liability frameworks, and data governance from inside the project, not as external counsel. For consortium builders, they fill the increasingly critical "regulatory and legal work package" that reviewers expect in mobility and data-intensive proposals.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ADASANDME
  Largest funding (EUR 218,750) and most technically specific — adaptive ADAS for impaired drivers required deep legal analysis of automated driving liability.
• MOLIERE
  Combined Galileo satellite navigation with blockchain and MaaS, creating novel data governance and open-data legal challenges at the intersection of space and transport.