CPDP is a conference about privacy and data protection. It offers a forum where different voices are heard and where positions are compared, debated, approached or differentiated. 

CPDP is a non-profit platform originally founded in 2007 by research groups from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the Université de Namur and Tilburg University. The platform was joined in the following years by the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique en en Automatique and the Fraunhofer Institut für System und Innovationsforschung. It has since then grown into a platform carried by 20 leading academic institutions from the European Union, the United States and beyond. As a world-leading multidisciplinary conference, CPDP offers the cutting edge in legal, regulatory, academic, and technological development in privacy and data protection. Within an atmosphere of independence and mutual respect, CPDP gathers academics, lawyers, practicioners, policymakers, industry and civil society from all over the world in Brussels, offering them an arena to exchange ideas and discuss the latest emerging issues and trends. This unique multidisciplinary formula has served to make CPDP one of the leading data protection and privacy conferences in Europe and around the world. 

CPDP has a variety of contributing formats, which translate into partners, sponsors and supporters. Partners organise panels and pay a panel contribution fee that compensates for the fact that panellists do not pay a registration fee for the conference. There are two types of partners: (1) ‘Conference Partners’ is a format developed for academic centres of excellence that organise a panel at CPDP and are also involved in scientific activities such as reviewing the call for papers; (2) ‘Event Partners’ is a format for other public and private institutions and research projects that organise panels at CPDP. Sponsors contribute a certain sum of money in exchange for visibility. Some sponsors are also involved in organising panels while others only have one or more speakers at the conference. There are three main levels of sponsorship: ‘Platinum, Premier and Event Sponsors’. Finally, ‘Moral Supporters’ and ‘Media Supporters’ do not contribute financially or organise panels but provide moral support and/or press coverage to the conference. 

This note clarifies how CPDP looks at the role of funding and makes use of funding. These are the CPDP criteria regarding funding: 

1. CPDP accepts sponsorship from all entities that wish to endorse the objectives of the conference, however, the organisers reserve the right to decline sponsorship offered by sponsors whose main activities are incompatible with the spirit and aims of the conference or have the effect that certain stakeholders do not want to be involved in the conference anymore. 
2. Sponsorship of CPDP does not give public or private institutions any influence over the entire programme of the conference. Suggestions and ideas are considered by the Programme Committee, which makes the final decision. Panels that are set up by partners are identified as such in the programme. From 2016 onwards, the name of individual speakers who receive sponsoring, and the identity of the sponsor who organise panels, is also made publicly available. A quality check in terms of multidisciplinarity, originality, geographical spread and gender equality is carried out by the programming committee. These requirements are also communicated to panel organisers beforehand. Keeping in mind the suggestions from the partner or sponsor, the programming committee may add a member of the CPDP community or of the scientific committee, or intervene in another way to ensure a balanced panel before the conference. 
3. The CPDP sponsorship packages are public (on the website). The most substantive sponsorship package amounts to 36 000€. No sponsorship representing altogether more than 7,5% of the total cost of the conference is allowed. The total funding by private enterprises will not be more than 49% of the total costs of the conference. 

1. CPDP is a not-for-profit conference. All sponsorship goes into paying the costs of the conference and towards public goods (art exhibitions, public debates, supporting PhD students and supporting activists’ participation). The CPDP (financial) administration is conducted through a Belgian nonprofit organisation Privacy Salon (enterprise number 0565.952.438). Alongside Belgian legal and governance requirements, the CPDP Programming Committee oversees the financial statements of CPDP.  The Programming Committee is accountable to the CPDP Scientific Committee. 

    

2. CPDP does not pay speakers a fee. It may cover the travel expenses of PhD students and speakers who are not in a financial position to attend the conference otherwise, including NGO representatives.

    

3. Financial income is generated through diverse means to maintain the financial integrity and independence of CPDP. There are three main sources of financial contributions: (1) panel and workshop fees from conference and event partners and other organisers; (2) participants’ fees (including discounted rates for civil society representatives and students); and (3) sponsorship and grants. 

The CPDP Scientific Committee oversees the organisation and programming committee and monitors its decision-making. The Scientific Committee is comprised of academics who meet face to face annually and are engaged throughout the whole CPDP organising cycle. The accountability of the organising committee is demonstrated before the scientific committee regarding sponsorship channels and when questions arise regarding individual sponsoring entities. 

The CPDP organisers acknowledge that the legal, political and social significance of privacy and data protection requires constant vigilance and commitment to maintain CPDP’s position as an accessible and meaningful platform for dialogue. The challenges that arise, as highlighted by this note, are ever-present. Accountability mechanisms seek to secure the integrity of CPDP now and in the future. If you have any feedback or questions on our funding policy, please contact us at info@cpdpconferences.org. The received questions and feedback submissions will be added to the agenda of the annual CPDP Scientific Committee board meeting which takes place during the conference in May. 

Everyone participating in CPDP is expected to abide by the following code of conduct. This includes all conference attendees, speakers, staff and volunteers. CPDP is committed to providing a welcoming and harassment-free environment for everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities, physical appearances, or beliefs.  

Harassment and unacceptable behaviour includes deliberate intimidation, stalking, inappropriate physical contact and unwelcome sexual attention, the use of derogatory or discriminatory language, gestures or actions, racism, sexism, or any other targeted comments which may cause personal offense to another CPDP participant either in-person at the conference or through social media channels. 

If any attendee engages in harassing behaviour, the conference organisers, the conference organisers may take any lawful action we deem appropriate. Please contact CPDP at info@cpdpconferences.org if you believe you’ve observed or experienced a violation of this Code of Conduct. 

Generally speaking, we only process data of individuals who have a direct relationship with the CPDP conference: participants and partners. In addition to this policy, as an entity of the VUB located in Belgium, we also comply with all policies of the VUB and with Belgian law. 

When you subscribe to our newsletter or submit to our call for panels or call for papers, CPDP collects personal data. CPDP relies on its legitimate interests to process this data for the sole purpose of keeping you updated about its activities via the newsletter and for organising the conference. We do not disclose this data to third parties. We do not send e-mails or otherwise initiate communications unless the recipient has expressed an interest in receiving them or has otherwise explicitly consented. If you wish to unsubscribe or remove your email address, please use the unsubscribe link in the newsletter or send an email to info@cpdpconferences.org.  

The CPDP website uses cookies to operate. The CPDP social media requires the use of third party service providers. CPDP has no control over these tools and services and the data collected by them. More in the cookie declaration. 

In the event that this policy is changed at any time, the date and nature of the change will be indicated. If you have any questions or concerns regarding CPDP policies, please send an email to info@cpdpconferences.org.  

10.03.2025 Launch of new website, update of the privacy policies and slight improvements of the other policies. 

21.04.2023 Update of CookieBot settings. 

13.09.2019 Launch of ‘prior consent.’ ‘Prior consent’ means not loading cookies except those strictly necessary, until consent has been given. New cookie declaration added. 

03.09.2018 Launch of new website. This has effect on which cookies are being used. New cookie declaration added.