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Disclaimer: This document is aimed at assisting applicants and beneficiaries for Horizon 2020 funding. Its purpose is to explain the Horizon 2020 framework programme and the procedures to be followed. Please note that the final version of this document is still under discussion and may still change. Communicating EU research and innovation guidance for project participants Version 1.0 2 5 September 201 4
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1 Communicating EU research and innovation guid ance for project participants Communication, why? Communication, d issemination and exploitation a team working on H2020 project is called upon to take part in various activities that will bring their research to the attention of as many relevant people as possible. W hat we call communication is more than just an additional reporting burden. Europe’s future economic growth and jobs will increasingly have to come from innovation in products, services and business models. With this in mind, commun ication about European research projects should aim to demonstrate the ways in which research and innovation is contributing to a European ‘Innovation Union’ and account for public spending by providing tangible p roof that collaborative research adds value by: showing how European collaboration has achieved more than would have otherwise been possible , notably in achieving scientific excellence, contributing to competitiveness and solving societal challenges ; show ing how the outcomes are relevant to our everyday lives , by creating jobs, introducing novel technologies, or making our lives more comfortable in other ways ; making better use of the results , by making sure they are taken up by decision – makers to influenc e policy – making and by industry and the scientific community to ensure follow – up . T here is an enormous difference between communication strategically planned with these objectives in mind and ad hoc efforts for the sake of meeting contractual requirements . How often let’s to be achieved? How often do we resort to facts and figures, assuming they will be enough to convince people? Your contractual obligations are im portant, but communication is not an end in itself and quality is expected. We hope this guide will help you avoid some common mistakes: Common mistakes: non – strategic communication Better practice: strategic communication Focus on media before message T argets, audience and message clarified before deciding on the media Creative people plan to achieve desired outcomes Objectives are clearly defined What’s in it fo r you? With a little creativity, strategic communication can help publicise your work in such a way that you will profit . Suitably framed messages can help to : Increas e the success rate of your proposal (provided you have a good communication and dissemin ation plan); Draw the attention of national governments, regional authorities and other public and private funding sources to the need for and ultimate benefits of (your) research ; Attract the interest of potential partners ; Encourag e talented students and scientists to join your partner institutes and enterprises; Enhanc e your reputation and visibility at local, national and international level; Help the search for financial backers, licensees or industrial implementers to exploit your results ; Generat e ma rket demand for the products or services developed . This short guide will help you attain these outcomes . You will be inspired by some good practices emanating from fellow project coordinators. And you will find a helpful checklist for improving your own communication activities right from the start of your project. Finally, the European Commission will be only too pleased to spread the word about the good work of the projects it is supporting. Once you have some worthwhile material available, there are ma ny ways in which we can help you pass on the message.
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2 Good practices from projects like yours Jan Willem Gunnink, project coordinator , COMET: ut considerable effort into communicating the outcomes of our work. know how this money is spent is an obvious obligation. In addition, many of our consortiu m partners share a commercial interest in exploiting our results. So we invest up to 10% of our resources in communication and dissemination activities. The communication plan that we drafted at the start of our project includes a variety of tools and ide our COMET project and the potential impact of using robots for cost – effective, high precision manufacturing in factories of the future. It also includes the conso disseminating information: partners always get the chance to check whether the information is correct or perhaps confidential. Communication is certainly a way to keep all partners actively involved in the project. We decided to inv the beginning. Most of the work is carried out jointly with the marketing department of the coordinating company, but we do ask all work package leaders to contribute a little to generating noise around our project. 1000 subscribers to a digital newsletter and we make sure all partners get their share of visibility. to how washing powder is advertised: show up everywhere and it pays off. The best advertisement, however, is demonstrating a working product. This spring we will Anyone interested will be welcome to learn about our work and see a demonstration of what our advanced robots can do. Communication is not something that you give to someone as a task most important aspects of running Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/COMET_project
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3 Marilou Ramos Pamplona, project coordinator , Lupa : of diseases that occur in both dogs and humans. For the collection of DNA samples our scientists spend a lot of time communicating with dog owners, breeding clubs, vets and people at dog shows. Our communication activity is very decentralised, as it must take into account the specifics of each of the twelve countries that we work in. All of our scientists have direct access to flyers and posters. They keep an eye on relevant events in their regions, contact dog shows to ask for a booth and talk to as many dog owners and breeders as they can. We publish information about our work in popular journals for pet lovers, all the way through the project and as soon as results become available. In our articles, we ask people to submit samples and we explain our fi ndings. Those can be used to screen dogs for particular diseases, so they are of interest to this same community. The scientific credibility of our findings obviously relies on our research basis. Our communication with the broader public is never secondar y to publishing in high – profile journals like Nature or Science . Quite the contrary: we issue a press release for general publications whenever our work is taken up by journals of good standing. A prerequisite of communication is to acquire a good underst anding of the ways your target audience will respond to your message. Some dog lovers fear that our research might hurt dogs. Dealing with animal welfare issues right at the start of our presentations helps to ensure a positive response. I am impressed to see that our approach does not just encourage people to let us take DNA samples; they are even taking it on themselves to call the scientists whenever they find a
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4 It is worthwhile to collaborate with others to amplify your work Michele Cocco, project coordinator , Argomarine: exclusively on the small circle of scientists working in this field, we have also tried to invo lve people to whom the preservation of the marine environment and hence our project is relevant. For example, we have been organising local workshops with coastguards and municipalities. We have also produced an applet for smartphones that can be used by people at sea like recreational sailors, fishermen and scuba divers to report oil spills when they find any. Sending out a press release is a good way to promote these actions. For us, it was helpful to include a link to a video clip that introduce d our work. We hired professionals for that, so that the imagery and style were very accessible. Professionals have also recently helped us in creating a social media presence, which has definitely increased our visibility. I think it would be advisable to dedicate a budget to this type of assistance right from the start of a project. Being active in communication meant that I, as the coordinator, encouraged all the partners to think about what we could do. It also means having the contacts and resources to react in a timely and efficient way whenever something happens that could be relevant to your work. In our case, right after the accident with the Costa Concordia ship, the partners discussed whether we could somehow respond. Since one of the main conce rns at the time was possible oil leakages, we decided to make a simulation and issued a press release. This resulted in plenty of reactions. Finally, we found it worthwhile to profit from existing meetings and conferences and to collaborate with others to amplify our work. As an example, our final workshop will take place at the Maritime Days, where thousands of people will be present. We have also established contacts with another EU – funded research project working on a closely related topic. I expect tha t we will organise a cross – Project v ideo: http://youtu.be/_5biJLVZjxg
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5 The key to a successful media campaign is in the planning Colin Smith (media officer) and Emile Greenhalgh (project coordinator), STORAGE: TORAGE project has attracted quite a lot of attention, ranging from Der Spiegel to the New York Times . As a result , there has been considerable interest in the technologies being developed and the subsequent impact they could have on future automotive appl ications (and beyond). In fact, Volvo has estimated that the advertising exposure from the STORAGE project has been worth 112 million, from the press release (January 2010) up to May 2011. If you set that off against the cost, it is good value for money! To give an idea of what it involves for a team of researchers: Initial meeting (1 hour) This involves meeting with your press officer to discuss the project. The press officer will need to take notes for the press release and work out the campaign tim eline. Editing process (1 hour) A draft release will come back to you for approval. You will need to look at the release to ensure the copy is accurate . Speaking to the press As a rule of thumb, always remember that broadcast (TV) will take the most ti me and online media may take the least amount of time as they tend to use press releases verbatim. Interviews (1 – 2 hours) If your story has a really interesting visual element , always remember that the broadcast press may want to come and interview you i n a lab. You may need to invest extra time preparing the lab for filming. Long – term support Be prepared to put some long – term support into your press campaign if it has been very successful, as you may get further coverage in other countries over a longe r period of time. You may also get calls for collaborations and enquiries about your research from funders and other stakeholders. Develop a plan for responding to enquiries in a timely way. For example, a web page you can refer people to, which will reduc e the time spent repeating general information to callers. After issuing our press release, we received a huge number of queries from the press as well as approaches from industry for more information about STORAGE. For example, we received an invitation and funding to visit Singapore and Canada (Montreal), organised by the FCO to present the technologies to researchers and industries in these countries, with the aim of initiating future collaborations. Similarly, exposure from STORAGE led to the project c oordinator being invited by Tourism London to represent London. If we were to give a single tip for future project coordinators , it would be this : the key to a successful media campaign is in the planning. Before you even begin a campaign , it is important that the key people involved all agree on the answers to the following: What do we want to achieve with this publicity? For example, do we want more students to apply to our department? Do we want funding? Do we want the public to learn about this interes ting area of research and innovation ? Who are our audiences? Are they schoolchildren, other academics, policymakers, business, industry or the general public interested in science?
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7 Build your own communication strategy a checklist A . Ensure good management 1 Have resources been allocated (time and money)? Does your proposal include a work package on communication? Have you prepared a communication strategy and timeline ? Does the communication element of the project involve all consortium partners (and their respective staff, including researchers)? Is there awareness that communication is a continuous process, not a one – time effort when the project ends? Are you ready for the unexpected? Have you thought about how to respond effectively to such things as publication in high – theme? 2 Are professional com municators involved ? Have resources been allocated to professional assistance with the drafting of press releases, graphic design, maintenance of the website and other communication tasks? Larger institutions usually have an in – house capacity for this. Have you considered taking any training in the field of communication or including a communication expert in your team ? 3 Is continuity ensured? Are there any arrangements to ensure that information will not be lost once the project comes to an end? Does the project provide for any feedback loops back to the European Commission that can help with amplifying the message, for example by notifying an event, or before publishing a press release? B . Define your g oal s and objectives 1 Are there any goals a nd objectives ? Have the final and intermediate communication aims of the project been specified , what impact is intended, what reaction or change is expected from the target audience ? For example: o Receiving feedback or engaging in dialogue o Influencing the attitude s of decision – makers o Hav ing people make a decision or take action o Ensuring that the project outcomes will be taken into production A word of warning When work ing with external professionals, the costs of hiring them need to be justifiable economically and in terms of effectiveness. Shopping around among several service providers can assure best value for money. We are aware that from time to time participants i n projects funded under the framework programmes are contacted often by telephone by organisations seeking payment in return for publishing information on the work being done in their projects. As ns made should be treated with appropriate caution before deciding on the best course of these publications and their services have not been endorsed by the Commission . Common tactics to secure business include vague references to high – level contributions from decision – makers, or making project participants believe that their activities have been singled out on account of special merit, which may not be the case.
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8 2 Are your goals and objectives neither too ambitious nor too weak ? Is there a deadline by which the goals should be achieved, taking into account different stages of the research and possible intermediary outcomes? Are the objectives specific and measurable, rather than vague? Does the project envisage way s of measur ing its communication efforts and impact? For exam ple: o Evidence of debates in the media o Evidence of new funders for your area o Evidence of trans fer of research and innovation into practice (patents, prototypes, licenses) o Number and turnover of new products, practices or procedures developed , based on your research outcomes o Number of articles in the press o Number of people asking for feedback or more information o Number of references in scientific publications o Participation in project events and seminars o Speaker evaluations from conference presentations o Survey of end – users o Trends in website visits C . Pick your audience 1 Is your audience well defined? Is each target audience a relatively homogenous group of people (not: the public at large or all stakeholders ) ? Can the indicated audiences be further spe cified? For example: f rom the general public to female citizens commuting by train to work in one of the EU – 10 countries or f rom decision – makers to Europarliamentarians involved in the design of the new transport policy 2013 . 2 Does it include all relevant target groups? Can your audience help you reach your objectives? o Who has an interest in your research? o Who can contribute to your work? o Who would be interested in learning about the project’s findings? o Who could or will be affected directly by t he outcomes of the research? o Who are not directly involved, but could have influence elsewhere? Does the project aim to address both a direct audience and intermediaries to reach more people? What about the possibility of audiences at local, regional, nati onal and European level ? Is the audience external ( not restricted to consortium partners)? F or each audience, you should work on a distinct strategy using targeted messages , means and language .
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9 D . Choose your message 1 Is it news ? Why do we need to know? What will change? What solutions are you offering? What makes the issue urgent? Wh at are the consequences if no action is taken? Have you tried to stir your audience’s imagination and emotions? How does your work relate to everyday life? Does it lin k to any broader societal issue? Rather than focusing only on the provision of factual information, is your project research positioned within a broader socio – economic and policy context, so that it will be easier to explain the results and their relevanc e to policymakers and citizens? 2 Are you connecting to what your audience wants to know? S ee through your audience’s eyes: o What do they already know about the topic? o What do they think about it? o Do they need information and/or persuasion ? o Have you tested your message ? 3 Are you connecting to your own communication objective s ? E . Use the right medium and means 1 Do they reach the audience? Are you working at the right level (local, regional, national)? Are you using dissemination partners and multip liers? Dissemination partners can help amplify and multiply a message. Rather than aim ing to build an audience from scratch, the project should indicate which partners to use and how. 2 Do they go beyond the obvious? If input or contributions are needed , are there mechanisms in place to make communication interactive so as to obtain responses? Are you taking into account th e different ways to communicate ? A story is an effective way to make people remember your message. Why not tell one to disseminate your results? Which stories work best? A good story consists of a succession of events with a beginning, a middle and an end, a scene setter and a plot, a cli max and a conclusion, all of this in a rich context. It is hence more than a list of results achieved. A good story is one with which others can identify, with the project content as a basis, and focused on a person (for example: the researcher). Such stor ies also allow your message to be conveyed through shared values that will touch people’s hearts and provoke emotion, and the promise of a better future. You have forgotten how to tell a story? There are plenty of resources on the internet to help you. Just search for ‘storytelling’.
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10 Examples of interpersonal , two – way communication Examples of mass media , one – way communication – Dialogues, face – to – face conversation – Group discussions – Conferences – Brokerage events – School visits – Tours – Round tables – Exhibitions – Meetings – Workshops – Open days – Demonstrations and prototypes – Telephone calls – E – mail information service (question and answer) – Internet debate – Newspapers and magazines – Press releases – Newsletters – Manuals – Brochures, booklets, flyers – Letters – Radio – Television – Video – Posters – Stickers – Banners – Billboards – Website – Policy brief s Smaller audience, lower costs, more effort (more effect?!) Interactive, good for acquiring input Flexible (easy to change tone, strategy and content) Potentially large audience Uses the credibility of the mass media F . Evaluate your efforts Go back to your goals and objectives. Have they been reached? What l essons have you learned?
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