It is an extract from my long awaiting ebook that is due to be published shortly. It contains useful hints, methods and tools on how to start a dialogue with the project beneficiaries (target groups, beneficiaries, end-users, etc) and engage them so that to directly or indirectly benefit from the project activities and results.

1. &
Start
Communicating!
By Nikolaos Floratos
Founder of learneasy.eu
Familiarisation and tools on effective communication
techniques of european funded projects from H2020,
Erasmus+ and other programmes

2. Preface
Have you realised why European Commission requires clear communication
measures in your european funded project and what they mean with that?
For years, european funded projects considered at the best case that having a
website, a facebook page, publishing some press releases, distributing some
leaflets and other promotion materials and organising a conference during the
project duration was more than enough. The partners were happy, the EC
evaluators and reviewers were happy, the European Commission was happy.
But were your target group, stakeholders and your end-users happy?
Not really! Since all the above measures mainly focus on promoting and raising
some awareness on the project to its target group. However, the stakeholders and
target group were not actually involved in the project, they were not engaged and
they were not receiving the expected benefits as they should from the european
projects that are funded from tax payers’ money
European Commission has eventually realised that!
Now in the new programming period from 2014-2020, EC actually requires all
european funded projects as well as any proposals for funding to prepare and
implement a strategy on communication, i.e. how to establish a dialogue with the
project beneficiaries (target groups, stakeholders and end-users), engage them in
the project and allow them to benefit from project results and achievements.
Next slides are part of our training course on “Effective Dissemination and
Exploitation of European Funded Projects” as well as part of my book “Stop
disseminating and start Communicating!” that is to be published soon and I hope
they will help you to start communicating effectively in your european funded
project.
Enjoy it!
Nikolaos Floratos
EC expert, Trainer and Consultant
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo © NSF CYBERALL ACCESS 2

3. Clarify the basics
• Dissemination
• Communication
• Exploitation
• Valorisation
• Sustainability
• Lobbying
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS 3Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo

4. Dissemination
Promotion of project and
highlighting the benefits for the
end-users and project
stakeholders
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS 4Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo

5. Communication
•Engaging your target groups.
i.e. establishing a dialogue with
them and involving them in
your project
•Dissemination is a subset of
Communication
•In practice you disseminate
alone (e.g. sending newsletters
by email) but are you
communicating?
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS 5Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo

6. Exploitation
• All actions that allow the
project participants to take
advantage of project results
• All actions that allow the
replication of project activities
for achieving similar
achievements in different areas
(other countries or sectors)
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo © NSF CYBERALL ACCESS 6

7. Valorisation
• It includes any activities for
both dissemination and
exploitation
• It is an EC jargon
• One word to describe two
together
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo © NSF CYBERALL ACCESS 7

8. Sustainability
• All actions that allow and
support the project to continue
on its own after the funding
period
• All actions that allow the
project to sustain itself
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo © NSF CYBERALL ACCESS 8

9. Dissemination, communication,
openness, exploitation planning
• Dissemination Action Plan: shall describe
how to share the outcomes of the project within and
outside the participating organisations
• Communication Action Plan: Shall
describe how to engage your target group
(establishing a dialogue with the stakeholders)
(Communication contains Dissemination)
• Open Action Plan: shall describe how the
project materials, documents and media produced will
be made freely available and promoted through open
licenses, and does not contain disproportionate
limitations
• Exploitation Action Plan: shall describe
how a) participants and participating organisations will
take advantage of project outcomes during and the
project lifecycle and b) target groups (individuals,
organisations) outside the project will be able to
benefit from project outcomes
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo © NSF CYBERALL ACCESS 9

10. Lobbying Essentials
• WP stands for the Workprogramme, the official
documentation that specifies the activity priorities
to be funded. WP is published normally either
annually or every two years by the funding
authority
• Lobbying can take place only during the
workprogramme preparation stage, i.e. before its
publication
• Lobbying can take the form of participation in
public consultations, advisory groups or of f2f
discussions with EC officials
• Lobby: The open area inside a public building =>
Lobbying to influence transparently EC decisions
that relate to a particular industry/issue, etc
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
10

11. What can be
disseminated
• Project Expectations
• Project Achievements
• Project Results
• Lessons learnt (bad or good
ones)
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
11

12. Dissemination of
Project Expectations
• What is expected by this
project
• It can be promoted at the very
beginning of the project
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
12

13. Dissemination of
Project Results
• Are linked with the benefits for the
end users and the project
stakeholders
• Good practices and methods applied
for implementing and delivering
project results
Tip: Always deliver as one of the main
project results a methodology (step
by step guide) that will allow others
to replicate similar results
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
13

14. Dissemination of
Project
Achievements
• Anything that has been achieved
and how it was achieved
• Examples
– Completion of project events
(meetings, conferences, etc)
– Completion of activities
– Completion of workpackages
– Completion of milestones
– Completion of deliverables
– Etc
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
14

15. Dissemination of
Lessons Learnt
• Anything related to the project
that is useful for third parties to
become aware and either
endorse or avoid
• You endorse anything that has
positive impact to partners or to
stakeholders
• You avoid anything that has
negative impact to partners or to
stakeholders
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
15

16. Who shall
disseminate
• Everyone
• I mean everyone
• Yes, everyone
• Watch this short video clip
(only15 secs) to make sure you
understand “Everyone”
• Did I say everyone?
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
16

17. Who shall
disseminate
• Coordinator
• WP leaders
• Dissemination Manager
• Consortium Partners
• EC Funding Authority
• Stakeholders/End-users (very
extensive and critical group)
I mean everyone!
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
17

18. Why shall we
disseminate?
• It is a contractual obligation for anyone (i.e. project
partners) receiving funding (i.e. tax payers money) from
the European Union
• European Commission has to keep the EU citizens
happy/satisfied that EU money are well-spent
• In fact, it is essential that the public resources and
efforts used in European Funded Programmes are
converted into socio-economic benefits to the EU. i.e.
Each programme establishes commitments from the
participants in terms of dissemination and exploitation of
the projects’ results.
• Most of EC funding partially funds a project. The rest
comes mainly from contributions from all partners. Only
through dissemination and exploitation activities,
partners can have a Return Of this Investment (ROI)
and take advantage of the project
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
18

19. When shall we
disseminate?
• ASAP – As Soon As Possible
• The latest by the first month of
the project
• It is essential that
dissemination activities will go
on also after the contractual
completion of the project.
Remember ROI!
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
19

20. Project/Lobbying
Stages
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
20
Annual WP to
address your
proposal concept
Get feedback from
funders, Letters of Support
from stakeholders and
engage competent
partners
ActivityActivity OutputOutput InterrelationInterrelation
Next
Step/Actio
n

21. How to influence the
Workprogramme focus of
H2020?
• H2020 is the largest funding
programme for research and
innovation in Europe
• The workprogramme priorities
are formulated by the EC with the
support of H2020 Advisory
Groups
• New Advisory Groups formed by
EC in different areas
• Make sure you contact the AGs
or join them
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
21

22. To whom shall
we disseminate
• Stakeholders: The ones that have direct or
indirect benefit from the project
• End-users: The ones that direct benefit from the
project results
• Decision Makers/Replication Actors: Those
that have the decision power for the adoption of
project results
• Funding Authority for showcasing the project
as good practice and that public money are
wellspent
• Policy Makers: Those that integrate project
results into policies
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
22

23. How shall we disseminate
• Via website (to be online ASAP)
• Via Newsletters (regularly issued or updated)
• Via social media
• Via traditional media (TV, radio, paid
advertisement, leaflets, posters, gadgets, etc)
• Publications such as with articles in scientific
journals or with (e-)books with the project
results (tip: Get an ISBN of your publication
on that case)
• Via Press Releases
• Via events, conferences, workshops,
interviews, exhibitions (check our checklist)
• Via online conferences (Tip: Do you know
you can broadcast live your event for free
through googlehangout and youtube?)
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
23

24. Other dissemination
methods?
• I am sure you can think far
more effective dissemination
techniques, right?
• In order to make your life
easier, we have identified
some more, check our good
dissemination practices
mindmap
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
24

25. How much shall we
spend in
dissemination?
As a rule of thumb
• 10%-15% for Project
Management including Quality
Assurance
• 70% of the budget for Project
Implementation (User Needs,
State of the Art Analysis, Design
and Development, Pilot Testing)
• 15%-20% for Dissemination and
Exploitation
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
25

26. Dissemination
Plan/Strategy
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
26
• Plus how much? Plus how well?
Everything, we discussed so far should be
reflected in your dissemination strategy -
DAP

27. Our dissemination
tools/Templates
In order to make your life easier, we have
two very useful tools for preparing the
dissemination strategy of your project:
• Checklist of good dissemination
practices
• DAP - Dissemination Action Plan
template
They are very useful and you are advised
to keep them online (e.g. in a google
speadsheet) so that can be accessed from
anywhere, anytime by all partners and can
monitor the project status
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
27

28. Do you want more?
In case you liked what
you read and you wish
more, you can pre-order
my full ebook
“Stop Disseminating
and Start
Communicating”
Learn it easy moto: Balance your life as zen stones and then grow skills as fast as bamboo
© NSF CYBERALL ACCESS
28
For more about our publications in proposal writing, project
management,
quality evaluation, dissemination and exploitation in European
Projects please check our
website www.cyberall-access.com