EU projects are projects co-funded by the European Union via programs such as Horizon 2020, EU Health Programme, TEN-T. The EU’s overall political goals are developed collectively by its institutions.
There is often some overlap between dissemination, exploitation, and communication, especially in the case of near-market projects. These guidelines can help you clarify the difference between these concepts. The EU also provides a wide range of services to assist you in your dissemination and exploitation activities.
Dissemination is a critical part of a project often overlooked. If you start your project by thinking about dissemination you won’t forget to collect the baseline data.
Dissemination means sharing research results with potential users – peers in the research field, industry, other commercial players and policymakers). By sharing your research results with the rest of the scientific community, you are contributing to the progress of science in general.
Whereas exploitation is the use of results for commercial purposes or in public policymaking.
Communicating and promoting your project: The beneficiaries must promote the action and its results, by providing targeted information to multiple audiences (including the media and the public), strategically and effectively, and possibly engaging in a two-way exchange.
Communicating your project to maximize the impact
If you receive EU funding, let’s communicate your efforts and successes to the outside world! Don’t forget that your work and results need communication to maximize your impact and let people know about your successes.
Making your project visible is the first step in reaching out to new partners, valuing and exploiting your research results and finding your way in the marketplace.
How can you get started? A strategic communication approach is a key to the success of your project. Get inspired and start planning your communication strategy by following these tips and tricks!
The communication activities must already be part of the proposal.
A comprehensive communication plan should define clear objectives (adapted to various relevant target audiences) and set out a description and timing for each activity.
With your communication activities, you call the attention of multiple audiences about your research (in a way that they can be understood by non-specialists) and address the public policy perspective of EU research and innovation funding, by considering aspects such as:
- Transnational cooperation in a European consortium (i.e. how working together has allowed to achieve more than otherwise possible).
- Scientific excellence.
- Contributing to competitiveness and to solving societal challenges (eg. impact on everyday lives, better use of results and spill-over to policy-makers, industry and the scientific community).
How to communicate your EU-funded project? Why is communication so important?
Here are some tips and tricks for new and prospective projects. We hope they will give you some ideas on how to increase your outreach and learn from successful EU-funded projects.
Make a comprehensive communication plan that defines your audiences. Think about the tools to reach and multiply your audiences that are proportionate to the scale of your projects.
Your communication might include:
-Publications (leaflets, brochures).
-Websites.
-Events.
-Publicity (posters).
-Videos and photos.
-Campaigns.
-Social media.
-Press releases.
Any communication activity related to your project needs to acknowledge the EU funding you have received, according to the grant agreement that you have signed.
In 3DforScience we can help you in your communication activities, as a 3D animation company specialized in the Pharma&Biotech sector. We have previously collaborated in projects supported by the European Union.
This is the video made for Cupido called Inhalable nanoparticles to the heart. Through this 3D animation video we explain the Cupido’s technology based on reaching the core of cardiovascular disease by developing inhalable nanoparticles that can deliver therapy directly to the diseased heart.
Nanoparticles are extremely tiny, nearly a million times smaller than a grain of sand and too small to see with conventional microscopes. Exploiting such a tiny system as a delivery route can revolutionize the cardiovascular field, becoming the first non-invasive, heart-specific therapy.
Among the many benefits that a 3D animation video brings to a company, is the obtaining of many marketing materials, as we can see in the following image of Cupid’s booth, where besides using the video on a screen they used scientific illustrations obtained from the video as well as the posters.
How to acknowledge EU funding
Acknowledging EU funding is a legal obligation for each beneficiary. That is why all communication activities related to the project, as well as all infrastructure, equipment or major results funded under the grant must:
Display the EU emblem in high-resolution like this video made from 3DforScience:
Acknowledging EU funding on social media
Acknowledging EU funding is also compulsory on all social media channels you use for your project communication activities (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook etc.).
Being aware of the characters limits on some social media, such as Twitter, we recommend you use the short version of the full acknowledgment text in your bio or in a pinned tweet/ post:
This project receives funding from the @EU_H2020 Research & Innovation Programme. Any related tweets reflect only the view of the project owner.
Do not forget that acknowledgment of EU funding is much more than a legal obligation.
By using EU branding you become part of the large Horizon 2020 community, with access to a wide network and business opportunities. And, last but not least, you will help to promote the impact of the EU for the benefit of all European citizens!
3DforScience
3DforScience is a scientific communication company specialized in digital content for the pharma and biotech industries. Our passionate creative team works alongside an in-house scientific team to provide cutting-edge medical animations, scientific illustrations, virtual reality, etc.
Our extensive experience within the field ensures all the content we produce is scientifically accurate, innovative, engaging, and pitched at the right level for the target audience.
