New study program in space systems and communications engineering

SPACECOM strategy – plan
for Dissemination, Sustainability and exploitation

 Effective dissemination is essential in order to make sure that the project and their effect will be visible. The SPACECOM consortium will be disseminating the results of the project to multiple audiences, via different channels, at different intervals, etc. The aim of this dissemination strategy is to maximize the impact, visibility and credibility of the project. The objectives of the strategy are as follows:

• Design, develop and regularly update the SPACECOM website.
• Share information about the project and publish its findings via both traditional media (e.g. press relation) and digital media (e.g. social media)
• Transfer knowledge to industry about changes in academic area – the creation of new training materials, educational resources and the new curricula.
• Support the development of a strategy for the exploitation.

1. Strategy of activities

Dissemination &exploitation activities will address the following target groups and be organized following:

– Event-based dissemination. The project will organized min 3 annual dissemination workshops to inform and engage with the national academic communities. The Final project Conference will address a broader audience bringing together additionally policy makers, NGOs, education authorities, other stakeholders important to the best practice proliferation in the countries.

– Web-based dissemination. The project website (to be defined) will serve as a major interface and community building platform. In addition to being a repository to all tangible outcomes (training and teaching materials, webinars, results of the Feasibility Study, Repository entry point, methodological materials, reference materials, etc.), it will enable community activities (blogs, social networks interface, FAQ, etc.). On top of that, all partners will use other available web-based dissemination channels (own websites, mailing lists, community resources). All target groups will be addressed.

– Traditional dissemination. The project will produce the set of traditional promotional materials, it will publish major results in media (general public) and professional journals (academic community). Additionally, the project will organize several briefing meetings with policy making stakeholders  to enable a multiplier effect.

1. Exploitation planning and exploitation of the results:

– Exploitation planning. The project will plan the exploitation (including how to bear running costs) of such principle outcomes as the set of developed methodological materials, the Repository, the website, etc. for the period of 3-5 years after the project end.

– Exploitation nature: public nature – openly available for re-use.

– Involving into practical aspects of dissemination/exploitation: involving external stakeholders in Evaluation trial and in developing practical tutorials during workshops to ease external exploitation and uptake.

1. Components of the dissemination and sustainability plan of the project

Target groups:

               Specific audience (SA):

• Academic community: students, researchers, professors or other people involved in activities related to the project’s topic and interested in following its development and outcomes);
• stakeholders, potential employers of graduates; experts or practitioners in the field (graduate engineers) and other interested parties.
• decision-makers at local, regional, national level.

               Generic audience (GA):

• People who may not have professional interests in the project, but that in terms of visibility result to be very important for the project.
  • Channels:
• Traditional channels: local, regional, national press and media;
• Modern social networks, such as: Facebook page

1.    Activities:

 In order to regularly update information on the project website and the Facebook page to assign a “blogger” from each university.

• Development of a publication plan by each of the universities (1 publication every 3-4 months) (SA)
• Publication can be in local or national media channels (newspapers, information leaflets, brochures, other print media; TV etc.); on the Website of the university; social media networks (for instance, Facebook etc.); every publication should contain a link to the project website; every publication (scan of it if it’s printed or link to it in the Internet where this publication is situated) should be sent to Project coordinator.
• Schedule of local sustainability activities and dissemination of the project results (one event every 3 months) each year of the project; the schedule should be developed by the local coordinator; activities can be: local meetings of the partner universities, conferences, etc.
• Development of a list of related universities and non-academic partners outside the project involved in the activities of the project; organizations interested in the project.
• Development of a schedule of meetings for non-academic partners, such as other universities, organizations that might be interested in the project
• Preparation of press releases of each of the conducted meetings mentioned in 3.4. and 3.6.
• Creating a newsletter (news about SPACECOM, news from the world related to the topics discussed); newsletter release – 3 times x year
• Preparation of leaflets/booklets with photographs of dissemination events on the basis of information provided by the partner universities (min. 2 times a year).
• Development of the website of the project and its regular update (once 3 months) (SA);
• Developing of the network of C-offices and involvement new participants in it (signing an Agreement for Network)
• Developing an agreement “SPACECOM Plus”/ “University-Enterprise Cooperation” in order to involve new participants outside the consortium in the project

Developing a memorandum of the continued cooperation of the project consortium partners (to ensure the sustainability of the project results after the end of the project) minimum for 5 years. The executive part of the Memorandum will include agreed and supported measures aimed at exploitation of the project results (concluded at the Final Conference). Activities after the end of the project: continuing further dissemination (as described above); developing ideas for future cooperation; evaluating achievements and impact; contacting relevant media; contacting policy-makers on request; cooperating with the European Commission by providing useful inputs to its dissemination and exploitation efforts.