Final Dissemination Plan

GRANT AGREEMENT NO. : PROJECT ACRONYM: PROJECT TITLE: FUNDING SCHEME: THEMATIC PRIORITY: PROJECT START DATE: DURATION:

608775 INDICATE Indicator-based Interactive Decision Support and Information Exchange Platform for Smart Cities STREP EeB.ICT.2013.6.4 1st October 2013 36 Months

DELIVERABLE 7.9 Report on Project Dissemination

Date August 26, 2016 August 29, 2016 August 30, 2016

Review History Submitted By Reviewed By Dimitra Xidous and Tom Grey Aidan Melia Dimitra Xidous and Tom Grey Dimitra Xidous and Tom Grey

Version 1 2

Dissemination Level PU PP RE CO

Public Restricted to other programme participants (including the Commission Services) Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services) Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services)

X

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 608775

Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................3 1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................................4 1.1

Objective and overall structure of this report ...............................................................................................4

2 The INDICATE Project Dissemination Plan (2014-present) ....................................................................................5 2.1 Key Elements of the Dissemination Plan ...........................................................................................................5 3 The Final Dissemination Plan....................................................................................................................................6 3.1 On-Line Dissemination Activities ......................................................................................................................6 3.2 Newsletters .........................................................................................................................................................7 3.3 Workshops and Seminars ...................................................................................................................................7 3.4 Journals and Conference ...................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

3.5 Other Activities and Overall Branding ...............................................................................................................9 4 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................................................10

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The main objective of Work Package 7 is as follows: 

Dissemination of the INDICATE objectives and results at various levels to suit particular audiences e.g. decision and policy makers at national, European and international levels; business managers and leaders; technical researchers and developers

With respect to this report, the WP leaders (TCD) have built on the dissemination foundations established at the outset of this project and outline the key elements of the final dissemination plan to facilitate and ensure the efficient dissemination and broadcasting of all relevant research results as widely as possible. While this report will make reference to the various dissemination elements (i.e. website, social media, journal and conference attendance, etc), it will not report on progress to date. A separate progress report, coordinated by IES, will be developed shortly, wherein TCD will report on dissemination activities since the last reporting period (M20-M27).

The final dissemination plan includes the following key activities: 

On-line dissemination via website and social media (on-going until end of September 2016)



Final newsletter (published before the end of September 2016)



Two dissemination workshops, one in Ireland in either Dundalk or Dublin (TBC), and the second in Genoa on the 16th of September



A joint workshop between INDICATE/DIMMER/OPTIMUS in Turin, Italy from September 14-15,2016;

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Completion of the ‘Project Information Video’ (finalized before the end of September 2016).

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Completion of Dissemination and Transition of responsibility to IES

As outlined in the first periodic report, and building on activities aimed to develop an attractive and distinctive visual style and graphical approach for the INDICATE project, TCD have developed and implemented a visual branding component, specifically, a graphic that incorporates the INDICATE logo/visual and the circular diagram outlining project goals. This branding has been carried on throughout the project and will continue to be used as part of the final dissemination plan as it works to unify the look and feel of a number of dissemination-related products, including the quarterly newsletter, the INDICATE flyer, and the INDICATE poster.

As the project is coming to an end, TCD will work with IES on a transition timeline with regards to the implementation of the final dissemination plan. On this, it will be important to take advantage of synergies between both the dissemination plan and the exploitation plan, and to link the activities identified across both plans, to ensure maximum circulation and exposure of INDICATE results to stakeholders.

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1 Introduction The main objective of Work Package 7 is as follows: 

Dissemination of the INDICATE objectives and results at various levels to suit particular audiences e.g. decision and policy makers at national, European and international levels; business managers and leaders; technical researchers and developers

As noted in the first periodic report, the dissemination approach for the INDICATE project expands on the plan outlined in the grant agreement Annex 1 – Description of work:

Figure 1: Dissemination Plan, as described in grant agreement Annex 1 – Description of work.

As set out at the beginning of the project, the INDICATE project will promote communication and cooperation, at national and sub-national levels, with respect to Optimising Energy Systems in Smart Cities. Through the project, linkages between ministries, government officials, local authorities, building design professionals, researchers and scientists, construction companies, technology suppliers, communities and individuals, potential investors and business communities will be strengthened. In the context of this, the key element of the dissemination plan (i.e.

Task 7.1 – dissemination and collaboration) - spans the full breadth of the project.

1.1 Objective and overall structure of this report With respect to this report, the WP leaders (TCD) will build on the dissemination foundations established at the outset of this project and outline the key elements of the final dissemination plan to facilitate and ensure the efficient dissemination and broadcasting of all relevant research results as widely as possible. While this report will make reference to the various dissemination elements (i.e. website, social media, journal and conference attendance, etc), it will not report on progress to date. A separate progress report, coordinated by IES, will be developed shortly, wherein TCD will report on dissemination activities since the last reporting period (M20-27).

The structure of this report will be as follows:  

Overview of the dissemination plan developed for the INDICATE project, including key modes of dissemination Key components of the final dissemination plan

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2 The INDICATE Project Dissemination Plan (2014-present) WP 7 leaders TCD undertook to enhance the dissemination approach for the INDICATE project via the alignment of tasks and deliverables of all WPs, with the tasks and deliverables associated with WP 7. This alignment reflects the understanding that while TCD is the WP 7 leader, all partners have a role in dissemination, and as such, their engagement in the achievement of WP 7 tasks and deliverables will contribute to the overall effectiveness of the dissemination activities outlined in the dissemination plan. For more information regarding Deliverable 7.2 and the alignment of WP7 deliverables with deliverables associated with WP 1-6, please refer to Report D 7.2 – Revised Dissemination Plan (January 2014).

In developing the dissemination plan, WP 7 leaders highlighted the importance of the ‘Do-Plan-Check-Act’ dissemination strategy to ensure the effective implementation of the dissemination plan:

Figure 2: Plan-Do-Check-Act Dissemination Strategy

Central to this strategy is the understanding that the dissemination plan for INDICATE was developed to be iterative and organic. In other words, the plan needed to be flexible enough to allow for new modes of dissemination not identified as part of the initial report to be developed, such as the animation and infographic, as well as allow for the re-distribution of efforts and resources from poorly-performing dissemination modes to those with a higher success rate (including, for example, the branding that has been developed throughout the project).

The final dissemination plan builds on this foundation, and where appropriate, links with the INDICATE exploitation plan to maximize returns with respect to the wide distribution and broadcasting of project results.

2.1 Key Elements of the Dissemination Plan The key modes of dissemination outlined in the initial plan are follows: 26/08/2016

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    

On-line: via the website and social media, including Twitter, Facebook, ISSUU, Tumblr, Youtube (all linked to deliverable D7.1).

Newsletters (both physical copies and on-line) (D7.3) Journals and Conferences (D7.5, D7.7, D7.10) Workshops and seminars (D7.4, D7.6, D7.8) Other Activities, which include overall branding and the development of infographics/animations.

As WP leader, TCD liaised with all partners to ensure timely and effective dissemination of materials in order to maximise stakeholder awareness of and engagement with the INDICATE project.

3 The Final Dissemination Plan Activity

Timeline

On-line Dissemination (website, Twitter, ISSUU, etc) One final Newsletter

Weekly news items/ downloads – throughout September 2016 Newsletter – published last week of September 2016 Dissemination workshop (Dublin or Dundalk, TBC) – second half of September Dissemination Workshop in Genoa (September 16, 2016) Joint Dissemination Workshop (Turin) – DIMMER/INDICATE/OPTIMUS – September 15-16, 2016 Talking Heads video – end of September 2016 Transition of website, Twitter, ISSUU etc in line with exploitation plan synergies

Workshops

Information Video Transition

Lead (until the end of September 2016) TCD (with input from partners as appropriate)

Lead (from October 2016) IES

TCD (with input from partners as appropriate) TCD (with input from partners as appropriate)

IES IES

DAPP IES and DAPP

TCD (with input from partners as appropriate) TCD and IES

N/A IES

Table 1: List of Activities in Final Dissemination Plan

The final dissemination plan continues to build on the elements and components outlined in the revised dissemination plan (January 2014), implemented throughout the 36-month duration of the project. While WP leaders TCD have spearheaded dissemination activities, it should be noted that dissemination activities should be linked with activities identified as part of the exploitation plan currently under development by IES. Table 1 lists the key activities of the final dissemination plan, including deadlines and project leads.

Below is a short description of the key elements of the final dissemination plan.

3.1 On-Line Dissemination Activities Of the on-line methods used to share information regarding the INDICATE project, both the Twitter (@INDICATE_EU) account and the INDICATE project website ( http://indicate-smartcities.eu/) have proven to be effective means of disseminating information regarding the project, with the INDICATE website receiving +20K visits since its launch in 2014. In addition, sharing INDICATE material (reports, articles, newsletters) via ISSUU has also proven an effective dissemination method, with +12K visits since its launch in the summer of 2014, from a 26/08/2016

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number of different countries, including: Italy, Ireland, UK, India, Switzerland, and the US. Lastly, YouTube has also provided a healthy avenue for sharing information regarding the project. All of these elements continue to be employed as part of the final dissemination plan to ensure maximum reach for project results. Of the remaining on-line methods established to share information about the INDICATE project, both Facebook and Tumblr have demonstrated a less effective means through which to reach stakeholders. As a result, they will not be a major dissemination vehicle.

Key outputs between now and end of September 2016:  

Weekly posting on INDICATE website (news items, reporting and journal documentation, as appropriate); Follow-up circulation via social media channels, including Twitter, ISSUU and youtube (as appropriate).

3.2 Final Newsletter Over the course of the project, the WP leaders, with input from INDICATE partners have developed a number of newsletters highlighting key elements of the INDICATE project. These newsletters were effective in sharing information; furthermore, they were successful in reinforcing the overall branding that TCD developed for the project. In addition to the newsletters, this branding has been reinforced by the development of the INDICATE flyer, and poster. Additional information regarding INDICATE branding is listed below in section 3.6. The final dissemination plan builds on the library of newsletters developed to date, with one additional newsletter to be published before the end of September 2016. The proposed contents for this final newsletter will be as follows:    

Introduction – acknowledgements and ‘thank you’s to partners and EU A section describing the final phase of the project, including final visuals A list of publications to date, with links back to the INDICATE website (downloads section) Next Steps – information for stakeholders for the INDICATE project (post-September 2016).

Figure 3: INDICATE Newsletter

3.3 Final Dissemination Workshops During the course of the project, a number of dissemination workshops have been undertaken. The first dissemination workshop, with the aim of introducing the project to key stakeholders, took place in July 2014 in Dublin, Ireland. As per agreement with INDICATE partners, and as part of the final dissemination plan, a workshop will be held in Ireland (in either Dublin, or Dundalk) before the end of September 2016.

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While the objectives of the workshop are currently being finalized, the aim of the workshop is to share information on the final phase of the project, as well as next steps, and key elements of the final product, with stakeholders.

The final dissemination plan includes a joint dissemination workshop combining the following three FP7 projects: INDICATE, DIMMER and OPTIMUS. This workshop will be held in Turin on September 14-15, 2016. INDICATE partners IES, DAPP and EOG will be presenting at the workshop. This allows for a good crossover between projects, and discussion on synergies between them. The agenda is as follows:

Figure 4: Agenda for DIMMER/INDICATE/OPTIMUS workshop

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Lastly, an INDICATE-focused dissemination workshop will be organized in Genoa on September 16, 2016. The final agenda for this is outlined below:

Figure 5: Agenda for the Genoa dissemination event

3.4 Other Activities and Overall Branding WP 7 leaders have been involved in the development of a ‘project information’ video, which is a short 5-6min video aimed at explaining the INDICATE project. The initial video features Aidan Melia (IES) speaking about the INDICATE project. The final dissemination plan will build on this video, and expand it to include video segments from key partners linked to each of the INDICATE test sites. A script for the additional video segments is currently being finalized. The deadline for completion of the final video will be end of September 2016.

As outlined in the first periodic report, and building on activities aimed to develop an attractive and distinctive visual style and graphical approach for the INDICATE project, TCD have developed and implemented a visual branding component, specifically, a graphic that incorporates the INDICATE logo/visual and the circular diagram outlining project goals. This branding has been carried on throughout the project and will continue to be used as part of the final dissemination plan as it works to unify the look and feel of a number of dissemination-related products, including the quarterly newsletter, the INDICATE flyer, and the INDICATE poster.

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3.5 Completion of the Final Dissemination Plan – Transition As outlined herein, all the activities listed for the final dissemination plan will be completed by the end of September 2016, coinciding with the end of the 36-month period for the project. In recognition of this, and acknowledging also the need to take advantage of synergies between the final dissemination plan and the exploitation plan currently in development by IES, TCD is working with IES to agree on a final timeline for transitioning the responsibility of key dissemination modes (i.e. website, Twitter, etc) to IES to continue on from October 2016.

4 Conclusion The final dissemination plan continues to build on the elements of the revised dissemination plan that was developed in January 2014. On-line activities, especially those linked to Twitter, the INDICATE website and ISSUU will continue to play a strong role in the dissemination of INDICATE-related activities. TCD are currently working on finalizing the project and test sites information video, in time for the final consortium meeting taking place in in Brussels (date to be confirmed). As the project is coming to an end, TCD will work with IES on a transition timeline with regards to the implementation of the final dissemination plan. On this, it will be important to take advantage of synergies between both the dissemination plan and the exploitation plan, and to link the activities identified across both plans, to ensure maximum circulation and exposure of INDICATE results to stakeholders.

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