Report d 7 3 Format for Quarterly Newsletter

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 7.3 Format for Quarterly e-letters, blogs, and internet releases

Date June 30, 2014

Review History Submitted By Reviewed By Dimitra Xidous & Tom Grey/TCD Aidan Melia/IES

Version 1

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

2.

STRUCTURE OF REPORT.................................................................................................................................4

3.

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE APPROVED DISSEMINATION PLAN .....................................................5

4.

THE INDICATE BULLETIN/E-LETTER TEMPLATE.....................................................................................5

5.

SCREEN SHOTS OF DRAFT INDICATE BULLETIN .....................................................................................6

6.

DISSEMINATION FORMAT .............................................................................................................................8

7.

SCHEDULE FOR FUTURE BULLETINS .........................................................................................................9

8.

CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................................9

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report focuses specifically on deliverable D7.3 – the development and circulation of the INDICATE Bulletin/eletter – and outlines the components of the final template for the bulletin/e-newsletter, including modes and methods of dissemination. In the context of the Work Package and the overall aims of the INDICATE project with respect to communication and cooperation, a dissemination plan with the following objectives was developed: communicate, promote and raise awareness about the project objectives and results; promote the active engagement of stakeholders throughout the course of the project; maximise the research impact and sustainability; and, introduce to market and create awareness about the INDICATE tool. Aligning with the overall goals and objectives of the dissemination plan, the aim of the INDICATE Newsletter is to share information and raise awareness of key activities and progress related to the INDICATE project. The newsletter template has been designed to include both text and visual components in order to: (1) provide information regarding key deliverables achieved during the period covered by the newsletter; (2) reinforce the visual identity and branding that has been developed by the INDICATE dissemination team for posters and flyers; and (3) increase traffic to the INDICATE website and related social media portals where additional information regarding the INDICATE project can be found.

The first newsletter will include information on the following items: (1) general overview of the INDICATE project, including goals and objectives; (2) stakeholder engagement (Work Package 1); characterization of the city as an overall integrated system (Work Package 2); and, evaluation of energy efficiency measurement and the urban environment (Work Package 3). Beginning with the inaugural issue, all INDICATE newsletters will be disseminated via the INDICATE website, as well as social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and ISSUU.

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1. INTRODUCTION Dissemination is the process of making the results and deliverables of a project available to the stakeholders and to the wider audience. Dissemination is essential for take-up, and take-up is crucial for the success of a project and for the sustainability of outputs in the long term. The focus of Work Package 7 of the INDICATE project is dissemination. Specifically, this Work Package will be responsible for the delivery of the following: dissemination of the INDICATE objectives and results at various levels to suit particular audiences (i.e. decision and policymakers at national, European and international levels; business managers and leaders; technical researchers; and, developers); contribution towards standardization by way of a reference Smart City Domain Ontology and Validation Cases; and, interim and final exploitation plans.

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, industries, construction companies, technology suppliers, communities and individuals, potential investors and business communities will be strengthen.

This report focuses specifically on deliverable D7.3 – the development and circulation of the INDICATE bulletin– and outlines the components of the final template for the bulletin/e-newsletter, including modes and methods of dissemination. Together , the newsletter template and the modes and methods of dissemination presented herein, provide the overall format for the newsletter, blogs and internet releases of information related to the INDICATE project. It should be noted that, as the project has progressed, information relating to the INDICATE project (i.e. progress meetings, information regarding the upcoming dissemination workshop) has been shared via the INDICATE website as well as social media. It is the view of the project partners responsible for dissemination that the newsletters serve to highlight and raise further awareness for activities and information already being disseminated via the web and social media on a daily/weekly basis.

2. STRUCTURE OF REPORT The structure of this report is as follows: 

General overview of the approved dissemination plan



The template for INDICATE newsletter, including examples of information to be shared as part of the first bulletin/e-letter (Note: this report includes a template for the newsletter; the final newsletter, including content will finalized in time for dissemination at the first workshop, scheduled to take place in Dublin on July 8th).

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

Visual representation of the draft template of the newsletter



Dissemination format (i.e. modes and methods of dissemination)



Dissemination calendar of future newsletters



Conclusion

3. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE APPROVED DISSEMINATION PLAN In the context of the Work Package and the overall aims of the INDICATE project with respect to communication and cooperation, a dissemination plan with the following objectives was developed: communicate, promote and raise awareness about the project objectives and results; promote the active engagement of stakeholders throughout the course of the project; maximise the research impact and sustainability; and, introduce to market and create awareness about the INDICATE tool. The activities outlined in the dissemination plan are grouped under the following headings:

On-line dissemination; Seminars and Workshops; Journals; Conferences;

Dissemination Workshops; and other activities, as appropriate. The dissemination approach is two-fold: (1) the dissemination plan has been divided into two phases – Phase I (M1-18) and Phase II (M19-36); and further subdivided according to internal communications, and dissemination activities. The internal communications component of the dissemination plan will be lead by Integrated Environmental Solutions, while TCD- TrinityHaus will take the lead on dissemination activities.

For further information regarding the dissemination plan, please refer to report D7.2, submitted in January 2014.

4. THE INDICATE NEWSLETTER TEMPLATE Aligning with the overall goals and objectives of the dissemination plan, the aim of the INDICATE newsletter is to share information and raise awareness of key activities and progress related to the INDICATE project. The newsletter template has been designed to include both text and visual components in order to: (1) provide information regarding key deliverables achieved during the period covered by the newsletter; (2) reinforce the visual identity and branding that has been developed by the INDICATE dissemination team for posters and flyers (see Annex 1 for examples); and (3) increase traffic to the INDICATE website and related social media portals where additional information regarding the INDICATE project can be found. With respect to project branding, the key visual elements include the INDICATE logo in combination with associated project graphics. In addition, the newsletter template will also incorporate social media snapshots highlighting, as necessary, activities related to other Work Package 7 deliverables. For example, the inaugural newsletter will include a snapshot from Twitter showcasing the INDICATE poster that was presented at the eCAADe Conference in June in Brussels (D7.5).

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The following section includes snapshots of the inaugural newsletter, showcasing the following project content: 

General overview of the INDICATE project, including goals and objectives;



Stakeholder Engagement (Work Package 1);



Characterization of the City as an overall integrated system (Work Package 2); and,



Evaluation of energy efficiency measurement and the urban environment (Work Package 3)

5. SCREEN SHOTS OF DRAFT INDICATE NEWSLETTER Below are a number of screenshots showcasing the structure and content (draft) of the INDICATE newsletter.

Figure 5.1: Template Title Page – INDICATE Newsletter

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Figure 5.2: Draft Template – Page 2 of INDICATE Newsletter

Figure 5.3: Draft Template – Page 3 of INDICATE Newsletter

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Figure 5.4: Draft Template – Page 4 of INDICATE Newsletter

6. DISSEMINATION FORMAT Beginning with the inaugural edition, all INDICATE newsletters will be disseminated via the following on-line channels: 

The INDICATE website: http://www.indicate-smartcities.eu/



Facebook: //www.facebook.com/pages/Indicate-Smart-Cities/



Twitter: @INDICATE_EU



Tumblr: http://indicate-smartcities.tumblr.com/



ISSUU.com: http://issuu.com/indicate

In addition, given the proximity of the development of the first newsletter to the first dissemination workshop, scheduled to take place on July 8, 2014 in Dublin, hard copies of the newsletter will be made available and distributed to workshop participants. Finally, where aligned, partners will circulate copies of the newsletter at conferences/meetings to which they have been invited to present and share information regarding the INDICATE project.

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7. SCHEDULE FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS The following outlines the timeline for the release of future newsletters, beginning with the inaugural newsletter in June/July 2014, until the completion of the project in 2016: 2014: June/July; October.

2015: January; April; August; December.

2016: March; June; September.

8. CONCLUSION The development of the newsletter has been undertaken in alignment with the overall aims and objectives of the dissemination plan.

The template for the newsletter incorporates visual elements developed for poster

presentations and flyers, thereby strengthening and enhancing the overall INDICATE project branding.

Newsletter content reflects the timeline of project deliverables and with respect to the first newsletter, the following information will be highlighted:

(1) general overview of the INDICATE project, including goals and

objectives; (2) stakeholder engagement (Work Package 1); characterization of the city as an overall integrated system (Work Package 2); and, evaluation of energy efficiency measurement and the urban environment (Work Package 3). Furthermore, the newsletter will also include links to social media and the website as a means of raising stakeholder awareness of INDICATE’s on-line presence. Lastly, beginning with the release of the inaugural bulletin in July – coinciding with the first dissemination workshop on July 8th – it is anticipated that future issues of the INDICATE bulletin/newsletter will be released every three months, with the second issue ready for release in October 2014.

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Annex 1 INDICATE Flyer

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INDICATE Poster

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