​Marco has been with META Group since July 2019. He is a senior consultant with more than 15 years of experience in innovation services, exploitation of research and development (R&D) results, entrepreneurship strategies, and state aids and funding for young entrepreneurs. He has a background in International Relations from the University of Padua and Business Administration from the University of Bath. He is very passionate about military history and also a film buff, which is something we take advantage of when we need recommendations for good movies. 

For years, Europe has been dedicating huge resources to scientific and technological research with the aim of supporting innovation and improving the lives of its citizens. Nonetheless, the results produced by research often do not translate into concrete benefits for the economy and society. To improve the return on these investments, with Horizon 2020 and even more with Horizon Europe, the focus shifted to ensuring that scientific excellence generates a tangible and recognizable change in a target group, a concrete impact. This shift requires a new paradigm, an approach that goes beyond the “European project” dimension and leads to the effective use of research results. The workshop by META Group based on 30 years of experience in valorising the results of European projects, attracted a lot of interest among the participants of the 2022 APRE Conference.

At the end of the meeting, Andrea Di Anselmo, President of META Group, gave an interview for the APRE Magazine that you can read below.

In your experience, what is the data that emerges from reading Evaluation Summary Reports (ESR), in particular considering EIC‘s Transition and Accelerator schemes?

There is a clear challenge for research teams to consider impact as a decisive element of the project and not an accessory aspect, secondary to the excellence of scientific advancement. Compared to tools such as the European Innovation Council’s Transition and Accelerator and also the European Research Council’s Proof of Concept projects, this is more and more evident. There is little confidence, and perhaps even little interest, in looking beyond research funding and focusing on what needs to be done so that excellent results are used, reach more adoption, and generate impact. These are tools that do not finance the development of new knowledge but activities to bring findings and new knowledge to the market or to transfer them to third parties.

Should the importance of impact in project evaluation also be reflected in the budget allocation between various activities?

The Anglo-Saxons saying “put your money where your mouth is” seems to me the the correct way to proceed. If an activity is considered important, this should be reflected in the allocation of resources.

We were talking about the EIC Transition: it is evident that by emphasizing the transition from research to market, the balance of activities, and consequently, of the budget, must address the “business / use oriented” objective. The same happens in collaborative projects and other types of funding schemes. The importance of this dimension is evident if we consider the weight that the impact section has in the evaluation phase of Horizon Europe and the attention dedicated to this topic in the proposal template. Furthermore, think about the formalization of concepts such as “outcome,” which denote a “factual” interest in impact. In this context, researchers should keep in mind that Horizon projects are required not only to develop new knowledge but to enable benefits for European citizens.

In your presentation, you insisted a lot on performance indicators and use. Is there an impact without using research results?

There are many discussions about “how to measure impact,” but very little attention to having results used as a first step towards generating impact.

At META Group, we say that “there is no impact without use” and that it is difficult to measure something that does not exist. Our focus is to help clarify how key exploitable results will be used by a specific target group. It is the use, in the long term, that enables impact. Having said that, the performance indicators in Horizon Europe are much simpler to select and make credible, thanks to the introduction of the concept of “outcome,” which concretely crystallizes the moment adopters start using a Key Exploitable Result, before or after the end of the project. Therefore, this immediacy allows us to define verifiable and effective indicators for the outcomes and to project them on the impact that will be enabled in the long run.

Of course, we are very interested in connecting with those who have made an impact with a result kept closed in their drawer.

Dissemination, exploitation, impact, are three different actions, are there still unclear points and room for improvement when dealing with them?

We come into contact with many projects. There is rarely a complete understanding from all partners of what needs to be activated to mobilize impact. Exploitation, Dissemination, and Communication are three different actions, each with a different set of activities to perform and with different target groups. We see many cases in which we talk about dissemination starting from the first months of the project’s life. From our point of view, it is strange that a specific target group can be informed about the opportunity offered by using a result, when this result does not yet exist and is not well defined or, better said, “characterized.”

The good news is that the European Commission is perfectly aware of these challenges and it is for this reason that it has created a program providing free services for all projects funded in Horizon Europe, H2020 and FP7. The program is called Horizon Results Booster and supports the implementation of Exploitation, Dissemination, and Communication activities to maximize impact and generate benefits for European citizens.

The Horizon Results Booster free services can be requested at www.horizonresultsbooster.eu. We suggest that all funded partnerships apply to benefit from the methodologies and tools provided by the team of experts that deliver these support services.

Especially in the academic environment and in research centers, there are excellent groups with well-trained and competent colleagues in the technology transfer and third mission offices, ingredients that give us the opportunity and the possibility to do better.

Interview originally published in the APRE Magazine

“Progress of knowledge is essential for any community. This public investment programmes transform results into benefits for society. They help to maximize the social, economic, technological, and scientific value of public funding. Definitely, it is a must”, explained Andrea Di Anselmo, senior expert at Horizon Results Booster and META Group’s President. “This transformation is only possible if we use results. Moving out of the R&D dimension and into innovation that reaches the market”, he added.

Horizon Results Booster’s innovative system for providing support enables researchers to identify a profitable business model for their project. Thus, the package provides an integrated view of a practical portfolio dissemination plan, offers guidance to improve the exploitation strategy, develops an effective business plan and, finally, brings the results closer to the market.

About Horizon Results Booster

Horizon Results Booster offers three main streams of support. The Portfolio Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy package is divided into three further services: Modules A and B aim to build greater capacity to disseminate research results, while Module C intends to increase the exploitation potential of a project. Next, Business Plan Development helps beneficiaries to develop a business strategy including an analysis of the market and competitors. Finally, Go To Market supports the beneficiary by preparing the product for commercialisation.

The Portfolio Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy service is behind of almost 75% of the 400 completed services. Thus, 102 services belong to Module A; 32 to Module B; and 161 to Module C. On top of that, beneficiaries benefited from Business Plan Development services 69 times. In other hand, Go To Market services helped on 27 occasions. Through Horizon Results Booster, 9 EU Dissemination and Exploitation reports were also completed, providing the analysis of the D&I clusters.

Here is an overview of the organizations reached from the beginning of the project.

Achieving market impact and long-term sustainability depends on effective and impactful dissemination and exploitation strategies and actions. This is why it is essential to dedicate time and effort to exploitation and assimilation of research results. Not to mention that building from a poorly-laid foundation leads to disaster.

Do you need support to fully achieve the potential of your EU funded research and bring it closer to the market? Horizon Results Booster can help you maximize the impact. Also, it can help to develop an effective business plan and prepare to secure appropriate funding to implement the project’s results.

Learn more and apply here: www.horizonresultsbooster.eu

With the aim of maximising the impact of research projects, the initiative backed by the European Commission has brought a continuous stream of innovation to the market. Since it began in 2020, the platform has shown no signs of slowing down, offering support to thousands of users who want to maximise the impact of their research results.

Currently, Horizon Results Booster offers three services. First, Portfolio Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy helps its users to build their capacities for disseminating research results and to increase the exploitation potential of their project. Then, as the name suggests, Business Plan Development assists beneficiaries by developing an effective business plan but also by preparing to secure funds. Finally, Go To Market makes a project ready for commercialisation.

Most managed services

75% of the 300 services managed in these two years have been related to Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy, which is divided into two blocks: module A strengthens the capacity of project groups to disseminate their research by creating a portfolio of research project results, module B helps users to execute a dissemination plan, while module C supports single projects in exploiting their research result and improving their exploitation strategy. Therefore, 101 services were delivered of which 80 belong to module A and 21 to module B, whereas 117 services have been completed in module C alone.

Besides dissemination and exploitation services, users have availed of Business Plan Development services 47 times, and Go To Market services 16 times. But it does not end there, as the initiative has more than 160 experts involved in its services and has also helped to carry out 9 studies, which provide an analysis of clusters of R&I project results in a specified research area and establish a clear link between the Commission policy objectives and the clusters.

Horizon Results Booster reaches 300 completed services

With the goal of building a culture of continuous improvement, META Group conducts satisfaction surveys with its beneficiaries to gauge sentiment around Horizon Results Booster’s services, confidence, and achievements. The statistics show remarkable fulfilment in each of the five differentiated services. Starting with module A of Portfolio Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy which obtained a score of 3,7 out of 5, the following services improved their scores in a stepwise manner; module B got a 3,9 out of 5 and module C received 4,2. Finally, Business Plan Development and Go To Market are the services which generated the most satisfaction in their beneficiaries, reaching a result of 4,4 and 4,5 out of 5, respectively, as can be seen in the next chart.

On top of that, Horizon Results Booster has enabled several companies to achieve a successful outcome. This is the case of COPKIT, an EU-funded project that develops technologies designed to take down cybercrime. COPKIT had a great technological innovation but did not know how to exploit its results properly. They applied for the Portfolio Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy services under Horizon Results Booster, with good results. “We were very happy with the service and I am sure the other partners found it useful as well,” said Corinna Pannofino, responsible for dissemination and exploitation for COPKIT. “Having someone who is able to go through it with you is very helpful,” added.

GEO-DRILL

Another project that required HRB’s services was GEO-DRILL. GEO-DRILL is an initiative that encourages the use of geothermal energy. For them, the obstacle was that many European countries did not view geothermal energy in the same way as they did wind or solar energy. It was difficult to sell it there. Geo-Drill decided to approach the Horizon Results Booster programme to help them market their idea. “The Horizon Results Booster programme has broadened our horizons. We want to target not only policymakers, but also cross-sector groups.” Said Kevin Mallin, Managing Director of Geolorn Ltd, which is a member of the GEO-DRILL project. “We had a chance to meet all of these people not necessarily working on geothermal. So getting that understanding of how other people deal with those challenges has been hugely beneficial.”

Do you need help drafting the business plan for your EU funded research? Horizon Results Booster can help you bring your research results closer to the market. This will be possible by developing an effective business plan and preparing to secure appropriate funding to implement project results.

But how do we better prepare ourselves?  How do we build a sound “users” base? Dealing and solving problems is the foundation for building a sound and sustainable “customer” base. Every customer has a problem, but every problem has a solution. On the contrary not every solution has a problem…

The goal is to define a plan providing relevant indicators to check if our “use model” is doing well, to validate our assumptions. if we apply the scientific method not only to our lab experiment but also when testing the use of our results, our “out of the lab” activity, we may be able to still find some room to manoeuvre if things do not go as we assumed.

There are some useful tools like Lean Canvas, which was originally designed to help start-up businesses, but which can also be adapted to make the link between the “lab” and the “use” by our target “clients”.

Lean Canvas: an essential

Lean Canvas allows you to create a pathway to be followed, where each step to take matters.

First, it is essential to identify the problem and investigate its alternatives. List three problems and concisely describe how they can be solved. Next, segment your customer base into target groups, those suffering from the problems which you have already listed. Connect them and the problem to achieve success. The clearer the customer group is, the more concrete the validation of the problem will be.

Secondly, define a unique value proposition. This mean outlining concretely what makes you different from competitors. Also, why you are worth purchasing or investing in, so the customers do not choose any other alternative solution. It all starts with a problem, so make sure to explain in a realistic way how you are going to solve that problem better than everyone else.

For the next step you must go deeper and write down the most distinctive elements of the solution. Also, how you can deliver your unique value proposition. Think about what your solution is, what it can provide your customer with.

How to approach clients

Once you have clear in mind what you can offer, you must face one of the toughest problems you may have. How do you reach your customers? There are plenty of channels that can be used to approach the clients. However, it could be hard as it depends on the solution and the organisation. It is crucial to know who the customer of the solution is. Also, remember that the more precise the definition of the target group is the more precise the definition of the channel will be.

Finally, time to think about figures and money. Getting funds to cover the project you have implemented is complicated but vital. Think about various revenue streams to earn or raise money and consider how much funds could be gathered. You need to be as precise as possible, so connect it to the cost structure for operations and determine whether alternative sources of funding are necessary. Also keep in mind that the whole process should be monitored to understand if the pathway is going in the right direction. So, the last step is to define some metrics to measure your activity.

Do you need help drafting the business plan for your EU funded research? Horizon Results Booster can help you bring your research results closer to the market. This will be possible by developing an effective business plan and preparing to secure appropriate funding to implement project results.