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Dissemination & ExploitationWork package guide / 202605 chapters · 15 services

Results thatoutlive the grant

Every EU-funded project must communicate, disseminate, and exploit its results. Most treat it as a reporting duty. We treat it as the part of the project that decides whether the work matters after the final review. Thinking Nodes plans, builds, and runs the dissemination, exploitation, and communication work package for Horizon Europe and related programmes.

From results to impactPlate 01 / 05
Results to impact pathwayProject results flow through communication, dissemination, and exploitation into outcomes and long-term impact.PROJECT RESULTSCOMMUNICATIONDISSEMINATIONEXPLOITATIONOUTCOMESIMPACT · SCIENTIFIC / ECONOMIC / SOCIETALWHYWHATUSE
One work packageThree obligations, planned together from the proposal onward.
Three obligationsWhat the grant agreement asks forDefinitions
  1. 01

    Communication

    Society, media, policy makers, the wider public

    Promoting the project and its results to audiences beyond the project's own community. It starts on day one and explains why the work matters, not only what it produces.

  2. 02

    Dissemination

    Researchers, industry, standardisation bodies, practitioners

    Making results public so others can use them. Publications, open data, conference talks, policy briefs, and training material aimed at those who can build on the work.

  3. 03

    Exploitation

    Consortium partners, licensees, spin-offs, public authorities

    Using results after the project: commercially, in further research, in standards, or in policy. It is a grant obligation that continues for years after the final report.

Why it decides the project. Impact is one of three award criteria at proposal stage. The plan for dissemination and exploitation is a formal deliverable. Open access to publications is mandatory. Beneficiaries must use their best efforts to exploit results for up to four years after the project ends. Reviewers check all of it.

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Strategy & Planning

The plan for dissemination and exploitation is a contractual deliverable and the backbone of the impact section. We write one that partners can actually execute.

  1. PDEC · Deliverable

    Plan for Dissemination, Exploitation & Communication

    The initial plan due in the first months, then the mid-term and final updates. Each version maps results to audiences, channels, owners, and measurable targets, and links directly to the impact pathways promised in the proposal.

    Scope04 items
    • Target group and stakeholder mapping per work package
    • Channel strategy tied to the project's key exploitable results
    • KPI framework with baselines, targets, and reporting cadence
    • Roles, timelines, and budget split across partners

    DeliverableA living plan, reviewed at every reporting period and accepted by the project officer.

  2. Proposal Stage

    Impact Section for Proposals

    Impact is one of three award criteria in Horizon Europe. We draft the pathways to impact, the outline dissemination and exploitation plan, and the KPI table so evaluators see a credible route from results to outcomes.

    Scope04 items
    • Impact pathway narrative aligned to the call's expected outcomes
    • Outline D&E&C plan with quantified targets
    • Preliminary key exploitable results and ownership assumptions
    • Work package and task structure for the D&E&C work package

    DeliverableA complete, evaluator-ready impact section and a costed work package.

  3. KER · Methodology

    Key Exploitable Results Framework

    Results only become exploitable when someone owns them, understands them, and knows who needs them. We run KER identification early and keep the register current as the technical work evolves.

    Scope04 items
    • KER identification workshops with each technical partner
    • Characterisation: readiness level, owner, users, risks, protection route
    • Prioritisation by impact potential and time to market
    • KER register maintained alongside the risk register

    DeliverableA prioritised KER register that drives the exploitation plan and the final review.

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Communication & Identity

A project that looks credible gets read, cited, and invited. We build the identity, website, and content engine, and keep every asset compliant with EU visibility rules.

  1. Brand · EU Compliance

    Project Identity & Visibility Kit

    Logo, colour and type system, templates for deliverables, slides, posters, and social media. Every asset carries the EU emblem, the funding statement, and the disclaimer exactly as the grant agreement requires.

    Scope04 items
    • Logo and identity system with usage guidelines
    • Deliverable, presentation, and poster templates for all partners
    • EU emblem and funding statement placement rules
    • Asset library shared with the whole consortium

    DeliverableA consistent identity every partner can use without asking.

  2. Web · Editorial

    Project Website & Content

    A fast, accessible, multilingual-ready website built with the same stack we use for production platforms. News, results, deliverables, and demonstrators published as they happen, not at the end.

    Scope04 items
    • Design and build on a modern, maintainable stack
    • Results and deliverables library with open-access links
    • Newsletter, press, and social media content pipeline
    • Accessibility, performance, and GDPR-compliant analytics

    DeliverableA website that ranks, loads fast, and remains online after the project ends.

  3. Media · Outreach

    Video, Demonstrators & Events

    Explainer videos, pilot walkthroughs, and interactive demonstrators that show results rather than describe them. Event presence planned around the audiences that matter for uptake.

    Scope04 items
    • Explainer and pilot videos with partner interviews
    • Interactive web demonstrators for prototypes and models
    • Event calendar, booth material, and speaker briefs
    • Final event and policy-facing showcase

    DeliverableMedia that partners reuse in their own channels long after delivery.

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Dissemination & Open Science

Results reach the people who can build on them. We coordinate scientific output, open science obligations, and clustering with related projects.

  1. Open Science

    Publication & Open Access Coordination

    Horizon Europe requires immediate open access to peer-reviewed publications and research data that is as open as possible, as closed as necessary. We track every output, its repository, and its compliance status.

    Scope04 items
    • Publication tracker with open-access route per output
    • Repository deposits and persistent identifiers
    • Data management plan alignment with dissemination targets
    • Reporting-ready lists for continuous reporting

    DeliverableZero surprises at review: every output findable, accessible, and reported.

  2. Policy · Standards

    Policy Briefs & Standardisation

    Some results only matter if they change a regulation, a guideline, or a standard. We translate technical results into policy briefs and support engagement with standardisation bodies.

    Scope04 items
    • Policy brief series aimed at Commission services and national bodies
    • Standardisation landscape analysis and contribution planning
    • Position papers with sister projects and associations
    • Stakeholder consultations and advisory board sessions

    DeliverableResults in the hands of people who write the rules.

  3. Community

    Clustering & Training

    Joint activities with related projects, industry associations, and networks multiply reach at low cost. Training material turns results into skills that stay in the ecosystem.

    Scope04 items
    • Cluster coordination with sister projects in the same call
    • Joint workshops, webinars, and special sessions
    • Training modules, tutorials, and open course material
    • Community channels for early adopters and pilots

    DeliverableA network around the project that outlives the consortium agreement.

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Exploitation

Beneficiaries must use their best efforts to exploit results for years after the project ends. We make that realistic by starting exploitation work in month one, not month thirty.

  1. Strategy · Markets

    Exploitation Strategy & Business Models

    For each key exploitable result: who pays, who uses, what it replaces, and what it needs to reach the market or the next research stage. Individual partner plans and joint exploitation options side by side.

    Scope04 items
    • Market and competitor analysis per KER
    • Business model canvas and value proposition work
    • Technology readiness roadmap to the next funding or market step
    • Individual and joint exploitation plans with partner commitments

    DeliverableAn exploitation plan the final review panel can believe.

  2. IPR · Governance

    IPR & Exploitation Agreements

    Background, results, access rights, and protection routes clarified before they become disputes. We prepare the groundwork for the consortium agreement annexes and the exploitation agreements that follow.

    Scope04 items
    • Background and results inventory per partner
    • Protection route per result: patent, secret, copyright, open licence
    • Access rights and licensing scenarios
    • Input for consortium agreement and post-project exploitation agreements

    DeliverableClear ownership, clear rights, and no blocked results after the project.

  3. Post-Project

    Sustainability & Uptake

    Platforms, datasets, and services need a home after funding. We plan the operating model, the hosting, and the community so results stay available and usable for years.

    Scope04 items
    • Operating and financing models for platforms and services
    • Hand-over to a partner, spin-off, association, or open-source foundation
    • Registration on the Horizon Results Platform and EU support services
    • Follow-up funding map: EIC, national programmes, private investment

    DeliverableResults that are still online, maintained, and in use four years later.

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Platforms & Measurement

We are engineers first. The D&E&C work package gets the same production-grade tooling as the technical work packages, including AI where it saves partner time.

  1. Analytics · Reporting

    KPI Dashboard & Reporting

    Every dissemination and communication indicator tracked in one place: reach, publications, events, downloads, stakeholder engagement, and media. Reporting periods become an export, not a scramble.

    Scope04 items
    • Live dashboard fed by web, social, publication, and event data
    • Per-partner contribution tracking against the plan
    • Periodic report tables generated directly from the data
    • Evidence archive for audits and reviews

    DeliverableImpact you can show with numbers, at any point in the project.

  2. Digital Platform · Engineering

    Results Platforms & Demonstrators

    When a result is a model, a dataset, or a tool, the best dissemination is a working platform. We build results portals, APIs, and demonstrators that let users try the work instead of reading about it.

    Scope04 items
    • Results portals with search, downloads, and documentation
    • Hosted demonstrators for models and pilot data
    • API access and developer documentation for uptake
    • Long-term hosting plan owned by a named partner

    DeliverableA usable product surface for every technical result.

  3. Applied AI

    AI-Assisted Content & Intelligence

    Our own grant intelligence tools, built on Horizon Europe abstracts, evaluator reports, and call data, support proposal writing, call scouting for follow-up funding, and first drafts of news, summaries, and policy briefs that partners then review.

    Scope04 items
    • Proposal and impact section review against evaluator criteria
    • Follow-up funding call scouting across EU programmes
    • Draft generation for news, summaries, and lay abstracts
    • Stakeholder and publication monitoring

    DeliverableMore output per partner hour, with humans keeping final say.

Across the lifecycleFrom proposal to four years after05 phases
  1. 01

    Proposal

    Before submission

    • Impact pathways and KPI table
    • Outline D&E&C plan
    • Preliminary KERs
    • Costed work package
  2. 02

    Kick-off

    Months 1 to 6

    • Identity, templates, website live
    • First PDEC delivered
    • Stakeholder map and channels
    • KPI dashboard running
  3. 03

    Mid-term

    Through the first review

    • KER workshops and register
    • Publications and open-access tracking
    • Clustering and events
    • Updated PDEC and exploitation options
  4. 04

    Final year

    To the final review

    • Exploitation plans per KER
    • IPR and agreements settled
    • Final event and demonstrators
    • Sustainability and hand-over
  5. 05

    After

    Up to four years

    • Platforms kept online
    • Results on EU platforms
    • Follow-up funding
    • Exploitation follow-up support
Why an engineering partner

We build the results. We also build what makes them travel.

Communication agencies understand audiences but not the technology. Technical partners understand the technology but rarely have time for audiences. We sit in both rooms: we ship production AI systems and digital platforms, and we have built grant intelligence tools trained on Horizon Europe evaluation data.

That means demonstrators that actually run, websites that stay online, dashboards fed by real data, and exploitation plans written by people who know what it takes to bring a model or a platform to market.

  • German SME partner based in Cologne, eligible as beneficiary or subcontractor
  • Leadership with experience across European research and innovation programmes
  • Own tools: EU grant evaluation agent, funding call dashboard, research management platform
  • Production engineering practice behind every website, platform, and demonstrator
See the platforms we have shipped
How to work with usFour ways in04 models
  1. 01

    Work package leader

    We join the consortium as a beneficiary and lead the dissemination, exploitation, and communication work package from proposal to final review.

  2. 02

    Task partner

    Another partner leads the work package. We take the tasks that need engineering: website, platforms, dashboards, demonstrators, and exploitation analysis.

  3. 03

    Subcontracted support

    For running projects with a work package that is behind or under-resourced. Scoped packages, delivered against the existing plan and deliverable schedule.

  4. 04

    Proposal support

    Impact section, D&E&C outline, and KPI framework for a proposal in preparation. Fixed scope, tied to the submission deadline.

Next callOpen brief / 06

Building a consortium?

Send us the call, the draft partner list, and the deadline. We reply with a proposed role, a scoped work package, and what we would commit to in the impact section. Running project with a work package that needs help? Same address.

contact@thinkingnodes.tech →