So, what IS the difference between Dissemination and Communication!

There often appears to be confusion for Horizon 2020 applicants between the three C/D/E terms and particularly between Communication and Dissemination. In this article I am going to focus more on the Communication aspect (Section 2.2b) as this can tend to be somewhat of an after-thought and often combined with Dissemination with no clear distinction between the two.

However:

⏭ The Horizon 2020 Section 2.2 proposal template structure divides into:

a)     Dissemination and exploitation of results

b)     Communication activities

⏭ Likewise, the Evaluation Criteria refer, as separate criteria, to quality of the proposed measures to

·       Exploit and disseminate project results

·       Communicate the project activities to different target audiences

⏭ Finally, the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) states: “Dissemination of results (Article 29) cannot replace communication activities (Article 38) or vice-versa.”

Let’s look at some EC definitions:

Dissemination means sharing research results with potential users - peers in the research field, industry, other commercial players and policymakers). Exploitation is the actual use of the results in further unrelated research activity or in developing new commercial products. On the other hand, Communication means taking strategic and targeted measures for promoting the action itself and its results/success to a multitude of audiences, including the media and the public, and possibly engaging in a two-way exchange. (Source: EC Research & Innovation Participant Portal)

So, dissemination/exploitation is focussed on promoting/facilitating the use of the project research results, while the aim of the communication activity is essentially a broader PR type activity reaching out to society as a whole while demonstrating how EU funding contributes to tackling societal challenges, etc.

Taking Section 2.2 in its entirety, all three C/D/E activities working together should promote your project on many levels, reaching out to both a wider audience and interested parties, while exploring possible exploitation routes. This part of the proposal should not be viewed by consortia as merely a box to be ticked and perhaps a section to be wholly handed over to consultants; rather as an area assuming increasing EU importance over recent years and one that needs to be substantially embedded into the core proposal development.

The overall advice is to avoid being generic but be specific and quantitative, e.g. number/name of journal publications/conferences attended, etc. Seek to develop a consistent thread linking this 2.2 section to other parts of your project proposal (see below).

So, why is it important to particularly make this distinction between dissemination and communication, bearing in mind there is of course often some overlap between dissemination, exploitation and communication in any given project?

As we see above, in order to comply with the template and evaluation criteria, we need to have a clear idea on the differences, and endeavour to adhere to a good proposal structure and have the correct content in the correct position, making for an evaluator-friendly proposal. Often, while applicants generally get the exploitation bit largely correct in 2.2a, the confusion more arises where dissemination is conflated with communication rather than correctly aligning dissemination with exploitation (use of the research results) in S2.2a, and covering the more holistic project communication activity in S2.2b.

As said, dissemination is aligned with and drives on exploitation by focussing on specific target groups that are potential users of the research results. This is not limited to industry players for new commercial products, but also includes the scientific community, policy makers, etc. Typical channels for dissemination will include peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific conferences, in a concerted and specific drive towards sharing (dissemination) and take-up (exploitation) of the research results with these perceived and identified potential users.

The purpose of the communication activities is to promote the project and make the research activities/successes known to multiple audiences, beyond the project’s own community (in a way that they can be understood by non-specialists). Typical channels for communication might include: project website, press release, brochure, exhibition, school visits, etc.

It is also instructive to consider the relative timings for these different activities with reference to the project period. Dissemination shouldn't be an after-thought but an ongoing dialogue with potential users during your project. Realistically however, it is likely to be more weighted towards the second half of your project as first results start to come through. Importantly, dissemination and exploitation measures will supersede your project as both measures will need to be implemented both during and after the project in order to achieve the final impact. On the other hand, communication should kick in from day 1 of your project and last over the course of the project period. (Image: ous-research.no)

As mentioned above, it is important to develop a consistent thread linking Section 2.2 to other parts of your project proposal (using judicious cross-referencing), including Section 3 Implementation - the work plan (3.1), the budget, as well as parts of Section 1 Excellence (Methodology).

It is also recommended to have discrete deliverables and realistic timelines for both the Communication Plan and the Dissemination and Exploitation Plan. The proposal 2.2b will form an outline of a Communication Plan but this should be elaborated into a formal Plan as an early deliverable (e.g. M2). On the other hand, a draft Dissemination and Exploitation Plan needs to be already included at the time of proposal submission, and while this will need to be updated at some point, it should be quite feasible to push this out (e.g. M12). These should both be shown in the Gantt and considered as working documents with periodic updating.

Of course there will be many aspects of the total C/D/E activity within S2.2 that will contribute towards the budget 'other direct costs' including costs relating to IPR, open access publications, research data (ORDP), etc. that can be included in table 3.4b justification.

Finally. within Excellence, clear communication activities in 1.3 (a) Concept relate to the requirement for - where relevant, use of stakeholder knowledge /include measures taken for public/societal engagement on issues related to the project, as well as the section on national or international research and innovation activities linked to the project. Stakeholder groups need to be carefully defined in proposals and include a description of how they will be involved and what influence they might have on project decisions. Related project activities is not simply a question of listing vaguely related projects that consortium members are/have been participating on, but selectively referencing a smaller number of other related projects (do not require consortium participation) demonstrating your knowledge of what is happening in the field and showing how your activity will complement and make a unique added contribution. Both these groupings will form part of your multiple audiences that you will be targeting your communication activities towards over the course of the project.

🎀 Donald Mc Donagh is an independent EU R&I funding support specialist and grant proposal writer. Experienced in various domains ranging across agri-food, agri-environment, bioeconomy, biotechnology, etc.

For support in proposal writing/editing/reviewing, contact: donald@cillnua.eu.