Description

In this project the dissemination and exploitation strategies are understood as forming part of an overall valorization process. For this reason they will work closely together to achieve the final objective of uptake of the project outcomes in other contexts. To ensure appropriate strategies are adopted, a stakeholder needs analysis will be carried out at the beginning of the project, and all the exploitation (and dissemination) strategies will derive from the results of this, and be incorporated into the project exploitation plan. Key elements in this plan include:

• Direct engagement with key decision-makers and informal learners with the objective of promoting wider participation in the development of the system and later adoption (by the companies) and use (by the learners) of the approach after the end of the project. This will be done by contacting them using the contact networks of the partners such as: Coimbra Group, JISC Centre for Educational Technology and Interoperability Standards, The TENCompetence Foundation, Google Europe, Servicecentrum – Leven Lang Leren Limburg, TELeurope (which is part of the European Network of Excellence StellarNet), SURF (the collaborative organisation for higher education institutions and research institutes), EIFEL (European Institute for E-Learning), (SPEE) – Portuguese Society for Engineering Education, Open Knowledge Initiative, IMS Global Consortium and so on.
• Direct engagement with institutions, companies and organizations interested in the integration of informal learning activities promoting wider participation in the definition of the methodology and pilot performance.
• Exploration of viable business models for commercial exploitation of the software and the information, particularly using the information obtained by the framework. Different business models could be considered by exploiting the information that analysis layer provides such as: evaluation of learning activities, evaluation of the learning weaknesses and strengths of the workers of a company, recommendations of those learners with the same interest and necessities, and so on.
• The creation of an Association that will organise a series of online activities, training actions, and local workshops in the final months of the project to promote the adoption of the approach in different companies. This action will build especially closely on the activity that the dissemination package has carried out to raise awareness of the tool. This activity will continue after the project lifetime and the web portal of the Association.
• Development of a strategy to promote the integration of the approach in the main educational networks in each country. This strategy will be based on the use of the Association as a focus point for all people interested in informal learning.

Deliverable 26. Initial Exploitation Plan

This plan which will be created in M3 and M4 using the results of the valorization needs analysis, will set out details of the exploitation strategy that will be pursued throughout the project. Principally for internal consumption by the consortium it will give details of all the exploitation to be carried out over the two years of the project.

Deliverable 27. Exploitation Report 1

This intermediate report on exploitation activities will be produced in M12 and will cover all exploitation activity, online and off, carried out up to that point. It will be principally for internal consumption (though it will feed into the interim report 1) and allow the consortium to take stock of the actions carried out so far and make improvements to the exploitation plans for the next year.

Deliverable 28. Revision Exploitation Plan 1

This plan, which will be created in M18, will be based on a re-examination of the exploitation activity carried so far in the project, and its results. In the light of these the initial plan will be revised and the overall strategy adjusted as necessary. Principally for internal consumption by the consortium it will give details of all the exploitation activities to be carried out in the final months of the project.

Deliverable 29. Final Valorization Report

The dissemination and exploitation activities will be run in tandem and closely interrelated throughout the project. This final deliverable report takes these two strands of the valorization activity in the project and integrates them into one report, thus giving an overall view of this activity, and a clear vision of the future transferability and sustainability of the project outcomes, including indication relating to the model for sustainability that will be adopted.