Specific Challenge:

Dissemination, exploitation and transfer of projects results are important activities during project life-time and beyond in order to make sure that projects fully achieve the expected impacts. Clustering of project activities, according to specific objectives and addressed themes, and their inter-linking with existing technology transfer activities, are effective ways to stimulate the take-up of project results and to exploit synergies. Further, there is a need to focus on knowledge transfer and training issues regarding present and future industrial workers in the whole value chain, for which a strong link between industry and academia is needed.

An adequate exploitation of such activities together with a joint analysis of the results obtained and the training needs during the project lifetime and beyond is also needed, to ensure an effective implementation at the PPP level.

Scope:

Proposals should aim in particular to actively cluster existing activities under the SPIRE PPP that go beyond the exploitation and dissemination activities of each project. The initiative, which is expected to last 2 years, will require close collaboration with relevant industrial associations, technology and knowledge transfer programmes as well as the training community.

The project should aim at looking for new ways of engaging with the broader process community, and encouraging engagement with other networks in the process industry (e.g. regional networks).

Activities may include:

• Moving beyond traditional dissemination activities and favour the development of tailored innovative dissemination actions and initiatives inspired by project outcomes and targeted at specific stakeholders (incl. SMEs, learning community).
• Sharing insights on innovative business model concepts for implementing resource and energy efficient solutions, including cradle to cradle and industrial symbiosis approaches.
• Identification of gaps and opportunities for further research and innovation, as well as non-technological gaps in order to develop policy framework recommendations (e.g. regulation, standardization, public procurement).
• Workshops with top-ranked international experts from the various disciplines aiming at the elaboration of future SPIRE priorities and training needs within the technological area of the cluster.
• Building skills capacity for innovation and competitiveness in the process industry (e.g. engaging with the academia for the development of learning resources adaptable to different learning approaches and curricula at undergraduate, master, and life-long learning levels, based in particular on the innovation outcome of projects).
• Reviews of recent technological developments, publications, international RTD and innovation programmes within the technological area of the cluster.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 250000 and 500000 would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

The impact on the areas of application of the projects is expected to be:

• Speeding up industrial exploitation and take up of results of SPIRE PPP projects and facilitate cross-sectorial technology transfer.
• Stimulation of networks and alliances for further RTD and industrial innovation in the addressed technology and application areas.
• Added value beyond the original scope of the SPIRE PPP projects by exploiting synergies and sharing best practice, including on innovative business models. Increased public presence and awareness of SPIRE PPP activities.
• More effective execution of activities of common interest, such as training & education, IPR management and standardisation.
• Anticipation of business trends and market prospects.
• Early awareness of key innovation developments.
• Dissemination of project results beyond traditional dissemination models and timeframe of the projects.
• Development of training and innovation skills capacity in the process industry.