Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 What is valorisation? It is the process of dissemination, exploitation and commercialisation of the projects outcomes with a view to optimising their value, enhancing the impact and integrating them into training and practices at regional and European level.

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Dissemination – Key Features A dissemination plan, needs to address four questions: 1.what to disseminate, including the types and levels of activity to be undertaken as part of the dissemination plan; 2.when to disseminate, in order to ensure that the timing of activities is appropriate; 3.to whom – the audience/ target group for dissemination; and 4.how to disseminate, including setting a dissemination budget with the appropriate resources (such as personnel and materials).

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_ What to disseminate? In considering what to disseminate, we will have two kinds of ‘products’: Tangible outputs which are physical and substantive, and more intangible outputs such as project processes and methodologies. Tangible products will include: Project e-Newsletter Collaborative online communication facility Project management handbook Virtual incubator support environment Individual guidance and counselling Valorisation web site Etc…

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Intangible outputs In addition to the tangible products, VIC will have achieved other, more intangible outputs. For example: individuals taking part in the project will have gained knowledge and experience; understanding of the creative industries and the issues around business development will have been enhanced; cultural ‘understanding’; networking opportunities. These intangible outcomes are also important, as they provide proof that the new approach or tool developed by our project is effective.

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Examples of tangible and intangible outcomes Tangible outcomesIntangible outcomes an innovative approach a new practical tool training packs, CD-ROMs, videos, web pages, databases methodologies/models, good practice project documentation and evaluation achievements of individuals or teams changing attitudes messages – findings, recommendations for change at policy or practice level successes and pitfalls

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Dissemination of processes Monitoring and evaluation of VIC can be useful in helping to establish what should be disseminated, particularly in relation to the lessons learned about processes.

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 2 When to disseminate? Timing - can change as VIC proceeds and should be flexible. Three periods for dissemination: Early in the project During the project At the end of the project (dissemination is intended to publicise more generally VIC’s outputs. This will also help with sustainability and/or commercialisation)

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 3 To whom to disseminate? Target groups for dissemination of VIC fall into three distinct categories: 1.End-users of your products 2.Decision-makers 3.Supporters, interested parties or stakeholders In reviewing our dissemination activities, we should pay attention to those providing support that will help to make VIC.

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Key actors for dissemination Local and Regional level Local and Regional bodies Local authorities Regional-level European officers Members of the European Parliament Regional bodies responsible for planning training provision Local and regional offices of national agencies e.g. employment and labour-market offices Local and regional representatives of national organisations

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Key actors for dissemination Local and Regional level Promoters and contractors of: -other national programmes -other European Union initiatives, programmes Training institutions Schools (initial and continuing vocational education, lifelong learning) and other Educational establishments (including further and higher education) Chambers of Commerce and Trade Economic development organisations

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Key actors for dissemination Local and Regional level Large enterprises Public and private SMEs Community groups European/national/local media General Public

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Key actors for dissemination National and Transnational level The Government Departments such as: Work and Pensions Education and Skills Trade and Industry European Commission Directorates-General such as: Education and Culture Employment and Social affairs Regional Policy European confederations

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Key actors for dissemination National and Transnational level Leonardo National Agencies Social partners Employers’ and employees’ organisations Trade unions Training organisations National training bodies, sectoral bodies, qualification bodies National and EU Advisory Groups National groupings of business support and business development bodies Association of Chambers of Commerce and Trade, sectoral organisations

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Key actors for dissemination National and Transnational level Non-Governmental Organisations for: Unemployed people, people with disability, Socially excluded people, voluntary organisations and charities Equal opportunities committees Research institutes Media and public Specialised media

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 4 How to disseminate? Many activities can be used to disseminate our outcomes and products. Some examples of relevant activities are given below. Distributing products (e.g. training materials and good practice guides) as publications in their own right Producing newsletters Attending conferences and seminars and presenting your project Providing general guidance and support Using new technology Using the potential of the media

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 4 How to disseminate? Networking at various levels – local, regional, national and European The range and number of actors that dissemination tools can reach The type of links established with actors Dissemination tools’ effectiveness in getting your project outcomes accepted

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 5 VIC Dissemination Strategy In developing a strategy we should determine our aims - what do we want to achieve and how will this strategy help this. Possible aims could be for example: create awareness of the Virtual Incubator; encourage involvement in VIC; attract additional development funding; achieve sustainability for your project; have a social and regional impact market products for social or commercial aims (this can enable our project to be sustainable after Leonardo funding finishes).

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 The process of planning a dissemination strategy In planning a dissemination strategy, I suggest we follow key stages to enable us to identify the most appropriate activities at the most appropriate times. Stage 1: Where are we now? A SWOT analysis is a useful tool to assess the starting point for dissemination activities. It focuses on internal factors, strengths and weaknesses as well as external factors, opportunities and threats.

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Stage 2: Where do we want to be? We need to confirm where we are going with this project: the nature of changes needed to ensure that our project outcomes are used the intended ‘geographical’ scale of dissemination; the intended scale of dissemination

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Stage 3: How will we get there? There are usually a number of stages to go through when disseminating to new clients/organisations etc with no previous experience of your project: raising awareness – making an impact on the target audience; generating understanding – transferring specific messages to the target audience; building conviction – usually involves providing the target audience with convincing evidence to show what your project has to offer; stimulating action – occurs when dissemination activities cause the target audience to change behaviour in some way. Usually, this only happens if the audience can see the relevance of your work to their own situation.

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Pros and cons of dissemination tools ToolsProsCons Distribution and sale of products sales can give higher perceived value to a product costs can be prohibitive Newsletters and publicity leaflets wide but targeted circulation can be relatively low cost (depending on design) can be used with key audiences may not be suitable for people with literacy or visual problems high resource implications for newsletters Publication in journals can help to ‘get a name’ for your project can be a good way to promote results of research and evaluations impact is hard to evaluate

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Pros and cons of dissemination tools ToolsProsCons Conferences, seminars, exhibitions high profile direct contact with audience high levels of resources required potentially low impact on practice profile depends on nature of keynote speakers Internetrelatively low cost opportunities for joint sites with others free design services are often available may only be appropriate for certain audiences (e.g. might not reach some of Leonardo target groups) can only be effective with experienced users and/or if the right keywords are used within search engines The media (press, TV and radio) has potential to reach a large audience raises your profile and makes an impact insufficiently targeted can be hard to access may sensationalise may need assistance of a press agency, which could be costly

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Pros and cons of dissemination tools ToolsProsCons Networksinformal, targeted and direct means of sharing information resource intensive – requires time to attend meetings and follow up contacts Training and consultancy high potential impact intensive work with a small number of clients allows for face-to-face contact intensive use of resources

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 Stage 4: How will we know when we’ve arrived? As with our other project activities, dissemination will be subject to review and evaluation.

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 What we should be doing next - our tasks: SWOT

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 What we should be doing next - our tasks: Action Plan 1.What is our key target audience? 2.Why might they be interested in VIC? 3.Which aspect(s) are they most likely to want to know about? 4.What constraints are they working under and how does this affect our approach? 5.What methodology will be most effective in reaching them? 6.Taking all this into account, how are we going to package our product (i.e. how do we sell it)?

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 What we should be doing next - our tasks: Future: 1.Detailed Dissemination Action Plan 2.Dissemination Action Plan by products/outcomes

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 What we should be doing next - our dissemination ‘products’: e-Newsletter/e-bulletin - database -content – for a more general audience Web site -content -partner information -links Leaflet -template Gimmick/gizmo/gadget -not a pen!

Virtual Incubator – Creative Industries UK/06/B/F/PP-162_514 What we should be doing next - our evidence: Dissemination file -all partners to keep a file of evidence -scanned documents etc for master file (on platform)