Lifelong Learning - Guide for applicants
What is Dissemination and Exploitation of Results ?
What is the rationale for the dissemination and exploitation of
results?
The systematic dissemination and exploitation of results will be
critical in helping to maximise the impact of actions under this and
previous EU education and training programmes in
support of the revised
Lisbon agenda and delivery of the 'Education
and Training 2010' Work Programme. Benefits can include:
- improving the
sustainability of project results, in line with end-user needs
- generating savings by exploiting existing practices (no
‘re-inventing the wheel’)
- capitalizing on investments
- transferring results to transform systems and practices, thus
enhancing the impact of EU funded programmes and projects at systems
level
- reducing timescales for policy and process innovation
- feeding the policy process (peer
learning, Open
Method of Coordination)
What is dissemination and exploitation of results?
'Dissemination and exploitation of results' refers to activities
designed to ensure that the results of the LLP and its predecessors are
appropriately recognised, demonstrated and
implemented on a wide scale. Within the context of the LLP, the
following distinctions should be observed:
- Promotion and awareness-raising is used primarily in the
context of publicising the existence of programmes and initiatives,
their aims, objectives and activities and the
availability of funding for given purposes. This definition excludes the
publicising of results. As such, promotion and raising awareness occurs
primarily before and during the actual implementation of the
programmes or initiatives, and is undertaken by DGEAC in cooperation
with the Executive Agency for Education and Culture and the National
Agencies.
- Dissemination is defined as a planned process of providing
information on the quality, relevance and effectiveness of the results
of programmes and initiatives to key actors. It occurs as and when the
results of programmes and initiatives become available. This activity
happens at both project and programme level, and involves the active
participation of intermediary 'relay' bodies.
- Exploitation consists of mainstreaming and
multiplication. Mainstreaming is the planned process of transferring
the successful results of programmes and initiatives to appropriate
decision-makers in regulated local, regional, national or European
systems. Multiplication is the planned process of convincing individual
end-users to adopt and/or apply the results of programmes and
initiatives.4 Again, this can happen at both project and programme
level.
Dissemination and exploitation are therefore distinct but closely
related to one another. The keys to a successful exploitation of results
are:
- producing relevant results from projects and programmes/initiatives
to satisfy the demands of providers, policy-makers and ultimately
society more generally; and
- ensuring, through the use of effective dissemination and
exploitation, that such results reach the right target audiences in a
format and at a time which enables them to benefit from them.
Is this the same as valorisation?
Yes, it is. 'Valorisation' is the French equivalent term for 'dissemination
and exploitation of results'. The two terms are sometimes used
interchangeably in English in the context of the EU Lifelong Learning
programme and its predecessors.
What are results?
The expression ‘results of programmes and initiatives’ encompasses
the results of individual projects, events, activities, periods of
mobility, etc. These can be categorised into five main types: products,
methods, experiences, policy lessons and European cooperation. Further
information concerning DG EAC's strategy for the dissemination and
exploitation of project and programme results and related activities can
be found on the DG's 'Dissemination and Exploitation' webpage at the
following address:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/valorisation/index_en.html
Who is this information for?
- Applicants applying for multilateral projects under the sectoral
programmes must include a detailed dissemination and exploitation
plan as part of their application.
- Applicants applying for funding under the other elements of the
sectoral and transversal programmes should check that the specific
requirements include dissemination and exploitation activities and
plans. The general guidelines and 'checklist' may in any case prove
useful to applicants under any part of the LLP in helping to improve
the focus on project results and impact.
Key information for preparing a quality dissemination and
exploitation plan
All applications for multilateral projects must include a clear,
detailed and quantified dissemination and exploitation plan. This
will form one of the essential elements of the evaluation of
proposals. Consequently, a poor quality strategy for the
dissemination and exploitation of the intended results will have a
negative impact on the proposal evaluation. A good dissemination
and exploitation plan should address the following points in
particular:
- A clear and dynamic focus on user needs
Proposals should be based on a clear and well-argued
presentation of the analysis of user needs for the target groups
concerned and the results proposed in response to those needs.
The dissemination and exploitation plan should set out how this
analysis will be reviewed and updated during the project
lifetime to ensure the results remain relevant to the targeted
end users requirements. The plan should also indicate scanning
activities to identify broader target groups with a potential
interest in the results, as well as actions to capture and
respond to the needs of these wider groups where possible (transfer
potential of the end results).
- Shared responsibility across all partners
Responsibility for the dissemination and exploitation of results
lies with the whole partnership in their capacity as the
repository/owner of those results. All project partners should
therefore take an active part in bringing into effect the
measures set out in the exploitation plan. Exploitation of
results should not be seen as the exclusive reserve of those
partners who offer specific marketing expertise and
dissemination capacity. The plan should set out clearly the
specific tasks falling to each partner during the course of the
project and in line with their particular interests and
expertise.
- A continuing process
Activities for the dissemination and exploitation of results
should be conceived and planned from the very outset of the
project proposal, for example as a tool for developing and
testing the design of the proposal, and should run through the
whole of the project lifecycle to ensure that the end results
are as relevant, applicable, visible and accessible as possible.
- Life after the end of the project
Dissemination and exploitation plans should include activities
designed to ensure the continuing visibility, accessibility and
use of the results after the end of the project, to ensure
maximum impact and sustainability.
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