With a view to enhancing the impact of research funded by the EU, and to foster dialogue and debate, the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) grant agreement requires project participants to communicate and engage with actors beyond the research community. The relevant clauses in the grant agreement ( 22 kB) are shown here. Plans for these outreach activities should already be outlined at proposal stage. These plans are in turn taken into account during the evaluation process.

This website is intended to assist project coordinators and team leaders to generate an effective flow of information and publicity about the objectives and results of their work, the contributions made to European knowledge and scientific excellence, the value of collaboration on a Europe-wide scale, and the benefits to EU citizens in general. The content particularly addresses communications via the ‘mass media’ (TV, radio and the written press), the workings of which may be less familiar to scientific/academic partners. It also covers websites and other internally generated support such as print publications, CDs and video.

It outlines good practices that can be employed in:

Defining key messages; Establishing target audiences; Selecting the appropriate modes of communication; Tailoring information to the intended outlets; Building good relationships with the media; Evaluating results; Maximising the exposure of messages; and Tapping useful Commission and other external resources.

As well as providing sound advice on how best to proceed, this site includes examples of successful approaches that have been used to date.