Work Package 9: Dissemination & Awareness (DISSEMINATION)

RESPONSIBLE: Marco Ricolfi.

WP9 will be strictly connected with WP8 (POLICY) in charge of delivering policy recommendations for the local government and other policy-makers.
The valorisation and dissemination activity will be carried out throughout the project. It will be structured in specific measures aimed at guaranteeing and improving the project impact and at promoting the re-use of the project results at the local, national and European levels.
To reach these goals, the project foresees the implementation of a “valorization plan”, based on the direct involvement of PSI users receivers, of the third sector, of policy- makers and other key stakeholders identified during the course of the project.
The main tool of the valorization plan will be the creation of a project website, which will be linked to the main portals of the project partners. Specific attention will be given to the frequent updating of the website content.
Another relevant dissemination activity will be the production of a periodic newsletter published on the project website. Each partner will provide specific mailing lists, divided by users’ categories, to whom the newsletter will be sent.
Moreover, the partners will carry out dissemination activities by means of local and international seminars, workshops and conferences to inform the institutional authorities and the local actors in charge of the management of the PSI.
Seminars and workshops will be open also to institutions and operators who are not directly part of the project, so as to widen the potential impact area.

OBJECTIVES: The general purpose of this work package is to elaborate a detailed communication plan at the beginning of the project in order to maximize the impact of the project, during both the development period and at the end of the activities.
The main objectives are the following:

• Project website. The aim of this website will be to highlight the objectives of the project and to include the most important outputs (methodologies, results, reports and recommendations produced by the project work packages) as soon as they are produced to make them immediately visible. Furthermore, the website will be used as incentive to collect opinions and feedback, to expand the network and stimulate active suggestions from subjects not directly involved in the project partnership;
• Drafting of handbooks on good practices, directed to the local, regional and European authorities dealing with the access, dissemination and re-use of PSI. These tools will promote and facilitate the analyses of the project results;
• Organization of press conferences at the beginning of the project and at each important achievement by which information on the project results will be distributed to the press. Press conferences will be organized every 6 months;
• Organization of workshops, seminars and conferences to guarantee that the widest possible audience is correctly informed on the project, its objectives and its results, both intermediate and final. The events will also help to keep the regional level synchronized with the national and international scenario;
• Periodic newsletter on project activities as well as on general PSI-related news.
• Stakeholders Board: project presentation to national, regional and local stakeholders dealing with the access, dissemination and re-use of PSI;
• Distribution of brochures, flysheets, and CDs during the workshop, seminars and conference will have the aims to inform the participants in an efficient and clear way.

All the partners will contribute both to interregional dissemination activities and local actions, according to their skills and contacts.

ATTENDED RESULTS: The main expected result of this Work Package is to ensure the widest possible impact for the activities and results of the project.
Such impact may be measured by several indicators, including:

• number and quality of the scientific publications produced during the course of the project;
• number and quality of the articles presenting the project, its objectives and its results (both intermediate and final) to the general public;
• a widely linked and widely cited project website;
• visits to the project website;
• number and quality of white papers, reports, best practices collection, databases, etc. produced and published by the project;
• number of downloads of the above mentioned material;
• number of participants to the public events organized by the project;
• number of receipients of the project newsletter.

Other results are less susceptible to quantification, but are nonetheless important, such as the know-how accrued by researchers involved in the project, knowledge that will remain in the Piemonte Region, enriching future generations of students, researchers and practitioners.