Strategic Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (M12 UPDATE) (D5.6)

D 5.6 Strategic Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (M12 UPDATE) Ref. Ares(2024)3926043 - 31/05/2024 2 D 5.6 Strategic Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan M12 update DELIVERABLE TYPE Report MONTH AND DATE OF DELIVERABLE M12, 31/05/2024 WORK PACKAGE WP 5 LEADER APRE DISSEMINATION LEVEL Public AUTHORS Valeria Mingardi Marco Regi Chiara Pocaterra PROGRAMME HORIZON EUROPE GRANT AGREEMENT 101111933 START 01/06/2023 DURATION 24 Months 3 Contributors NAME ORGANISATION Valeria Mingardi APRE Marco Regi APRE Chiara Pocaterra APRE Peer Reviews NAME ORGANISATION Marianna Franchino ENVI Ilaria Schiavi ENVI Revision History The information and views set out in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union, neither the European Union Institutions and Bodies nor any person acting on their behalf. Deliverable abstract D5.6 is the update of the Strategic Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan of Work Package 5, updated after the first 12 months of project implementation. This deliverable intends to present actions to be taken in order to strengthen and empower awareness raising about HYPOP, starting from lessons learnt and practices applied to dissemination and communication of project activities. The report also identifies the expected exploitable assets and prepares a plan for the exploitation of the project results. This document also presents KPIs achieved and compares them to the ones expected in the project planning phase. Keywords Dissemination, exploitation and communication strategy, outreach, awareness raising, communication toolkit, target group, exploitable asset, result, impact VERSION DATE REVIEWER COMMENTS 0.1 20/05/2024 Valeria Mingardi (APRE) Marco Regi (APRE), Chiara Pocaterra (APRE) first draft 0.2 15/05/2024 Marianna Franchino (ENVI) Marco Regi (APRE) Review of first draft version 0.3 28/05/2024 Valeria Mingardi (APRE) Marco Regi (APRE), Chiara Pocaterra (APRE) Final review (first document issue – Deliverable D5.1) 0.4 31/05/2024 Marianna Franchino (ENVI) Marco Regi (APRE) Final approval and submission 4 Index of Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 8 1.1. Context and background ................................................................................................................................. 8 1.2. Specific objectives, expected outcomes and impacts of project HYPOP ....................................... 9 2 Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation of project results ...................................................... 11 3 HYPOP Communication and Dissemination Strategy: Update ............................................................... 12 3.1 Project vision and objectives of the communication and dissemination strategy .................... 12 3.2 Target Groups, Stakeholders, Audience, and Key Message ............................................................. 13 3.3 Dissemination channels including Communication Tools ................................................................ 17 3.3.1 Project branding and toolkit ...................................................................................................................................... 17 3.3.2 Acknowledgement of funding and disclaimer...................................................................................................... 17 3.4 Planning of the communication and dissemination activities .......................................................... 18 3.5 Partner’s rule in communication and dissemination ........................................................................... 18 3.6 Communication and Dissemination monitoring................................................................................... 19 4 HYPOP Exploitation Strategy .............................................................................................................................. 23 4.1 Introduction & Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 23 4.2 HYPOP key end-users ................................................................................................................................... 24 4.2.1 Experts from research/academia ............................................................................................................................. 24 4.2.2 Businesses (industry, large companies, SMEs), clusters and business associations .............................. 24 4.2.3 EU, national and regional policy bodies, governmental institutions, innovation agencies ................. 25 4.2.4 Other initiatives and projects based on thematic and methodological interest ..................................... 25 4.2.5 Citizens with civil society organisations (CSOS)................................................................................................. 26 4.3 Planning of exploitation ................................................................................................................................ 26 4.3.1 Steps for reach HYPOP’s objectives ....................................................................................................................... 27 5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................................ 27 6 References .................................................................................................................................................................. 28 5 Index of Figures Figure 1 Examples of awareness and communication campaigns formats on HYPOP Social Media channels ................................................................................................................................................................................ 14 Figure 2 Steps necessary to reach the HYPOP’s objectives .............................................................................. 27 Index of Tables Table 1 - Citizen and Stakeholders involved ............................................................................................................ 16 Table 2 Project’s KPIs for Dissemination and Communication and related activities ............................. 23 6 Partners short names ENVI Environment Park Torino Spa IMI Institute For Methods Innovation IME Fundacion IMDEA Energia APRE Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea CNH2 Centro Nacional Del Hidrogeno RIGP Regionalna Izba Gospodarcza Pomorza CLUSTER TWEED Cluster Tweed BH2C Balkanski Vodoroden Klaster Abbrevations GA Grant Agreement CA Consortium Agreement 7 Executive Summary Communication and dissemination are of paramount importance to the success and impact of project HYPOP – HYdrogen Public Opinion and accePtance. HYPOP shall make use of the EU H2020 and Horizon Europe projects’ dissemination and communication best practices and follow the 6W approach: What, Why, When, hoW, Where and to Whom to disseminate / to communicate. The purpose of this deliverable is to provide an update to the reference document for strategically and effectively disseminating knowledge and information throughout the project. The aims to provide relevant information on the implementation of the Dissemination and Communication strategy, setting the next steps in terms of what should be done to ensure effective promotion and awareness raising about the project and its outcomes in the last 12 months of activities. In addition, this report provides a first Exploitation Plan for the use of project results. D5.6 is also an updated guide for project partners on how to keep promoting the project and maximising the impacts of the activities that they are carrying out, with instructions on how to use the right promotional tools and dissemination channels, how to engage stakeholders through targeted messages and adequate channels. Present deliverable follows the strategy already defined in D5.1 - First Strategic Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan. It will be further updated along the project, specifically next GANTT month M18 (D5.7). 8 1 Introduction This document is a review of the first First Strategic Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan delivered at M3 (D5.1 as per GA). The present report update defines the next main Communication and Dissemination steps, following the project’s progress and integrating main results coming from WP1 and WP2. In the next chapters, objectives, KPI and main strategy are described. 1.1. Context and background Project HYPOP - HYdrogen Public Opinion and accePtance, Grant Agreement nr 101111933 is a project supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its members Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research, and co-funded by the European Union. Project HYPOP's Overall Objective is to raise public awareness and trust towards hydrogen technologies and their systemic benefits, through: • the preparation of guidelines and good practices that will help to define more effectively how citizens, consumers/end-users and stakeholders can be involved in the implementation of Hydrogen technologies • the creation of a web platform, and social media, collecting communication material, mainly videos, on new hydrogen technologies, developed according to the early findings of the public engagement activities. To reach the overall goals of the project, 2 different target groups will be targeted, engaged and involved directly in dedicated activities: • the first target group brings together: citizens, consumers, end users and communication experts. The project will analyze the public understanding of citizens aged 15 and above in each of the Country or Region surveyed (Public Opinion Survey, commissioned by Hydrogen Europe in early 2022 and expected to be completed by spring 2023) with a deep focus on East EU areas (owing also to the involvement of local partners in Poland and Bulgaria). • the second one includes the following stakeholders: First responders, permitting entities, certification bodies and decision makers. Hydrogen is one of the key components of the energy decarbonization strategy of the Union. Its contribution is considered crucial within the main European Union Policies. The development of Hydrogen technologies and their integration into the market energy can represent an important opportunity to face the challenge of climate neutrality and the energy crisis that Europe, its economy and its citizens are currently living through. Public awareness activities are essential for increasing social acceptance and trust in hydrogen-based technologies throughout the European Union, particularly for addressing the potential lack of 9 knowledge or mistrust of key stakeholders directly involved in the first phases of mass deployment in Europe. 1.2. Specific objectives, expected outcomes and impacts of project HYPOP HYPOP strives to achieve the following specific objectives: • Understanding public perceptions and reactions to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies • Identification of the main individual-level determinants of public understanding and acceptance of hydrogen technologies • Enhancing involvement of citizens in the implementation of solutions contributing to the transition to hydrogen and fuel cells • Understanding the pathways to influence public opinion by analysis of the current depiction of hydrogen technologies in broadcasts, newspapers, and social media, and from this developing a public information strategy • Assessment of the specific role of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of hydrogen technologies • Clear guidance on safety and certification and support to obtain permits and authorisations for installing hydrogen technologies • Engagement on Hydrogen Technologies’ implementation • Identifying the safety approaches and the safety barriers in a range of different Countries, in order to create a map of the main requirements (certification) for installing hydrogen technologies and facilities • Identifying the attitudes of the different countries towards social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) of the hydrogen technologies Through its different operational activities, HYPOP aims to achieve the objectives mentioned above, whilst the transversal work of “impact maximisation”, which includes communication and dissemination, that is acting in its support: the aim being to leverage results and bring them to an upper level, reaching the widest possible audience of relevant stakeholders and engaging them into the project activities (in line with the stakeholder engagement strategy of the project) and the exploitation of results. Below the main project outcomes and expected impacts: • Outcomes: o Reach a deeper comprehension of the public opinion on hydrogen technologies o Improvement of the social awareness, trust and reduction of the social distance to the hydrogen topic o Improvement of the understanding of the hydrogen technologies o Improvement of the scientific community and stakeholders’ awareness of the public opinion on hydrogen topic, limits and possible drivers into the acceptance process • Impacts: 16 visibility through promotion in experts’ webinars, workshop, conference, podcasts, etc., and to increase knowledgesharing with and between these stakeholders X X X X X X X X X Businesses (industry, large companies, SMEs), clusters and business associations These stakeholders will give first-end information on hydrogen technologies as they are early adopters/up-takers of new emerging technologies X X X X X X X X X EU, national and regional policy bodies, governmental institutions, innovation agencies Public authorities and specifically decision makers of hydrogen technologies will be continuously targeted to be informed and familiarized with the concepts of enabling technologies X X X X X X X X Other initiatives and projects These stakeholders contribute to community building through crosspollination and fertilization in order to increase synergies and networks X X X X X Table 1 - Citizen and Stakeholders involved We are resharing the above table in this update of the D5.1 plan, because the citizen and stakeholders involvement tools and activities of reporting period M1-M12 foreseen in this table are being complied by the Consortium. 17 3.3 Dissemination channels including Communication Tools The HYPOP project has been maintaining an active online presence to lay the base of its specific identity, to communicate and disseminate relevant information and news about the project, thanks to the following channels, tools and activities: • the HYPOP website (online from M4); • HYPOP social media channels: LinkedIn, X (formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, Instagram; • project news and communications published on the website and social media channels; • project public presentation with a generic overview of HYPOP to be used in events; • project flyer giving an overview of the project objectives, main activities and expected results; • project roll-ups/posters/banner; • engagement with initiatives and networks in the field of hydrogen, both at the European and international levels; • participation in major external events and conferences of interest; • information and knowledge exchange with and through other relevant initiatives for the exploitation of synergies. For details on Communication HYPOP toolkit and channels refers to D5.1 – First Strategic Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan and D5.2 – Visual Identity Handbook. More activities are foreseen for the second part of project implementation (M12-M24), specifically related to dissemination of project results through workshops, conferences, videos, infographics, and awareness raising campaigns. Potential campaigns and activities planned: • Consortium presentation campaigns by using post cards, interview videos; • H2 projects and demo projects, sharing of experiences from these projects by partners, involved citizens; • H2 technologies and devices explained by experts; • Promotion of existing educational/awareness projects; • Infographics reporting WP1, WP2 results for this Year 1; • Videos on HYPOP’s partners, H2 technologies explanation or dissemination of existing awareness activities from other initiatives. Sharing of positive experience by citizens using H2 technologies (e.g. hydrogen buses for public transport). 3.3.1 Project branding and toolkit The complete visual identity, declined in the HYPOP toolkit, has been developed and provided by APRE to all Partners in the project Sharepoint. All the materials that compose the project’s brand identity have been consistently used, bot online and in print version, to ensure the implementation of a coherent and recognisable brand. 3.3.2 Acknowledgement of funding and disclaimer 18 As beneficiary of support by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, the HYPOP project has been constantly using the institution’s logo, together with the EU emblem, in all its communications and dissemination materials, both internally and externally. Both logos, together with the identified disclaimer about funding, are also applied to every output of the project. 3.4 Planning of the communication and dissemination activities To ensure the dissemination strategy stays up to date, an internal planning, coordination and monitoring process has been set up and implemented. In addition, all partners are reporting on their activities and opportunities, that can be found in D5.3 – Communication and Dissemination Activities Report. APRE, as WP5 leader, is in charge of setting up and running the Communication and Dissemination Plan in all its tasks and subtasks, with the cooperation provided by all Partners. Each month, APRE has been developing an editorial plan for the following month, in which all relevant news, information, and events are collected in order to be shared on the project’s social accounts and website. Partners are asked to review and contribute to the Plan, to ensure that the content is updated and technically correct. 3.5 Partner’s rule in communication and dissemination APRE is the leading organization of Work Package 5, and has been overseeing all activities and tasks related to it, with the cooperation of all Partners. APRE develops original content and supports Partners in sharing their relevant news, events, and materials developed for the project. The work task responsibilities are distributed as follows: APRE – Work Package leader: Leads the management and coordination of the work package including: o setting up of the communication and dissemination strategy o monitoring and coordinating the dissemination and communication activities throughout Europe o interacting with all partners for the dissemination and communication activities, and o stimulating partners to provide dissemination input, such as news for publication on the project website, etc. o drives the dissemination including communication activities o provide text of relevant news and publications related to general project activities o ensure quality control of the information provided o creation of a visual identity and provision of templates (Logo, Word and PowerPoint) o production of promotional material based on the contributions from partners 19 o set up and update of the project website o prepare and organize the distribution of the press releases (disseminated by all partners through their channels) o ensure the quality of the dissemination towards experts, and o manage the HYPOP expert talks webinars, dialogue and contact with ‘’external partner’’ (ex. Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Observatory). All Project Partners: All Partners (using the Editorial Plan developed by APRE): o use the project’s visual identity for any dissemination on the project o provide contributions/material for public use on the project website and communication material upon request (e.g., use case descriptions, logos, etc.) o provide news and/or communications on important activities and achievements related to HYPOP o inform APRE about possible participation in conferences, workshops, etc. related to HYPOP o provide short texts about participation in events for the news section of the project website (accompanied by related links and pictures whenever available) o disseminate HYPOP information, materials and deliverables through their channels and networks, notably in the format of newsletters, press communications, social media posts, etc o regularly inform APRE about which communication channels and networks were used, and o provide the required information for the reporting for the EC (see template in Excel sheet provided by separate mail to the partners). 3.6 Communication and Dissemination monitoring Measurable targets and performance indicators have been set for the dissemination work. Besides the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) a monitoring is being provided with all the Consortium efforts for Communication and Dissemination activities in Deliverable 5.3 – Communication and Dissemination Activities Report. Table 2 shows C&D project’s KPI and their current status: 20 # KPI Target Audience Status at M12 1 HYPOP’s visual identity and related promotional N. of brand identity kit released: 1 N. of social media banners: 2 N. of flyers: 2 N. of roll-ups: 2 N. of informative posters >2 N. of flyers distributed >2000 Scientific experts, Industry, social partners, businesses, policy makers, community at large All materials developed 2 Design infographics and develop informative videos N. of informative videos to explain hydrogen and its application translated in 5 languages (incl. English): >3 N. of infographics to visualise project’s outputs translated in 5 languages (incl. English): >5 Scientific experts, Industry, social partners, businesses, policy makers, community at large Ongoing, videos and infographics will be developed and published in Y2 3 Website and social media accounts (LinkedIn, X, Instagram) Website: N. of website online (M4): 1 N. of total visits: > 15.000 N. of countries reached >27 Social media: N. of accounts setup and active (M6): 4 N. of posts per year (total): >50 N. of social media campaigns: >5 N. of LinkedIn//X followers: Scientific experts, Industry, social partners, businesses, policy makers, community at large Website online since M4, website visits around 1.500 from 12 countries. Social Media accounts set up (LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram), 36 posts shared on each social media account. Social media campaigns will be implemented in Y2. LinkedIn followers: 255 followers in Y1 21 # KPI Target Audience Status at M12 Y1: n° 700 Y2: n° 1000 N. of Instagram followers: Y1: n° 1000 Y2: n° 500 YouTube viewers: Y1: n° 300 Y2: n° 600 N. of general local event per country participated by the local partner): >1 N. of article/radio or tv interviews in national or regional media by local partners for each partner country: >1 Instagram followers: 133 followers YouTube followers: 5, no video in the channel yet Events KPI achieved, article under monitoring. 4 Participation in external events and conferences and promotion through traditional media channels (*) N. of participation in events with dedicated booths: >3 N. of speeches at events and conferences (live and online): >5 N. of articles in newspapers, magazines or radio: >8 Scientific experts, Industry, social partners, businesses, policy makers, community at large Press Releases are planned in Year 2. Some events have been identified: the EU Hydrogen Week, November 2024; the Sustainable Places Conference, September 2024. Other events will 22 # KPI Target Audience Status at M12 N. of press releases (to 10.000 + contacts): >6 be identified in each country and the best option selected in order to reach the target. Some magazines have been identified for articles production. WP1&WP2 results will be mainly reported with engagement activities planned in Year 2. Press releases planned for Year 2 mainly or just after results at M12. 5 Joint activities with other initiatives and networks N. of joint activities (expert meetings,): 1 N. of mutual learning workshop: >1 N. of online meetings with Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Observatory: >3 N. of online meetings with EU Clean Hydrogen Mission: >3 Scientific experts, Industry, social partners, businesses, policy makers, community at large 1 meeting with Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Observatory done. 1 meeting/synergic activities planned with H2IT – Italian Hydrogen Association to support public and stakeholders engagement. The activities in this part of the table are specified in D5.4. 23 # KPI Target Audience Status at M12 6 Interconnection with hydrogen demo-project N. of joint activities, demonstration event: 4 Scientific experts, Industry, social partners, businesses, policy makers, community at large The activities in this part of the table are specified in D5.4. Table 2 Project’s KPIs for Dissemination and Communication and related activities An update on the dissemination activities has been made during the last General Assembly meeting (20-21 of May 2024) where the KPIs and its reach have been discussed by the Consortium. The results of Y1 activities have generally been under the expected KPIs, and a corrective strategy has been developed and will be implemented by APRE, with all Partners’ cooperation. The challenge encountered, mainly in involving followers on social media platforms, will be corrected through the development of project-specific materials, based on the deliverables produced by Partners. Moreover, the project accounts will be populated with more visually engaging materials, like videos and infographics, that have the power to easily involve target groups that have been only minimally reached. Finally, specific and tailored materials will be developed to engage particular target groups through the intervention of sectoral experts that can address their specific needs. A Dissemination Tracking File has been also set up by APRE to monitor the partners communication activities along the project. All HYPOP’s Partners during the first 12 months participated to a dedicated European Hydrogen events. To see all events attendance, please consult D5.3. 4 HYPOP Exploitation Strategy 4.1 Introduction & Objectives Clean hydrogen is an energy vector used as fuel or for energy storage with technical and environmental advantages, due to its versatility, scalability, and, for green hydrogen, low carbon emissions. Hydrogen is one of the key components of the energy decarbonization strategy of the Union. Its contribution is considered crucial within the main European Union Policies, in particular the Clean Energy package (Renewable Energy Directive REDII, REDIII1), the Green Deal, the European Hydrogen Strategy. 24 The transition to hydrogen and fuel cells is a long process that involves different stakeholders: policyand decision-makers, technology providers, adopters, users and, last but not least, citizens. Understanding how the latter perceive hydrogen, together with a knowledge of the needs and barriers of technology providers and decision-makers, are fundamental elements to ensure a successful implementation of solutions for the transition in terms of policy, technical development and social awareness. The HYPOP Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation (M1-24) activities will be discussed in WP5. In this preliminary exploitation plan the consortium will be identifying (sub task n° 5.1.1: Target Groups Map): • WHAT are the most relevant exploitable project results • WHO will benefit from such results • HOW will such results made available • WHY it's important to make such results available. 4.2 HYPOP key end-users The identified HYPOP’s key end users are grouped using the following categories. 4.2.1 Experts from research/academia Specific Categories: Scientific Communities Scientists and researchers, digital, industrial and social technologist, intellectuals and academic educators, and other profiles connected to the academical and scientific community, are interested in the results and impact of HYPOP Project. They have multiple interest on HYPOP topics (hydrogen for transportation, heating, energy). They can use them for networking purposes, inspiration, information, new research lines identification, new development possibilities, knowledge transfer, potential innovation projects as well as dissemination, reputation building, new areas specialisation, visibility and teaching materials. 4.2.2 Businesses (industry, large companies, SMEs), clusters and business associations Specific Categories: Hydrogen Technology Manufacturers and Provider Industry and large companies as well as SMEs and entrepreneurs are interested in new trends, new legislation, norms and recommendations. Looking for information to be more competitive, sustainable and integrated into society. And, specially, be aware of the new legal requirements based on social and environmental impact conditions that are expected to be requested in next years (climate neutrality, clean energy production, green carbon free solution, etc.). 25 4.2.3 EU, national and regional policy bodies, governmental institutions, innovation agencies Specific Categories: Decision maker, Public Authorities, EU and local projects, Experts on hydrogen technologies and communication European Commission and other EU-level policy stakeholders have great interest to use Hydrogen assets to provide evidence and advise for new European Public Policies aimed to develop the competitiveness of Europe by integrating societal and environmental aspects (climate change, energy crisis, etc.) into technology development. European strategies are followed by national, regional and local governments that, usually, try to be in line European Policies and strategies. The target of the HYPOP project is to involves the following dedicated thematic networks: • National level: organization coordinating and representing hydrogen actors at the national level • European level: European networks of actors involved in the development of hydrogen value chain • International level: initiatives which link hydrogen networks and projects at the international level 4.2.4 Other initiatives and projects based on thematic and methodological interest Advisors, consultants and mentors as well as social and technological innovators are key-end-users. They provide different types of services and vision related to the promotion, research, design, prototyping and validation, activation, dynamization and evaluation of technological pathways and future scenarios. They allow the improvement and acceptance of the new energy strategy proposed to face and reach the challenges of climate neutrality and energy crisis in Europe, together with a change of citizens' perceptions for the proposed new energy solutions using Hydrogen Technologies. Tailored exploitation activities will be included in a European-wide campaign aimed at raising awareness about hydrogen, promoting stakeholder engagement activities and enhancing the uptake of HYPOP’s results. In particular: • engagement of the relevant Hydrogen Technologies Players and End Users • define a project Brand identity that is consistent and easy to recognise, perceived positively by the different Target Groups • provide dedicated materials (news, scientific papers, videos, etc.) useful to obtain the awareness about HYPOP’s aims and objectives