The Work Package Communication and Capitalisation defines a set of the following mandatory activities and deliverables
See. section 2.2.5 “Work Package Communication and Capitalisation” for additional information
Activity A.4.1. “Kick off Communication activities”
This activity allows to set the basis of communication activities for the entire implementation of the project. It includes the development of a communication strategy and the organisation of a kick-off event or meeting.
Communication Strategy
It defines the project’s communication objectives, the target groups, what message(s) it intends to promote, and the type of strategic approach that should be adopted accordingly. The communication strategy includes the following elements:
- Objectives: communication objectives must be goal-driven and help to deliver specific project objectives. They should be clear, brief, and concise. For instance, “raise awareness” or “disseminate results” are not sufficient communication objectives: they should be specific and measurable.
- Target Groups: well-defined key audiences will determine the success of the communication activities. For instance, “policy makers” is not a well-defined target group. “Policy makers dealing with education”, “Public Transport Authority” are more effective. Project communication should also target the general public and a wider group of stakeholders (citizens, social and economic stakeholders) given that they are sufficiently defined as well. Communication shall be undertaken in the local language.
- Activities: what is the most efficient way to reach and communicate with and to each given target group? It can be a brochure, a conference, an on-site visit, a newsletter... The activities planned must be consistent with your project activities.
- Budget: the budget for communication activities needs to be defined in the application phase. For instance, if the project chooses to contract external experts, it should be reflected in the “External Expertise and services” cost category.
- Evaluation: it is important to put in place tools and key performance indicators to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of the communication activities. They should be described during the elaboration of the communication strategy.
Communication event/meeting
It can be a kick-off event, bringing together the local partnership, local politicians, elected members, Commission’s representatives, Managing authorities representatives, and the Permanent Secretariat staff, or any other activities relevant to the start of the project’s implementation activities.
Activity A.4.2 “Promotional and informational activities”
This activity includes the set-up and delivery of digital communications (newsletters and social media accounts), the production of promotional materials and publications explaining the objectives of the projects (it can be a news article, poster, infographics, a video, etc.) during the project’s lifetime and can consist of the following deliverables:
Communication materials about project activities can take the following form:
- Publications: printed or web publications must make clear reference to the financial support from the European Union.
- Digital activities (web and social media): EUI is present on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) and projects are highly encouraged to create their own account. For social media promotion, projects and their Partners are encouraged to use the given hashtags by the Permanent Secretariat.
- Public events dedicated to well-defined target groups.
- Promotional materials: EUI-IA has a strict approach regarding project giveaways. Only communication material showing relevance to reach one of the defined target groups and objectives may be produced. They require prior approval of the Permanent Secretariat and shall not exceed EUR 50 per gift. All promotional material should include a carbon-neutral based approach as much as possible.
Media relations
The EUI encourages projects to produce a press kit, with press releases, photos, fact sheets, identify and regularly inform key media at the local, regional and national levels
Third-party events
It is highly recommended to network and communicate on the EUI-IA project at relevant events at local, national and European level in order to raise awareness on project results and outputs, promote the innovative solutions presented to a broader audience for potential transfer, and increase possibilities for the project to seek and/or receive funding for post-implementation stages.
Project page on the European Urban Initiative website
In order to ensure accessibility, durability and consistency of the information, each EUI-IA project will have its own dedicated page on the EUI website. It is mandatory for the project manager to provide requested project information including good quality photos to the Permanent Secretariat abiding by the deadline communicated as it will serve as the main presentation of the selected project on the EUI website.
The project page will provide key information such as the purpose of the project, specific objectives, location of the project, relevance to the EU Cohesion policy objectives, expected results and actual achievements. At a higher stage, the project page will serve to showcase the key lessons learnt and knowledge important for the cities interested in replicating tested innovative solution. Following the Permanent Secretariat’s requirement, it is mandatory for projects to provide regular news and updates on the project only in English.
Good examples of news: kick-off event, meetings with the local Partnership, relevant milestones (first version being tested by a sample of users), site visit by external stakeholders and politicians, good quality photos, article(s) from local press mentioning the project and its publications. Technical and working documents should be avoided.
Activity A.4.3 Capitalisation and dissemination activity:
The codification of the practices implemented by the EUI-IA cities is an essential step to facilitate the transfer and the re-use of good practices by other urban authorities. Capitalisation activities (capturing/analysing/explaining the knowledge generated in the form of reports, case studies, policy recommendations and disseminating it) represent one of the key mechanisms used to facilitate the transfer, resulting mainly in increase in knowledge and capacities. Facilitating an effective process of knowledge transfer and creating the environment and opportunities for capturing, sharing and upscaling EUI-IA experiences, inspiring the use of Cohesion policy funds in urban areas, capacity building on innovation for all EU cities are strategic objectives for EUI.
This activity includes the participation and contribution to the activities organised by EUI (thematic policy-labs, capacity-building activities, etc.), and can be enlarged to the project’s own capitalisation and dissemination activities such as participation to thematic conferences, creating synergies with other projects and initiatives, etc.
Activity A.4.4 Final closing and dissemination activity
The final closing and dissemination activity of a project can be an event (e.g. an inauguration with officials and the press on a local level targeting a broader audience), an exhibition, a publication, or any other closing activity relevant for the project in order to mark the end of the implementation stage under the EUI-IA project framework. The aim is to showcase the main results and achievements of the project. For an event, representatives of the Permanent Secretariat, the European Commission as well as the relevant Managing authorities should be invited to explore the sustainability, upscaling and/or mainstreaming within Cohesion policy prospects of the project.