VALO Project Rationale

All projects need to valorise their results and outputs for maximising achievements and increasing sustainability after their lifetime. This includes transfer of results and best practices to different and broader contexts, potential tailoring to the needs of others, continuation after the funding period has finished, influencing policy and practice, serving the public good. The emphasis is on optimising the value of a project and on boosting its impact.

Many European and other projects seem to be missing a valorisation strategy. Projects seem to be carried out in isolation and finish without lasting impact. In addition, there is a lack of skills for carrying out valorisation actions. The general aims and objectives of the project are to create a new certified Valorisation Expert profession adding to the existing certifications in the ECQA.

All projects need to disseminate, sustain and exploit their results and outputs in order to maximise the achievements of the project and in order to serve the public good. Dissemination means spreading information to ensure that others benefit from experiences gained in the project. Dissemination includes broad dissemination (communication with public or stakeholders not strongly involved with the project) and deep dissemination (addressing the target group as early and as extensively as possible). Exploitation of the results of project activities embodies the act of employing results to the greatest possible advantage. Exploitation needs appropriate mechanisms to make results more attractive for use to the target group; tailor the results to the needs of specific target groups, sectors or organisations; transfer results that could be used by new target groups or sectors; sustain results and keep them in use and existence; influence and change mainstream practice and policy. By a few words it means that more people can share in the successes, experiences and lessons learned. The French term, ‘valorisation’, is often used encompassing all activities that maximise the achievements of a project. The emphasis is on optimising the value of the project for diverse stakeholders (society, community, institutions, and individuals) and boosting its impact.

Many European and other projects are missing a good dissemination and valorisation strategy. Projects usually are carried out in isolation, and finish without essential impact. In particular projects consisting of purely research oriented and/or technically oriented partners also seem to lack knowledge of the importance of dissemination, exploitation and valorisation for sustainable development. They also may have inadequate valorisation skills. In order to support individuals and organisations in building competences in valorisation (dissemination and exploitation of project results) a new innovation transfer project entitled ‘ECQA Certified Valorisation Expert Training and Certification (VALO)’ was developed 2011-2013 within the frame of the European-wide accepted scheme of non-profit European Certification and Qualification Association (www.ecqa.org) and supported by the EU Lifelong Learning Programme. The aim of the project was the transfer of valorisation skills to the industry.