D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe - Research and Innovation program under the grant agreement No 101092100. This report reflects only the author’s view and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update Deliverable ID: D6.2 Project Acronym: HARTU Grant: 101092100 Call: HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01 Project Coordinator: TEKNIKER Work Package: WP6 Deliverable Type: Report Responsible Partner: DBL Contributors: ALL Edition date: 28 June 2024 Version: 04 Status: Final Classification: PU D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 2 HARTU Consortium HARTU “Handling with AI-enhanced Robotic Technologies for flexible manufactUring” (Contract No. 101092100) is a collaborative project within the Horizon Europe – Research and Innovation program (HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-04). The consortium members are: 1 FUNDACION TEKNIKER (TEK) 20600 Gipuzkoa | Spain Contact: Iñaki Maurtua [email protected] 2 DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER KUENSTLICHE INTELLIGENZ GMBH (DFKI) 67663 Kaiserslautern | Germany Contact: Vinzenz Bargsten vinzenz.barg[email protected] 3 ASOCIACIÓN DE INVESTIGACIÓN METALÚRGICA DEL NOROESTE (AIMEN) 36418 Pontevedra| Spain Contact: Jawad Masood jawad.maso[email protected] 4 ENGINEERING INGEGNERIA INFORMATICA S.P.A. (ENG) 00144 Rome| Italy Contact: Riccardo Zanetti riccardo.zanet[email protected] 5 TOFAS TURK OTOMOBIL FABRIKASI ANONIM SIRKETI (TOFAS) 34394 Istanbul | Turkey Contact: Nuri Ertekin [email protected] 6 PHILIPS CONSUMER LIFESTYLE BV (PCL) 5656 AG Eindhoven | Netherlands Contact: Erik Koehorst [email protected] 7 ULMA MANUTENCION S. COOP. (ULMA) 20560 Gipuzkoa | Spain Contact: Leire Zubia [email protected] 8 DEEP BLUE Srl (DBL) 00193 ROME | Italy Contact: Erica Vannucci [email protected] 9 FMI HTS DRACHTEN B.V. (FMI) NL-4622 RD Bergen Op Zoom, Netherlands Contact: Floris goet [email protected] 10 TECNOALIMENTI S.C.p.A (TCA) 20124 Milano | Italy Contact: Marianna Faraldi [email protected] 11 POLITECNICO DI BARI (POLIBA) 70126 Bari | Italy Contact: Giuseppe Carbone giuseppe.carb[email protected] 12 OMNIGRASP S.r.l. (OMNI) 70124 Bari | Italy Contact: Vito Cacucciolo [email protected] m 13 INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE INCORPORATED (ITRI) 310401 Hsinchu | Taiwan Contact: Curtis Kuan [email protected].tw 14 INFAR INDUSTRIAL Co., Ltd (INFAR) 504 Chang-hua County | Taiwan Contact: Simon Chen [email protected] D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 3 Document history Date Version Status Author Description 07/06/2024 01 Draft Marta Cecconi (DBL) Document creation 14/06/2024 02 First version Vera Ferraiuolo, Erica Vannucci First content review 25/06/2024 03 Peer review version Consortium Feedback from consortium 28/06/2024 04 Final version DBL Version submitted D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 4 Executive Summary This deliverable is an update of the D6.1 Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation plan submitted in June 2023. It provides an overview of the progress and effectiveness of HARTU's communication strategy at the 18-month mark. It encompasses a comprehensive review of past events, communication actions implemented, graphical products developed, and an evaluation of the communication success against the Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Additionally, the update identifies deviations and areas for improvement observed as the project has advanced. Key Highlights: • Section 1: this section showcases the evolution and implementation of HARTU’s communication strategy, restating the dissemination goals and further detailing the target audience of the project. • Section 2: this section illustrates graphical products created for HARTU (e.g., poster, concept images, videos, newsletters, press releases) as well as a list of all social media content reviewed assessing their effectiveness in conveying project messages and engaging the target audience. Moreover, an analysis of events, including webinars, conferences, and workshops illustrates the project's visibility and outreach efforts. • Section 3: in this section an evaluation of KPIs is provided, to share some insights into the impact of communication activities; also, an identification of deviations and areas for improvement is presented for refining the communication strategy and optimising future outreach efforts. • Section 4: this section is dedicated to the analysis of the actions undertaken in terms of stakeholders' engagement, the activities conducted, their outcomes, and future plans for further engagement efforts. • Section 5: in this section final remarks and conclusions are drawn. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 5 Table of contents Project overview .................................................................................................................................. 8 1. Dissemination overview ............................................................................................................... 9 1.1. Dissemination goals ............................................................................................................. 9 1.2. Target audience ................................................................................................................. 10 2. Dissemination Actions ................................................................................................................ 11 2.1. Dissemination pack ............................................................................................................ 11 2.2. Concept images .................................................................................................................. 11 2.3. Flyers and poster ................................................................................................................ 13 2.4. Presentations ..................................................................................................................... 13 2.5. Videos ................................................................................................................................. 13 2.6. Website and news .............................................................................................................. 14 2.7. Scientific articles and papers ............................................................................................. 16 2.8. Social networks .................................................................................................................. 17 2.9. Newsletters ........................................................................................................................ 19 2.10. Press releases ................................................................................................................. 20 2.11. Events ............................................................................................................................. 21 2.11.1. Public events attended .............................................................................................. 21 2.11.2. Organised events: open days and webinars .............................................................. 22 2.12. Internal dissemination ................................................................................................... 23 3. Monitoring and KPIs ................................................................................................................... 24 3.1. Deviations........................................................................................................................... 25 4. Stakeholders’ engagement ........................................................................................................ 26 4.1. Target audience ................................................................................................................. 26 4.2. Approach ............................................................................................................................ 26 4.1. Stakeholders’ engagement actions .................................................................................... 27 4.1.1. Ongoing projects in the same topic ........................................................................... 27 4.1.2. DIHs, National and International activities ................................................................ 28 4.1.3. Advisory board ........................................................................................................... 29 4.1.4. Standardization .......................................................................................................... 30 5. Final remarks and conclusions ................................................................................................... 31 A. Annex ......................................................................................................................................... 33 A.1. Dissemination pack ............................................................................................................ 33 D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 6 A.2. Poster/Flyer ........................................................................................................................ 35 List of figures Figure 1 - Current manufacturing scenario (figure above) and Future, flexible manufacturing scenario (figure below) ...................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 2 - Challenges and need - concept image ............................................................................... 12 Figure 3 - HARTU first video’s storyboard .......................................................................................... 14 Figure 4 - Website visits (figure above), website visitors’ locations (figure below) (June 2023 - June 2024) .......................................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 5 - LinkedIn impressions (figure above) and LinkedIn followers (figure below) (June 2023 - June 2024 ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Figure 6 - X impressions (April 2024 - June 2024) .............................................................................. 19 Figure 7 - HARTU 1st newsletter ........................................................................................................ 20 Figure 8. HARTU at the ERF23, presented by Ander Ansuategi (TEK) ............................................... 27 Figure 9. Open Day Event co-organized with 5R at TEK facilities ...................................................... 28 Figure 10. From left to right: Steven Su,Senior VP (Itri), Su Huang, Director Intelligent Robotics (ITRI), Chyou-Huey Chiou, Director General Department of Industrial Technology Ministry of Economic Affairs Taiwan and Curtis Kuan, Intelligent Robotics (ITRI) ............................................... 29 Figure 11. The HARTU demonstrator presented in the FTV tv channel ............................................ 29 Figure 12 - 1st EAB meeting agenda .................................................................................................. 30 Figure 13 - HARTU style guide (logo, colour palette, font) ................................................................ 33 Figure 14 - HARTU document templates ........................................................................................... 34 Figure 15 - HARTU poster/flyer .......................................................................................................... 35 List of tables Table 1 - HARTU blogposts ................................................................................................................. 14 Table 2 - List of HARTU scientific publications up to M18 ................................................................. 17 Table 3 - HARTU references online .................................................................................................... 20 Table 4 - List of external events and conferences ............................................................................. 21 Table 5 - Dissemination and Communication KPIs ............................................................................ 24 D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 7 Acronyms List of the acronyms CMS Content management system GDPR General Data Protection Regulation EAB Executive Advisory Board EC European Commission EU European Union HARTU Handling with AI-enhanced Robotic Technologies for flexible manufactUring WP Work Package KPI Key Performance Indicator SQL Structured query language SEO Search engine optimisation D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 8 Project overview The HARTU project is an industry-driven research project that addresses the key challenges of parts handling, including grasping, assembly, and releasing, by leveraging innovative technical approaches. The project will develop tools to achieve four main goals. Firstly, HARTU will establish selfsupervised grasp and release planning policies identification and control. Secondly, it will teach and control contact-rich assembly skills from human demonstrations. Thirdly, HARTU will develop an AIbased multi-modal perception for visual-servoing and continuous monitoring in handling operations, supported by virtual and continuous learning. Finally, the project will create versatile and dexterous soft grippers with electro-active fingertips. The project is driven by the industry and will include the deployment of technologies in five industrially relevant scenarios, including automotive, household appliances, hand tool manufacturing, food processing, and logistics. These scenarios offer a wide range of products in terms of shape, material, and size, enabling HARTU to increase the flexibility, reconfigurability, and efficiency of manufacturing lines. Additionally, HARTU aims to contribute to the user acceptance and adoption, identification of skills development needs, and compliance with the liability/legal and ethical aspects. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 9 1. Dissemination overview Dissemination, communication, and exploitation activities are crucial for the HARTU project to convey information, share new knowledge, and raise awareness through various channels. These activities ensure that project results and outputs are accessible to interested parties and key decision makers, promoting HARTU's achievements to a broader audience. Work Package 6 is dedicated to communication, dissemination, and exploitation tasks, with specific actions aligned with the project's phases to bring EU-funded research and its results to the attention of multiple audiences. The dissemination efforts span the entire project duration (36 months), consistently communicating progress and results to engage all identified target audiences. Over the past 12 months (from June 2023 to June 2024), these strategies were implemented and adapted following the project’s approach and communication objectives: • Disseminate key messages and goals, according to the strategic approach of the project. • Attract stakeholders by finding key targets interested in the project's outcomes and adapt events and activities based on the audience HARTU wants to network with. • Tailor information by personalising communication content, style, and support based on stakeholders' interests and needs, and the project’s development as well. • Ensure knowledge sharing • Measure impact thanks to the use of indicators to track dissemination activities and monitor progress, ensuring the strategy achieves expected results 1.1. Dissemination goals The communication and dissemination parts of the project adopt an interand transdisciplinary approach to deliver societal, industrial, and technical objectives. The key objectives are to engage stakeholders and end-users to raise awareness and social acceptance and to communicate milestones, results, and HARTU’s outcomes. The success of dissemination tasks is linked to reaching the widest possible audience of stakeholders who will adopt and validate the project’s results. Depending on the project phase and expected stakeholder involvement, the dissemination activities aim to: • Grant visibility to the research at all levels, ensuring content reaches policy makers, relevant stakeholders, and communities. • Create a community of interested stakeholders and contribute to increased acceptance of developed solutions, making the project well-received, likely to be adopted, and effective in achieving its goals. • Provide increased acceptance of HARTU’s developed solutions by end-users according to ethics, safety, and regulatory frameworks. • Make project results available to the scientific community, potential industrial partners, and policy makers through a tailored communication and dissemination strategy. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 16 Figure 4 - Website visits (figure above), website visitors’ locations (figure below) (June 2023 - June 2024) 2.7. Scientific articles and papers During the lifetime of the project, it is expected that 18 scientific publications will be released as Gold Open Access: six in the first phase (M1-18), twelve in the second one (M19-36). These scientific and technical publications must be published on international peer-reviewed scientific journals to ensure the quality and accuracy of the research. HARTU will follow the European guidelines on the large-scale accessibility of project findings; in fact all the scientific articles and papers are available on the HARTU website. Given the challenging target for scientific publications in the initial project phase, the partners published only 3 out of the planned 6 scientific papers. A paper presented in June is currently under review for approval. The full abstract has been submitted, and if accepted, it will be presented in September 2024. This deviation is understandable as the project did not have sufficient results at the time to support a larger number of scientific publications in the first year. To mitigate this issue, D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 17 in the second part of the project, efforts will be intensified to address this aspect, although the number of publications to be produced will be adjusted in the KPI section to reflect a more realistic target. Additionally, to share scientific papers, datasets, and other project outputs, a dedicated space was also created on the ZENODO 5 platform. ZENODO is a general-purpose data repository built on opensource software that accepts all forms of research output, from data files to presentation files. This platform facilitates the sharing and dissemination of HARTU's research findings, ensuring that they are accessible to the wider scientific community and other interested parties. Table 2 - List of HARTU scientific publications up to M18 Date Title Name of the event/journal Peerreviewed Partners involved March 2024 Robotic grasping decision making assisted by AI and simulation European Robotic Forum - ERF24 (approved) Y TEK March 2024 Preliminary Evaluation of an Embedded FBG-Based Force Sensor for In-Hand Grasp Monitoring European Robotic Forum - ERF24 (approved) Y AIMEN May 2024 Gaussian Mixture Likelihoodbased Adaptive MPC for Interactive Mobile Manipulators 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (approved) Y DFKI June 2024 Towards human-centric industrial training International Conference ADM2024 (waiting for approval) Y DBL 2.8. Social networks For disseminating the project outcomes, the consortium has chosen to use the following social media networks: LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. These channels help open discussion around the project topics, not only among a specialised audience but also involving the general public. Since M3 HARTU is present on these platforms. HARTU is using social networks to enlarge its group of followers and ensure a broader dissemination of its findings and results towards different kinds of audiences. During its first 6 months, the project reached 51 followers across its social media (33 on LinkedIn and 17 on X), and its updates received almost 3.000 views. From M7 to M12, the project reached 126 followers across its social media (95 on LinkedIn and 31 on X), and its updates received more than 6.000 impressions. During the last six months (M13-M18), the project reached 225 followers (189 on LinkedIn and 36 on X), keeping the trend of interactions positive. • LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hartu-project/ • X link: https://twitter.com/HARTU_project 5 https://zenodo.org/communities/hartu/records?q=&l=list&p=1&s=10&sort=newest D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 18 • YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZRaIkULYephAant7vG0uJQ LinkedIn was launched in March 2023. In Figure 5 the most relevant analytics from the last 12 months (June 2023-June 2024) are reported. Figure 5 - LinkedIn impressions (figure above) and LinkedIn followers (figure below) (June 2023 - June 2024 X was launched in March 2023, as well. It has been observed that impressions and followers on X are not very high, especially when compared to the positive performance on LinkedIn. This is likely due to the declining user base on X and the platform's limitations in facilitating the dissemination of non-sponsored content. As a result, raising awareness about the project is more challenging on X. However, we will continue to use it as a platform, while fine-tuning our dissemination efforts through more effective channels like LinkedIn. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 19 Since the platform does not give the possibility to have an annual report of the analytics, in the Figure 6 below the impressions from April 2024 to June 2024 are presented. Figure 6 - X impressions (April 2024 - June 2024) Currently, regarding YouTube, only one video (the webinar recording) has been published. The video is the recording of the first webinar of the project. It was uploaded to the project's YouTube channel, emailed to registered participants, and shared on the website and social media for further dissemination. Currently, it has garnered over 100 views (see 2.11.2 paragraph). 2.9. Newsletters The project planned to send out a bi-annual project e-newsletter to partners, key stakeholders, specific audiences and interested contacts who have subscribed to the form on the website. The newsletter’s aim is to keep the audience interested and informed about activities and results, public deliverables presentation, project progression, and publications, by providing insights, useful links, and relevant contents related to the manufacturing and robotics domain in Europe. The first newsletter was sent in February 2024 (link). The decision to skip the first year was related to the low number of subscribers and the fact that a press-release was already sent out (see section 2.10). The second one has been sent by the end of Month 18, June 2024 (link) and another one is planned by the end of the year. The newsletter layout was divided into three sections: "Latest News", featuring the latest project updates and events; "Articles", showcasing articles published on the project website; "Focus", a section dedicated to a specific theme, different in each issue; and “Around the web”, to recommend interesting readings on HARTU topics that the consortium might find on the Internet. Some screenshots from the first issue are displayed in Figure 7. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 20 Figure 7 - HARTU 1st newsletter 2.10. Press releases The first press release was sent out by the consortium at the end of April 2023, four months after the project kicked-off. This press release introduced the project, its objectives, methodology, the consortium, and included a quote from the coordinator. We prepared an English version of the press release, which every partner could tailor and translate in their own local language to spread it through their national press contacts. Then, the press release news was published on social media and the website, where the English versions is available for download. The media coverage recorded 6 websites who reported the news of the HARTU’s launch. Below, a list of the websites and news outlets is presented: Table 3 - HARTU references online Date Link July 2023 https://www.tekniker.es/en/robotic-product-handling-more-flexible July 2023 https://dblue.it/hartu-ia-industria-manifatturiera/ July 2023 https://industry.itismagazine.it/approfondimenti/hartu-accompagna-ilmanifatturiero-verso-lindustria-5-0/ July 2023 https://www.giornaledellepmi.it/lintelligenza-artificiale-per-incrementare-laproduzione-dellindustria-manifatturiera/ D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 21 July 2023 https://polibachronicle.poliba.it/sistemi-di-intelligenza-artificiale-per-il-settoremanifatturiero/ July 2023 La Repubblica – Puglia Economia, printed newspaper August 2023 https://www.itri.org.tw/english/ListStyle.aspx?DisplayStyle=01_content&SiteID =1&MmmID=617731531241750114&MGID=1220026645146162735 August 2023 https://opengovasia.com/taiwan-improves-manufacturing-with-ai-enhancedrobotics/ 2.11. Events Participating and organising events is a core part of HARTU dissemination strategy. Partners have participated in numerous live events, conferences, and fairs to understand what is new in the manufacturing sector, raise awareness on the project, and forge relationships and synergies. 2.11.1. Public events attended Participating in events increases visibility and helps connect with stakeholders and other experts in the field. Our partners have actively participated in several strategic events to promote HARTU and disseminate its findings. In the table below a list of events and fairs that the consortium attended during the first 18 months of the project is presented. Table 4 - List of external events and conferences Date Event Target audience Partners involved March 2023 European Robotic Forum 2023 (ERF23) Mainly European robotics researchers TEK August 2023 ITRI ROBOTIC FORUM Automation Industries Robot manufacturers ITRI October 2023 V Sener Innovation Forum Workers of this large Spanish Engineering company and their collaborators TEK October 2023 CIBUS TEC fair Experts in the food and beverages sector TCA March 2024 European Robotic Forum 2024 (ERF24) Mainly European robotics researchers TEK AIMEN March 2024 RIN event RIN Members ITRI April 2024 AIMEN event Industry and research centres AIMEN May 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA24) Industry, companies, academia, researchers OMNI D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 22 June 2024 BIEMH 2024 fair Industrial companies: providers and purchasers. system TEK June 2024 Secpho 2024 Industry and research centres working on vision applications AIMEN June 2024 10th International Summer School on Industrial Agents 2024 University students and professors TEK June 2024 Intelligent Motion Control under Industry4.E (IMOCO4.E) – Clustering event Coordinators and representatives of 33 EU funded projects on AI and robotics TEK 2.11.2. Organised events: open days and webinars According to the first Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation plan (D6.1), the HARTU project must organise: • one workshops in the form of webinar per year • two virtual open days • one intermediate dissemination event (M18) in synergies with other EU activities/projects • a final dissemination event (M36). In M14, February 2024, the project's first webinar was held online. This webinar, titled “How to pick (almost) anything: the soft grippers revolution”, was focused on the innovative gripper technologies that HARTU intends to implement in its case studies. Publicity campaigns were planned in the months leading up to the event, targeting a wide audience, particularly end users, system integrators, and robotic companies. The webinar was successfully conducted and was well-received. Over 100 participants registered, and more than 80 remained active throughout the 1.5-hour session. The webinar was recorded, uploaded to the project's YouTube channel, emailed to registered participants, and shared on the website and social media for further dissemination. Currently, it has garnered over 100 views. In the coming months, efforts will be directed towards organising another webinar, focusing on a topic as compelling as the first one. Regarding the open days, the first one was held by TEK in the company’s facilities. It was an inperson event designed to showcase the advancements in robotic technologies, including robots capable of perceiving their environment, manipulating objects, and interacting seamlessly with humans At the heart of this event were three groundbreaking projects: the Cervera 5R Network 6 , the HARTU project, and the MASTER project 7 . The Cervera 5R Network focuses on robotic technologies in smart manufacturing, while HARTU is dedicated to developing flexible and versatile robotic handling 6 https://red5r.es/5r-project-cervera-network-of-robotic-technologies-in-intelligent-manufacturing/ 7 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101093079 D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 23 systems. The MASTER project explores the integration of augmented and virtual reality technologies into robotic applications. Together, these initiatives offer innovative solutions that push the boundaries of traditional robotics. During the conference, attendees had the opportunity to delve into real-world use cases and explore the potential applications of these technologies across various sectors, including medical and healthcare. The event featured presentations by experts involved in these projects, providing valuable insights into the future of robotics. Finally, the intermediate dissemination event, as of the time this document is being written, has not yet taken place. Efforts are currently underway to organise this event in collaboration with other projects in the field of manufacturing. The event is planned to be held around September/October. We are currently considering participating in an event organised by other EU projects in the field of manufacturing in Norway in October, though we do not have detailed information yet. Alternatively, we are planning to secure a space, possibly with a workshop or a poster session, during the 2024 IEEE 20th International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering in Bari in September. Both OMNI and POLIBA will be attending this conference, so it would be beneficial for HARTU to sponsor the event and gain visibility in such a prominent setting. However, at the time of writing this document, these plans are not yet finalised. 2.12. Internal dissemination The internal communication strategy focused on raising interaction and knowledge transfer between partners to ensure the project's success. Partners interacted through regular teleconferences and other multiand bi-lateral contacts with each other. All partners interact regularly, with periodic updates provided during monthly meetings and planned General Assemblies. Internal communication is facilitated through emails, a SharePoint document management system, and with regular dissemination meetings to maintain a coordinated and cohesive approach to the project’s dissemination. During the first year of the project, a monthly dissemination meeting was implemented to keep everyone updated and to receive direct feedback from partners on important communication and dissemination activities. However, over time these meetings became less frequent and were held as needed, particularly when it was necessary to discuss more complex topics. For example, a series of dedicated meetings were conducted regarding the development of the concept for the video. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 24 3. Monitoring and KPIs To ensure the effectiveness of our dissemination strategy, Key Performance Indicators are used to track progress. Below, the table will display their status as of month 18. Table 5 - Dissemination and Communication KPIs KPIs for Dissemination & Communication activities Phase 1 (M1 – 18) Phase 2 (M19 – 36) Overall N° of open days organised reaching 200 participants in total 1/1 0/1 1/2 N° of workshops in form of webinar organised (one per year) 1/1 0/2 1/3 Intermediate dissemination event in synergies with other EU initiatives/projects 0/1 0/0 0/1 Final dissemination event organised 0/0 0/1 0/1 Presence at fairs 2/1 0/2 2/3 Presence at conferences 12/3 0/7 12/10 Focus groups/meetings (remote) with stakeholders 5/5 0/7 5/12 Number of synergies created with other relevant H2020 and HE projects 4/4 0/6 4/10 Number of articles published (including scientific publications as Open Access) 3/3 0/14 3/17 Number of press releases delivered to traditional media 1/1 0/2 1/3 Number of unique visitors to the website (based on Google Analytics) 1.734/1.000 3.000 1.734/4.000 Social media followers (LinkedIn and Twitter) 225/200 300 225/500 Project videos 1/1 0/1 1/2 The monitoring of the KPIs has been crucial in understanding the project's progress and in identifying what needed to be implemented and what was truly effective. HARTU is not only on track with its objectives for M18 but, in some cases, it has also greatly exceeded expectations. As visible in the table, we have put significant effort into dissemination through social media and the website, allowing us to reach a broad audience. Currently, we have 220 followers (185 on LinkedIn and 35 on X). This success is due in part to the consortium's support in resharing and engaging with posted content, as well as the interesting articles published on the website that have captured the public's interest. Additionally, the participation of partners in fairs and events has greatly helped in raising awareness about the project and expanding our network. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 25 In the second part of the project, we will focus more on publishing papers to further engage with the scientific community and on organising more events to attract our desired target audiences. 3.1. Deviations In a research project and communication strategy, deviations and modifications to the original plans are common and often necessary. These adjustments are typically driven by the dynamic nature of the research, where initial assumptions and plans may need to be re-evaluated as new data and insights are gathered. Additionally, the feedback from stakeholders and the evolving context in which the project operates can necessitate changes to better align with the goals and enhance the overall impact. Also, HARTU needed some adjustments to its original plans. Below, all deviations from the initially agreed KPIs are listed: • N° of open days organised reaching 200 participants in total: initially, the KPI for the open days was set as "Virtual open days reaching 200 interested companies." However, we opted to hold the first open day in person at TEK, taking advantage of the opportunity for participants to visit the labs and demonstrators’ sites where researchers are working on some of HARTU's case studies. We did not engage 200 companies as initially planned, recognising that this goal was very challenging and ambitious. Instead, we adjusted our target to involve 100 participants in the first open day and 100 in the second, totalling 200 participants. This revised goal is more realistic while still effective in promoting HARTU among our target audiences. • Intermediate dissemination event in synergies with other EU initiatives/projects: during the first 18 months of the project, it was not possible to organise this event. The first 12 months were entirely dedicated to study and research, and partners participated in many events and conferences to present the project. An opportunity arose to participate in a joint event with our sister projects, but it coincided with an intense reporting period for the project, making participation impossible. Therefore, the event will be organised, still in synergy with other projects, possibly around September/October 2024. This represents only a slight deviation from the original plan, which aimed to have it by month 18. • Number of articles published (including scientific publications as Open Access): the target for publishing scientific articles was quite challenging, particularly in the first 18 months when the project did not have tangible results yet. The number has been recalibrated to reflect this. Initially, the plan was to have six scientific articles in the first 18 months and twelve in the second half of the project. This has now been adjusted to three in the first half and fourteen in the second half. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 32 In conclusion, the HARTU project is well-positioned to achieve its dissemination, communication, and exploitation objectives and no major deviation are foreseen at this time in the project. Through strategic planning, active engagement, and continuous improvement, we are committed to ensuring that the innovative solutions developed within HARTU will have a meaningful impact on the manufacturing industry. D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 33 A. Annex A.1. Dissemination pack Figure 13 - HARTU style guide (logo, colour palette, font) D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 34 Figure 14 - HARTU document templates D6.2 Dissemination and Communication Plan - Update 35 A.2. Poster/Flyer Figure 15 - HARTU poster/flyer