AAL Consortium Building Workshop 11 th of March 2015 Brussels How to set up a successful consortium in terms of commercial exploitation Carmen Ceinos
AAL Consortium Building Workshop 11th of March 2015
Brussels
How to set up a successful consortium in terms of commercial exploitation
Carmen Ceinos
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EXPLOITATIONA set of activities topromote the use of projectresults beyond the life ofthe project. Definition ofproject exploitablecomponents,
Market analysis and IPRissues, are importantcomponents of theindividual exploitation andjoint exploitation plans
RESULTS:
All results which are generated
under the project – whether or not
protectable
Dissemination:* Means trough which research
results are presented to the
public
Valorization:
Use, for socio-economic purposes, of the results of research financed by
public authorities. It represents society's
direct and indirect return on the public sector's
investment in research and development
Exploitation:
Utilisation (direct/indirect) of results in research
activities, which are notpart of the project, as well
as utilisation for further development, creation and marketing of a product or
process.
*Definitions borrowed from Horizon 2020
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The AAL Evaluation Criteria on Exploitation
(Potential Impact) during the evaluation
From the AAL Guide for Applicants
7.2.5 Potential Impact of the Proposed Solution on Market Development (main keywords):
attractive and high potential market in Europe and beyond
foster market availability of products and systems as well as associated services at project completion time
bringing new products, solutions or service concepts to the market within max. 2 to 3 years after the project end
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The AAL Evaluation Criteria on Exploitation
(Potential Impact)
Need of a Business case for the proposed solution, including a market analysis identifying:
the target group,
the active competition,
the unique selling proposition
a strategy for market entry
available resources to put this strategy into practice.
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The AAL Evaluation Criteria on Exploitation
(Potential Impact)
Further business analysis activities to be planned throughout the project period to support the realization of the identified economic opportunities.
Creation of a European market through the development of open interfaces and interoperability, applying the relevant standards, norms and regulations in the European framework.
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Exploitation in AAL
From the Funding Body’s viewpoint
From the Project Participant’s viewpoint
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The Funding body’s viewpoint
The project is an investment by the public body
The goal is to implement a public policy, in order to improve the way certain type of problems are dealt with
If the target area has an industrial dimension, the way to reach the goal is to ensure that the results are exploited (and ensure ROI)
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The project participant’s viewpoint
A business idea
Willingness to increase own competitiveness in the AAL market scenario
Confidence in recovering the investments made in developing the project.
Need to be part of a credible consortium . An important criteria for a successful project
Being part of an international consortium increases the size of the target market
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The role/importance of the different
stakeholders to ensure successful exploitation
Large companies
SMEs
Research organizations, Universities
Users’ representatives
Public Authorities
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Large (industrial) companies
Role:
Usually a driving role in the conception, development and deployment of new products, services, processes
• +’s: powerful means, good knowledge/presence in the reference market, good links with relevant actors
• -’s: sometimes slow in reaction, internal bureaucracy, very strict rules on sharing ownership
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SMEs
Role:
as industrial partner, brings innovation potential.
as service provider, exploitation capability.
IN all cases, at list 1 SME in the consortium
• +’s: flexibility, quick decisions, direct link with owners, niche markets
• -’s: sometimes low propension for internationalization, financial weakness
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Research organizations, Universities
Role:
bringing/developing innovation
• +’s: knowledge of the technical/scientific dimension, capability of developing new solutions, technologies, prototype products and services
• -’s: sometimes low interest in practical application of results, pressure on publication of research results (confidentiality issues)
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Users’ representatives
Definition of end-users in the AAL Joint Programme: Primary end-user is the person who actually is using an
AAL product or service
Secondary end-users are persons or organizations being directly in contact with a primary end-user, such as formal and informal care givers, family members, friends, neighbours, care organizations and their representatives
Tertiary end-users are such institutions and private or public organizations that are not directly in contact with AAL products and services, but which contribute somehow in organizing, paying or enabling them.
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Users’ representatives
Role:
Define real users’ needs, wishes, desires (initial stage)
Evaluation of usability, effectiveness, level of compliance with users’ needs/wishes/desires of the results
• +’s: guarantee that the results are useful and usable
• -’s: sometimes are financially weak, problems in co-financing
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Public Authorities
Role: Often represent the potential customers of AAL
solutions or the policy makers or standardization bodies. In some cases, PA’s are those who run the pilots.• +’s: main actors driving the concrete application/test of
the solution, bringing the policy making views as input to business plan, input on standardization issues
• -’s: sometimes high level of bureaucracy, slow decision processes, freedom of action limited by national regulations/strategies.
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Exploitation – driven consortium setup
How do I set up a Consortium with a good exploitation potential?
First of all, by selecting partners capable of meeting the evaluation criteria!
We have to divide them into two Broad Categories:
• Industrial partners
• non industrial partners
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Exploitation – driven consortium setup
You need industrial partners who:
Understand/know the potential market opportunities
Are aware of the difficulties of deploying a product/service on the market
Are ready to make the necessary investments to bring the new “thing” to the market
Are ready to share some of their Background Knowledge with other partners
Are ready to share some of the Foreground Knowledge with other partners
Understand/know the user’s needs/wishes/desires
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Exploitation – driven consortium setup
You need non-industrial partners who: Bring in a clear view and expertise on users’
needs/wishes/desires
Help us to understand the potential market opportunities
Could be potential customers
Are aware of the difficulties of making a new product/service acceptable by the users
Are ready to pilot the new product/service
Are ready to share some of their Background Knowledge with other partners
Are ready to promote the new product/service in the reference scenario
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RISKS that concern AAL projects: those related
to a Consortium formed by different agents with
different interests1. Conflict of Interest among the partners: Conflicts can arise related with
the ownership of the results of intellectual property rights. IPR rules agreement must be established before the exploitation phase starts
2. Lack of Support along the project development: The success of a project depends on the collaboration of the whole consortium; if any of the partners doesn’t cooperate enough, this can cause the failure of the project or at least the failure of the exploitation plans related to the project’s outcome
3. Changes in the final phase of the project: It may happen that at the end of the project some of the partners loose interest in the exploitation, change their priorities or decide that part of the outcomes must not be exploited. This may cause prejudice to the rest of partners and to the final exploitation of the results.
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Importance of selecting the right partners
The Consortium Agreement is the best way to prevent these type of risks . It establishes conditions
concerning IP and way-out rules
Changes in the final phase of
the project:
(3)
Lack of Support
along the project
development
(2)
Conflict of Interest
among the partners: (1)
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Conclusions
As a general rule, the exploitation selection criteria can drive the process of selecting the partners
It is important to create a good mix of the different types of partners to ensure that all aspects are covered
It is vital to define clear rules for IPR management and exploitation in the early stage of the project.