Periodic Reporting for period 3 - TETRAMAX (TEchnology TRAnsfer via Multinational Application eXperiments)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-03-01 bis 2021-12-31
TETRAMAX pursued the following ambitions to further support the SAE initiative and to achieve its goals in the domain of CLEC:
1. Stimulating, organizing, and evaluating different Technology Transfer Experiment (TTX) types.
2. Building and leveraging a European CLEC competence center network.
3. Paving the way towards self-sustainability.
In summary, the specific TETRAMAX objectives were:
• Perform 60+ innovative cross-border application experiments, allowing SMEs, mid-caps, and other companies to benefit from EU-wide CLEC competence and integrate new technologies into their products at low risk. This will lead to better (faster, cheaper, lower energy) products and processes and new business opportunities.
• Establish a growing network of 22 CLEC competence centers, all tightly connected within TETRAMAX, covering all EU countries, having a large “smartly specialized” network of local ecosystem partners and digital innovation hubs (DIH). This network catalyses CLEC technology transfer at EU scale.
• Evolve the TETRAMAX project structures into a self-sustainable CLEC-centric network of competence centers and new DIH, based on customized local and global business plans, leveraging existing and new digital platforms proven before via application experiments, and joining forces with regional funds like ESIF through the “TETRAMAX label” as a quality mark.
Detailed results from individual TTX are exemplified in the public TETRAMAX White Paper (TETRAMAX_White_Paper.pdf).
1. Stimulating, organizing, and evaluating different Technology Transfer Experiment (TTX) types.
2. Building and leveraging a European CLEC competence center network.
3. Paving the way towards self-sustainability.
In summary, the specific TETRAMAX objectives were:
• Perform 60+ innovative cross-border application experiments, allowing SMEs, mid-caps, and other companies to benefit from EU-wide CLEC competence and integrate new technologies into their products at low risk. This will lead to better (faster, cheaper, lower energy) products and processes and new business opportunities.
• Establish a growing network of 22 CLEC competence centers, all tightly connected within TETRAMAX, covering all EU countries, having a large “smartly specialized” network of local ecosystem partners and digital innovation hubs (DIH). This network catalyses CLEC technology transfer at EU scale.
• Evolve the TETRAMAX project structures into a self-sustainable CLEC-centric network of competence centers and new DIH, based on customized local and global business plans, leveraging existing and new digital platforms proven before via application experiments, and joining forces with regional funds like ESIF through the “TETRAMAX label” as a quality mark.
Detailed results from individual TTX are exemplified in the public TETRAMAX White Paper (TETRAMAX_White_Paper.pdf).
Competence Centre Network
Experiences from other EU projects indicate that building up a new network from scratch is extremely difficult due to visibility issues. Over four years, TETRAMAX has compiled a network of more than 460 entities, which can be considered satisfactory for the intended purpose. The collaboration with the HiPEAC Network and the EEN closely related to SMEs (e.g. “Successful R&I in Europe”) has been vital for project dissemination and communication, advertising open TTX calls etc. Therefore, one important recommendation to other projects is to leverage existing infrastructures as much as possible. Another key element of this task has been the maintenance of local helpdesks for SMEs and other clients in all EU regions. Around 2,000 1:1 consultations took place, showing a high demand for individual services. From various surveys, it is also clear that interactive community events organization (e.g. the local LEP-level events, international workshops like TISU) is an indispensable instrument to mobilize the tech transfer community and advertise open calls in a truly EU-wide fashion.
Open technology transfer experiment calls
As indicated by the quotations below, the major learning from the open calls programme is that SME clients require and appreciate high efficiency in the proposal and project handling. Any sign of unnecessary bureaucracy discourages potential participants, and given the limited amount of TTX funding, proposal lengths, and reporting duties must be really limited to justify the effort by the academic and SME clients. Therefore, a recommendation to other projects is to spend sufficient time in planning lean open call distribution/submission/granting procedures and avoiding common mistakes, such as way too complex evaluation committee structures.
Dissemination and communication
TETRAMAX has used all well-proven dissemination and communication channels such as WWW, newsletter, trade show booths, and social media. According to client feedback, three additional special measures were highly appreciated: The TTX Award Programme provided a platform to honour the TTX with the best KPI values per open call in front of a larger audience (such as the HiPEAC Conference). Furthermore, the professional production of a set of one-minute TTX teaser video clips (amongst others available on YouTube) for around ten clients provided additional visibility and media presence of selected TTX, whose consortia likely would not have invested this effort on their own. Moreover, especially those TTX that led to start-up companies appreciated the carefully designed investor landing page (https://www.tetramax.eu/startups) where founding teams and technologies are presented in a very concise, investor-friendly fashion. These three measures are not costly but effective, thus their adoption is strongly recommended to other projects. The position of a dedicated dissemination and communication officer has also proven to be crucial for the project as a whole.
Business models, exploitation, and sustainability
A major observation within this task is that it seems very challenging to come up with a uniform, network-wide business model, given the very heterogeneous nature of the TETRAMAX consortium. Therefore, TETRAMAX took a hierarchical approach with business planning at:
• Individual TTX level;
• Partner level, initially developed in 2020 and updated at the project end; and
• Network level, synthesizing the individual plans and offerings from the TETRAMAX competence center network.
Additional efforts have been taken to enable sustainability, in particular the “SAE-HiPEAC Inc.” (SHI) initiative for cross-project self-sustainability. The recommendation for future projects is to continue the ongoing discussions about business generation within the SAE group of projects and evolve the plans within the framework of new formats like the forthcoming Digital Europe EDIHs.
Experiences from other EU projects indicate that building up a new network from scratch is extremely difficult due to visibility issues. Over four years, TETRAMAX has compiled a network of more than 460 entities, which can be considered satisfactory for the intended purpose. The collaboration with the HiPEAC Network and the EEN closely related to SMEs (e.g. “Successful R&I in Europe”) has been vital for project dissemination and communication, advertising open TTX calls etc. Therefore, one important recommendation to other projects is to leverage existing infrastructures as much as possible. Another key element of this task has been the maintenance of local helpdesks for SMEs and other clients in all EU regions. Around 2,000 1:1 consultations took place, showing a high demand for individual services. From various surveys, it is also clear that interactive community events organization (e.g. the local LEP-level events, international workshops like TISU) is an indispensable instrument to mobilize the tech transfer community and advertise open calls in a truly EU-wide fashion.
Open technology transfer experiment calls
As indicated by the quotations below, the major learning from the open calls programme is that SME clients require and appreciate high efficiency in the proposal and project handling. Any sign of unnecessary bureaucracy discourages potential participants, and given the limited amount of TTX funding, proposal lengths, and reporting duties must be really limited to justify the effort by the academic and SME clients. Therefore, a recommendation to other projects is to spend sufficient time in planning lean open call distribution/submission/granting procedures and avoiding common mistakes, such as way too complex evaluation committee structures.
Dissemination and communication
TETRAMAX has used all well-proven dissemination and communication channels such as WWW, newsletter, trade show booths, and social media. According to client feedback, three additional special measures were highly appreciated: The TTX Award Programme provided a platform to honour the TTX with the best KPI values per open call in front of a larger audience (such as the HiPEAC Conference). Furthermore, the professional production of a set of one-minute TTX teaser video clips (amongst others available on YouTube) for around ten clients provided additional visibility and media presence of selected TTX, whose consortia likely would not have invested this effort on their own. Moreover, especially those TTX that led to start-up companies appreciated the carefully designed investor landing page (https://www.tetramax.eu/startups) where founding teams and technologies are presented in a very concise, investor-friendly fashion. These three measures are not costly but effective, thus their adoption is strongly recommended to other projects. The position of a dedicated dissemination and communication officer has also proven to be crucial for the project as a whole.
Business models, exploitation, and sustainability
A major observation within this task is that it seems very challenging to come up with a uniform, network-wide business model, given the very heterogeneous nature of the TETRAMAX consortium. Therefore, TETRAMAX took a hierarchical approach with business planning at:
• Individual TTX level;
• Partner level, initially developed in 2020 and updated at the project end; and
• Network level, synthesizing the individual plans and offerings from the TETRAMAX competence center network.
Additional efforts have been taken to enable sustainability, in particular the “SAE-HiPEAC Inc.” (SHI) initiative for cross-project self-sustainability. The recommendation for future projects is to continue the ongoing discussions about business generation within the SAE group of projects and evolve the plans within the framework of new formats like the forthcoming Digital Europe EDIHs.
Impact analysis is an inherently difficult challenge in many EU projects. The TETRAMAX consortium has already addressed this issue in an earlier white paper/press release titled “Long-term impact of European technology transfer in the ICT domain: Evidence from the TETRACOM and TETRAMAX projects” that was made available to the EC and the community in 2019.
Highlights from the TETRAMAX detailed impact analysis:
• The TETRAMAX Technology Brokerage Network has constantly been expanding.
• The helpdesk service has shown very good results, gathering 2000 consultations to SMEs, LEPs, or DIHs.
• TETRAMAX has successfully executed 11 open TTX calls with high participation (5x times more than funded proposals); proposals were submitted from 30 different EU countries.
• The externally evaluated proposals showed high quality, with more than 93% being above the total threshold.
• High SME involvement in TTXs (>80%).
• The TTX have shown significant results in job generations and improved processes and products (42 prototypes, 40 testing activities).
• €7,253,600 of VC granted was reported by 5 TTX, where one TTX reported €7,000,000.
• Reduction of power of energy consumption in conducted experiments has been achieved.
• Significant results can be shown in terms of scientific publications and dissemination of the TTX.
• More than 1120 SMEs were reached with dissemination and communication activities to promote TETRAMAX open calls and project results.
• The I4MS-SAE quality label was defined, and consequently, all granted TTX have been awarded with that label.
• 22 partners developed their individual business plans.
• A comprehensive survey, conducted for the first time among TETRAMAX/HiPEAC/SAE, provides a tangible data base on the willingness to pay for specific network services, thereby laying the foundation for a concrete business plan for TETRAMAX and other SAE projects.
Highlights from the TETRAMAX detailed impact analysis:
• The TETRAMAX Technology Brokerage Network has constantly been expanding.
• The helpdesk service has shown very good results, gathering 2000 consultations to SMEs, LEPs, or DIHs.
• TETRAMAX has successfully executed 11 open TTX calls with high participation (5x times more than funded proposals); proposals were submitted from 30 different EU countries.
• The externally evaluated proposals showed high quality, with more than 93% being above the total threshold.
• High SME involvement in TTXs (>80%).
• The TTX have shown significant results in job generations and improved processes and products (42 prototypes, 40 testing activities).
• €7,253,600 of VC granted was reported by 5 TTX, where one TTX reported €7,000,000.
• Reduction of power of energy consumption in conducted experiments has been achieved.
• Significant results can be shown in terms of scientific publications and dissemination of the TTX.
• More than 1120 SMEs were reached with dissemination and communication activities to promote TETRAMAX open calls and project results.
• The I4MS-SAE quality label was defined, and consequently, all granted TTX have been awarded with that label.
• 22 partners developed their individual business plans.
• A comprehensive survey, conducted for the first time among TETRAMAX/HiPEAC/SAE, provides a tangible data base on the willingness to pay for specific network services, thereby laying the foundation for a concrete business plan for TETRAMAX and other SAE projects.