The BIOMATDB project aims to develop an advanced database for biomaterials as well as a marketplace with digital advisors. To ensure that all interested stakeholders are informed and up-to-date about the project and the developed solutions, dissemination and communication activities are of utmost importance to the project. By participating in events, regularly posting on social media, publishing news articles and connecting with other projects, the BIOMATDB consortium ensures that all relevant target groups are made aware of the project and have access to relevant information.

The communication and dissemination of the consortium’s activities and project outcomes to the general public as well as all relevant stakeholders are essential for the success of the BIOMATDB project. The activities are needed to generate demand for the BIOMATDB tools among possible end users, communicate to the public how the BIOMATDB project will benefit society, as well as to demonstrate European citizens that public money is spent in a meaningful way. Furthermore, dissemination activities such as the publication of open-access scientific articles will ensure that as many people as possible can benefit from the knowledge generated and aggregated within the BIOMATDB project.

Dissemination & communication activities

To facilitate the communication and dissemination activities, MINDS & SPARKS established the BIOMATDB project website, as well as Twitter and LinkedIn channels. Additionally, a newsletter was created that is sent out at least twice a year. These channels are regularly updated and inform stakeholders about recent developments, the project’s progress, latest results, related events, and other project-relevant news.

Another important pillar of dissemination activities is the participation in events. From the very beginning of the project, the BIOMATDB consortium started to regularly participate in relevant events, such as the BIOnTEQ event in Portugal, the 1st Baltic Symposium on Polymer and (Bio)Materials Science in Poland (Figure 2), or the Second Global Workshop – OntoCommons addressing the challenges of the Industry 5.0 transition. These events represent the perfect opportunity to inform stakeholders about the project and its activities.

Collaborations with other projects

Clustering with other related projects is another important activity carried out by BIOMATDB to ensure that results from other EU projects can be exploited and complemented in the best possible way, and to expand the project’s network. BIOMATDB has already been able to establish collaborations with the projects OntoCommons and SAFE-N-MEDTECH and continuously establishes contacts with other related projects. The OntoCommons project is dedicated to the standardisation of data documentation across all domains related to materials and manufacturing. The SAFE-N-MEDTECH project is developing an innovative open access platform to offer companies and reference laboratories the opportunity for developing, testing, assessing, upscaling and marketing nanotechnology-based medical and diagnostic devices.

Moreover, BIOMATDB has recently started receiving support from the Horizon Results Booster (HRB), a service provided by the European Commission. HRB supports EU-funded projects with their dissemination, exploitation, communication, and clustering activities. It offers different modules with services such as helping to establish collaborations between related projects, or the creation of outputs such as a joint dissemination plan, fact sheets, video pills, webinars, and more. BIOMATDB is currently receiving support for the formation of a project group with thematically related projects. This group will foster collaborations between the projects and it will allow the projects to build on each other’s results.

With these communication and dissemination activities, the BIOMATDB project ensures that there is a strong dialogue between the consortium, the public and relevant stakeholders throughout the duration of the project. This approach will make sure that the solutions developed in the project are positively received by the stakeholders and end users and that the project can achieve its intended impact.