Purpose of the Intermediate Report on Communication and Dissemination Activities (I)
The primary purpose of D4.3 – Intermediate Report on Communication and Dissemination Activites (I) is to report on the Communication and Dissemination activities implemented in the first 9 months of the project (January to September 2018) to promote DocksTheFuture and its outcomes to the pre-defined target groups (in D4.1 Plan for the Dissemination and Communication of the Action Results).
An initial summarised overview of the implemented Communication and Dissemination Activities was included in D6.1 – Six Monthly Progress Report (I), submitted on the 2nd of August 2018. The current deliverable provides a more detailed account of the work carried out by DocksTheFuture in this domain, with particular emphasis on the fulfilment of the pre-defined Key Performance Indicators and foreseen tasks for the upcoming year of the action’s implementation.
The document describes the activities carried out for the purposes of Communication and Dissemination accounting for:
• Communication and Dissemination Responsibilities;
• Reporting of dissemination activities, channels and promotion tools (logo, visual identity, website, social media, quarterly e-bulletin, dissemination material, publications, events and Ports of The Future Network);
• Overview of the Key Perfomance Indicators (KPIs) and Results;
• Planned Communication and Dissemination Activities: November 2018 – August 2019.

2. Reporting of dissemination activities, channels and promotion tools

2. Reporting of dissemination activities, channels and promotion tools
The current section describes all the actions implemented by DocksTheFuture in relation to the Communication and Dissemination activities and setting-up of channels and promotion tools during the current reporting period (January 2018 – September 2018), accounting not only for the tasks initially foreseen but also for additional tasks which have been carried out.
2.1 Logo and Visual Identity
In order to appropriately promote a Project, the branding put in place is essential. Therefore, when communicating DocksTheFuture, the beneficiaries not only respect the necessary requirements of EU funding visibility (i.e. EU emblem, disclaimer and acknowledgement of H2020 funding), but also follow a series of visual identity guidelines, materialised in the DocksTheFuture logo and different DocksTheFuture document templates.
Project Logo
The Project Logo is the first contact between the project and its target groups. The following two logos have been prepared for DocksTheFuture, and are, at all times, included in the project’s documents, namely on the top left side of the header:
1) Logo without text

2) Logo with text

Document templates
A series of templates of both the internal and external DocksTheFuture documents with specific guidelines on the visual identity of the project have been prepared, shared with the partners and used to produce every project related document. The purpose of the templates is to provide the partners with a structured outline to create the project documents guaranteeing that the overall project visual identity consistency is ensured at all times. The following templates have been prepared:
1. Template for meeting agendas;
2. Template for dissemination monitoring: This document is a template to keep track of the events of dissemination in which each projet partner participates and the associated statistics and other relevant information;
3. Template for lists of participants:
4. Template for meeting minutes;
5. DocksTheFuture Corporate Presentation;
6. DocksTheFuture PowerPoint Presentation;
7. Template for Peer-Review;
8. Template for Reports.
The following are some examples of some of the document templates produced:
Empty document template
Template for PowerPoint Presentation

2.2 Website
The DocksTheFuture website, which is the main focal point for the Dissemination and Comunication activities, was launched in May 2018. It was setup by using open-source solutions to minimise costs (namely, WordPress), including requirements from H2020 CSA Guidelines and Best Practices and has been updated regularly. A special focus is put on Search Engine Optimisation to maximise its visibility. The website has been constantly updated and will continue to be updated in the future (i.e. update the list of topics). The website can be found through the link: http://www.docksthefuture.eu.

Sections
The website concentrates all information pertaining to DocksTheFuture and is organised with the following sections:
• Homepage: The “entry page” of the website has a slideshow with news regarding both the project and project related topics of relevance for its visitors. The news are organised by topic. The homepage includes a reference to OnTheMosway as the main media partner, the feed linking to the DocksTheFuture Twitter page alongside links to all DtF social media pages and the refence to EU funding;
• Project: This tab includes a summary of the DocksTheFuture project, its goal and Work Packages;
• Project Partners: The tab includes information about each beneficiary, their role in the project and the link to their own websites;
• Results: It includes the description of the foreseeable DocksTheFuture’s results. The main deliverables and other results will be uploaded to this tab once they are produced;
• Project News: The tab serves the exclusive purpose of centralising all news which are directly related with DocksTheFuture;
• Topics: The tab is divided by 12 topics. More concretely, it refers to the topics for the definition of the concept of Ports of the Future pre-identified at the proposal stage and updated following the work conducted in the desktop analysis (Work Package 1);
• Experts: The tab will include relevant information about the experts, who shall participate in the workshops to validate the project’s results;
• Port of The Future Network: includes the description of the three Research and Innovation projects retained for funding under the topic MG-7-3-2017 (COREALIS, Pixel and PortForward), their logo and the link to their websites, within the scope of the collaborative approach established among the three projects and DocksTheFuture;
• Contacts: includes the general DocksTheFuture e-mail and a form through which visitors can sign up for news about the project. The page also includes the Privacy Policy and the consent form for data treatment, complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Statistics
The total number of visits of the DocksTheFuture website since its launch 1019. The geographic origin of the top ten visitors is as presented in the following figure:

2.3 Social Media
Social Media is key to promote information and to get the message through to a wider audience. Such is the case in every sector, also being applicable when it comes to communicating and disseminating the results of European funded projects. DocksTheFuture has setup social media accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook (below information can be found on the relevant performance statistics of the DocksTheFuture Social Media pages – i.e. followers, number of posts, likes, etc.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DocksTheFuture
The Twitter account was created on May 2018.

DocksTheFuture LinkedIN Group
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13601652

The LinkedIn group was created in May 2018.


183 Followers
216 Following
33 Tweets

Quarterly e-bulletin
The DocksTheFuture e-bulletin, including news and about the project and associated clustering activities is sent through the network contact of the OnTheMosway Portal and newsletter with 1300 registered stakeholders. In addition, the DocksTheFuture website includes a form so that interested parties can also sign up to receive the project e-bulletin.
The first e-bulletin was sent on month 9 of the project implementation because the consortium decided to define an overall communication and dissemination strategy, the overall visual identity of the project (logo and templates), to set the C&D tools (website, twitter and others). The idea was to first communicate and make the website alive, and only then communicate the project through the e-bulletin. Furthermore, the consortium decided that delaying the release of the first e-bulettin made sense so as to provide an added value service for the recipients, giving them information about the project outputs and contents, which were not available in the first months of the project.
The first DocksTheFuture quarterly e-bulletin was sent on the 12th of September of 2018, to 1501 stakeholders. The images below show the first DocksTheFuture quarterly e-bulletin. The next e-bulletin will be sent mid-December 2018.

The first quarterly e-bulletin included three articles, namely:
1. Full steam ahead in defining the concept(s) of Port of the Future: article on the collaborative work developed by DocksTheFuture, COREALIS, and PIXEL.
2. DocksTheFuture desktop analysis: article on the work carried out within the scope of Work Package 1: Desktop Analysis, for the definition of the concept of Port(s) of the Future;
3. Internet of things (IoT) reshapes the industries – A focus on supply chains: Article on the influence of IoT in the supply chain.
2.5 Dissemination Material
The first version of the DocksTheFuture leaflet was prepared (namely its graphic design, content and printing of the first batch). The leaflet will serve to promote the project in conferences, workshops and fairs. The first version includes a summary about the project, its objectives and beneficiaries. The leaflet content will be updated throughout the project implementation, following the release of the DocksTheFuture’s results. Thus far, 150 copies have been printed out. The following are images representative of the DocksTheFuture leaflet.

2.6 Publications, journalistic articles and overall media relations
Over the course of the action’s first 9 months, the Press Manager has created, developed and strengthened relations with the media with the purpose of gaining visibility in the media, spreading a positive image on the project, and to ensure the publication of news about DocksTheFuture.

For the full report of the Deliverable please click here.