Exploitation of project results

IMI project partners have a contractual obligation to ensure exploitation of their results for research use and/or direct exploitation either

  • by themselves, e.g. for further research or for commercial or industrial exploitation in its own activities, or
  • by other beneficiaries or third parties, e.g. through licensing or by transferring the ownership of results.

What is meant by exploitation?

Exploitation means the use of results in developing, creating and marketing a product or process, or in creating and providing a service, or in the standardisation activities. Exploitation can be commercial, societal, political, or aimed at improving public knowledge and action. It also includes recommendations for policy making (i.e. feedback to policy).

How can we help you to plan and support your exploitation activities?

Plan your strategy

IMI has delivered powerful fit-for-purpose solutions, or assets, that have the potential to transform the healthcare industry and improve patient outcomes on a global scale. Deployment of those results in research, regulatory and medical practice beyond the context of EU-funded projects needs to be properly planned and resourced to achieve the desired impact.

This scaling up often falls outside of the project timelines or objectives, but the understanding that both project design and the engagement of stakeholders during the lifetime of the project help determine the success of future deployment drove EFPIA to develop the Field Manual on scaling innovations emerging from public-private partnerships.

Although the Field Manual is based on the experience of several IMI digital health projects, it provides actionable guidance that can be applied to IMI projects working in other areas of research. It includes practical advice and solutions on issues such as: how to set a scale-up vision, how to identify drivers, opportunities, challenges, and the capabilities to scale up, and how to determine your project´s optimal scale-up pathway.

How to use the Field Manual

IMI is hosting an event on 25/10/2021 on how to use the Field Manual. You can download a copy of the Field Manual here.

To illustrate the use of the manual, IMI organised an online masterclass that features real case studies that can help you design and implement strategies to deploy and scale up your results. Watch the recording here and access the presentation.

Showcase your results and attract your target audiences - the Horizon Results Platform

The European Commission-supported Horizon Results Platform provides you with a free, online space to showcase the result(s) of your projects at no cost and in a user-friendly way. The platform is hosted under the Funding & Tenders Portal to make it easy for you to manage your results in a central and safe environment. 

By creating your result profile(s), you will be able to reach out to your desired audiences and key stakeholders, whether they are policymakers, investors, research and technology organisations, industry or academia. In order to find your result(s), external visitors will be able to use search criteria.

Depending on the nature and needs of your result(s), the platform can trigger different opportunities and services, ranging from pitching events with investors, possibilities for assistance with your dissemination plans, business development plans, innovation management, IP management, further collaborations, and much more.

How to publish your result

To learn more about how to create results for your project and how to upload and manage them on the platform, consult the online guide. The result profile is managed by you.

For any questions, contact EC-HORIZON-RESULTS-PLATFORM@ec.europa.eu.

Boost your exploitation potential - the Horizon Results Booster

Whether your project is or was funded under IMI1 or IMI2, you can benefit from the European Commission-funded Horizon Results Booster services. By applying, you will receive expert tailor-made support and training, free of charge, for the following activities:

  • improving the exploitation strategy that you have already put in place
  • developing a business plan, including the identification of financial instruments for start-ups or new businesses made available by banks, local governments, and national funders, as well as crowdfunding platforms and schemes
  • bringing your results to the market, including activities such as creating start-ups/spin-offs with a complete business model and commercialisation plan.

How to apply

We invite you to apply here.

Find out more

Service provider's website: Horizon Results Booster.

Open information session on the different services provided – Video recording of the session and slides:  Info session on Horizon Results Booster: Bringing a continual stream of innovation to the market and beyond (5 October 2021)