At NETO Innovation, we understand that the impact section of a proposal is where many projects fall short, despite strong technical content. It requires not just ambition but clarity in demonstrating how the project will deliver measurable societal, economic, and environmental benefits. This is why we specialize in ensuring that the impact section aligns perfectly with the objectives and expectations of the European Commission.
What does the impact section include?
In proposals such as EIC (Pathfinder, Transition) and Horizon Europe Cluster 1 to 6, an impact section comprises the following information:
Wider Impact: The wider impact refers to how the project will benefit science, technology, society, economy, and environment beyond the immediate research outputs. This includes creating positive changes in the lives of end-users, advancing technological or scientific fields, or contributing to policy development. It is essential to clearly outline how the project’s results will address broader societal challenges, such as climate change, public health, or economic growth. Providing tangible examples and figures of the impact on society or specific target groups helps strengthen the proposal’s relevance and ambition.
Scale and Significance: Scale and significance are about quantifying the extent of the project's expected impact. Scale refers to how widespread the outcomes are likely to be, such as the number of people or industries affected. Significance is about the value or importance of these outcomes, how they will make a difference. For instance, will your innovation lead to large-scale energy savings or improved health outcomes? By providing quantified estimates and justifying their significance, you can demonstrate the true potential of the project’s impact.
Barriers: Barriers are structural or systemic challenges that could limit the project’s ability to achieve its full potential. Unlike risks, which are uncertainties or potential events that might arise during the project, barriers are existing conditions that need to be addressed from the outset. These could include regulatory constraints, lack of established standards, or market conditions that are not yet conducive to the adoption of the project’s innovations.
Key Exploitable Results (KER): KERs are the tangible outcomes from the project that can be used beyond the project itself, either for commercial purposes or to contribute to further research and development. This section explains how these results will be used, through patents, licensing, or commercial partnerships. Exploitation routes provide a clear pathway for how the results will be transformed into real-world applications. It’s important to show how the project’s innovations will not just sit on a shelf but will actively contribute to industrial processes, policy changes, or new products.
Intellectual Property (IP) strategy: An effective IP strategy is essential to protect the project's innovations and ensure that the results can be commercially exploited. This section outlines how IP, such as patents or trade secrets, will be managed among project partners. It is important to clarify ownership of the results, the conditions under which they can be shared, and how they will be protected legally. A strong IP strategy reassures evaluators that the project results will be secured and that any commercial or societal benefits will be maximized.
Dissemination, Exploitation, and Communication (DEC): The DEC section outlines how the project’s results will be shared and used by various stakeholders. Dissemination focuses on sharing findings with the research community, exploitation ensures that results are used in practical ways, and communication reaches a broader audience, including the public and policymakers. Effective DEC strategies help maximize the project’s impact by ensuring that the right people know about and can use the project’s innovations. Engaging with stakeholders early, through conferences, publications, and public events, ensures that the project’s results are widely known and adopted where needed. For more on how DEC strategies contribute to a project’s success, see our blog post dedicated to this: https://www.neto-innovation.com/post/understanding-the-dissemination-exploitation-and-communication-section-in-horizon-europe-grants.
Our approach: building impact through collaboration
At NETO Innovation, we take a structured and collaborative approach to writing the impact section, ensuring that all relevant factors are considered and effectively communicated. Our process begins by sending out an impact questionnaire to gather valuable input from partners, helping us understand their contributions and expectations regarding the project’s impact. From there, we collect these contributions to ensure that all perspectives are included, creating a comprehensive and aligned impact narrative.
We complement this with in-depth market research, ensuring that the project’s results are positioned to meet industry needs and trends. Additionally, we conduct bibliographic research to reinforce the credibility of the proposal with supporting data and previous studies, helping to frame the project within a broader scientific and societal context.
Finally, we draft the entire impact section, integrating all the insights and research gathered, and tailoring it to the specific call requirements. Our method ensures that the impact section is not only well-structured and aligned with the project’s goals, but also compelling and data-driven, enhancing the chances of success.
Our added value
At NETO Innovation, our added value lies in the expertise and personalized support we provide throughout the impact writing process. You will work directly with technical experts in green and sustainable energies, printed electronics, healthcare and innovative materials, who have extensive field experience, ensuring that your project’s technical foundations are sound and well-articulated.
We believe in close collaboration to align our work with your vision, engaging in regular discussions to ensure that every aspect of the impact section reflects the project’s unique strengths. Additionally, as a small and agile team, we offer flexibility and responsiveness, allowing us to be fully available to our clients, adapting quickly to any changes or specific needs that arise during the proposal development process.
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