Work package 5. PR Management and dissemination

WP 5 Leader: Ms Silvia Tosheva

The WP5 is focused on the dissemination activities in order to achieve the objective of DiSSCo-BG – society-engagement development. The main activities envisage wide dissemination of project results and development of specific plans for better integration with stakeholders of public and private sectors (academia, industry, health sector, environmental organizations, education, etc.) and citizen formations (e.g. citizen science). Press releases and news stories have a major effect on the impact and popularity of research findings. Moreover, they are of benefit to all parties involved: the researchers, their institutions, funding agencies, stakeholders and the society. The PR team of the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia puts a lot of effort in the wide dissemination of the scientific results and the Museum's activities through press releases, social network communication and the mass media. Thanks to a well-established dissemination network of the Museum, press releases regularly provide the basis for print, online, radio and TV news stories in reputed national media outlets. This approach that has been applied for years is to be used for dissemination of the DiSSCo- BG aims, approaches and achievements. The activities are targeting three groups of stakeholders.
  • The research community – national and international.
  • Representatives of the government and business in Bulgaria. These are structures in the framework of the Ministry of Environment and Waters, National Forest Agency, municipal administrations and others. They are addressed by the Bulgarian version of the project homepage, popular materials, infodays planned for each of the four years of the project duration.
  • Representatives of the civil society in Bulgaria. These include students, non-governmental organisations, media, citizens interested in nature conservation, etc. They are addressed by the Bulgarian version of the project homepage, popular materials and infodays planned for each of the four years of the project duration.
Objectives
  • PR and communication management of the project dissemination activities.
  • Communication with other WP leaders and team members, responsible for the deliverables of the project in order to get the complete information in every step.
  • Creating of webpage of the project.
  • Elaboration of two popular printed materials (leaflets, brochures etc.).
  • Creating of one multimedia product for the project.
  • Organising of two open days within the project.
  • Organising of five meetings or round tables with representatives of different groups of stakeholders.
  • Organising of two exhibitions in NMNHS-BAS representing the project.
Description of work
Dissemination activities are distributed in temporal scale as follows: First year: Settlement of the project webpage. Elaboration of the first popular printed material (leaflet). Organising of a meeting or round table with representatives of different groups of stakeholders. Second year: Update of the project webpage. Organising of a meeting or round table with representatives of different groups of stakeholders. Organising of the first open day of the project. Third year: Update of the project webpage. Organising of two meetings or round table with representatives of different groups of stakeholders. Creating of the multimedia product for the project. Organising of the second open day of the project. Organising of the first exhibition in the NMNHS representing the project. Fourth year: Update of the project webpage. Elaboration of the second popular printed materials. Organising of a meeting or a round table with representatives of different groups of stakeholders. Organising the second exhibition in the NMNHS representing the project. These activities are organised in 5 principal tasks.

Task 5.1. PR-Management of the project dissemination activities
Task leader: Ms Sylvia Tosheva
This task includes administrative work and control of the timing of WP5 activities; communication with other WP leaders and team members, responsible for the deliverables of the project in order to get the complete information in every step of the project implementation. It is scheduled for the entire duration of the project. It includes implementation of the following activities:
  • Preparing communication plan with time schedule of activities for every year, define the roles and responsibilities associated with dissemination activities;
  • Establishing a regular communication with experts from other work packages for coordination of activities related to process of dissemination;
  • Regular press releases for the obtained new and interesting results through the project;
  • Regular meetings of the project participants.
Task 5.2. Webpage of the project
Task leader: Dr. Dragomir Dimitrov
Internet-based dissemination: As soon as the project starts, a project webpage will be created to provide the up to date information about the project plans, progress and results. All data and digital images uploaded into the web-based database would become easily accessible to anyone interested through the webpage. These sources, linked to the label data and additional available information for studied specimens, may be used for multiple additional purposes.

Task 5.3. Elaboration of two printed popular materials (leaflets, brochures, etc.)
Task leader: Mr Assen Ignatov
Printed dissemination: two leaflets of the project, representing general information about the project

Task 5.4. Creating of one multimedia product for the project
Task leader: Eng. Ivan Yanchev
Multimedia dissemniation of the project in progress and achieved results. It will be prepared as CD and distributed among steackholders, schools, NGOs’, etc.

Task 5.5. Promotional events
Task leader: Ms Sylvia Tosheva
5.5.1. Organisation of two open days for introducing the digital database and its potential for meeting the needs of biodiversity information for public-in-large (industry, education, citizens, etc.).
5.5.2. Organisation of five meetings or round tables with stakeholders representing different publics:
  • Organisation of two open days for introducing the digital database and its potential for meeting the needs of biodiversity information for public-in-large (industry, education, citizens, etc.).
  • Organisation of a round table with stakeholders from the environmental sector – state authorities, private companies and non-governmental organisations in order to introduce the digital database and the potential to be used in solving environmental and biodiversity conservation problems.
  • Organisation of a round table with stakeholders from the university education – state authorities, universities (including private) and other companies in order to introduce the digital database and the potential to be used in solving educational problems at the university level.
  • Organisation of a round table with stakeholders from the secondary education – state authorities, secondary schools (including private) and other companies in order to introduce the digital database and the potential to be used in solving educational problems at the secondary school level.
  • Organisation of a round table with stakeholders from the tourism sector – state authorities and private companies in order to introduce the digital database and the potential to be used in development of ecological and specialised tourism.
5.5.3. Organising of two exhibitions in NMNHS-BAS, representing the project
The first exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia is to explain the main scientific idea as well as methods, and impacts of the project in terms accessible to the general public. Duration of the exhibition will be 6 weeks, and more than 500 visitors would have possibilities to view the exhibition. The second exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia is to represent the main scientific results of the project in terms accessible to the general public. The purpose is to raise public awareness about the preservation and conservation of unique scientific collections. Exploitation of the project results by encouraging decision makers to adopt the project outcomes to existing policies, regulations, practices etc., and to encourage the final beneficiaries to use and utilize the project outcomes and to present it to other potential users. Duration of the exhibition will be 6 weeks, and more than 500 visitors would have possibilities to view the exhibition.

WP 5-related deliverables
  • D5.01-D5.04: Annual report on internet-based dissemination: webpage (months 13, 25, 37, 48).
  • D5.05-D5.07: Reports on dissemination printed material: two leaflets (months 6, 42).
  • D5.08: Report on multimedia dissemination: CD (month 30).
  • D5.09-D5.12: Annual report on the promotional events (months 13, 25, 37, 48).
WP 5-related milestones
  • M5.1: Webpage of the project available online (month 1)
  • M5.2: Release of printing of popular material #1 (month 6)
  • M5.3: Release of printing of popular material #2 (month 42)
  • M5.4: Release of multimedia product for the project (month 30)
  • M5.5: Open day #1 (month 9)
  • M5.6: Open day #2 (month 45)
  • M5.7: Round table with stakeholders from the environmental sector (month 10)
  • M5.8: Round table with stakeholders from the university education (month 22)
  • M5.9: Round table with stakeholders from the secondary education (month 34)
  • M5.10: Round table with stakeholders from the tourism sector (month 36)
  • M5.11: Round table with stakeholders from the pharmaceutical and associated sectors (month 44)
  • M5.12: Exhibition #1 (month 30)
  • M5.13: Exhibition #2 (month 42)