What is an Erasmus+ Dissemination Plan?

The aim of the Dissemination and Exploitation Plan is to describe, guide and monitor the visibility and communication strategy of your project, so that all activities carried out during the duration of the project will be widely known by the largest possible target audience in EU countries. In addition, a strategy for the exploitation of the project results once it’s complete is defined as a valorisation strategy, aiming at fulfilling the goal of sustainability. Dissemination is a planned process of promotion and raising awareness that should occur throughout the duration of your Erasmus+ project. To be as effective as possible, this process should be planned and organised at the start of your project, through a structured document (e.g. Dissemination Strategy) that directs the entire process. It is also important to gain support, consider contextual factors, be timely, relevant and accessible. 

Mainly, Dissemination provides information on the results of projects and initiatives to those involved.  In terms of Erasmus+, it’s about spreading the word about the project’s success and the outcome to as many people as possible.  This is because by making others aware of the project, its results and how it can impact other organisations it can contribute to raising the profile of the organisation that carried out the initial project.  At the initial stage of Dissemination, the strategy document should cover why, what, how, when, to whom and where the results will occur, during and after the funding period. 

More Important Points to Consider   

• Dissemination is related to the projects results, so they are visible to others, especially the end-users, the target groups and the key people implementing its use.  
• Dissemination is also the process of promotion and raising awareness that should occur throughout the project. This process should be planned and organised at the start of your project through a structured document (e.g. Dissemination Strategy) that directs the entire process.  
• It is a planned process that should be carefully throughout the project’s duration, and beyond. 
• Dissemination is the basic foundation of a strategy for exploiting the project, its sustainability and/or its results. 

The Communication and Dissemination Plan sets out a strategy to maximise the impact of the Erasmus+ project, to increase its visibility, and to ensure that project output reaches a wide audience of relevant stakeholders.  

What a Dissemination Plan Addresses 

 A dissemination plan must address the following:   

• The purpose of the outreach. 
• The audience for the outreach.  
• The message or messages to be shared. 
• The methods for sharing the messages.  
• The timing for the outreach. 
• The process for evaluating the success of the dissemination effort. 

Final Words 

Your own Dissemination Plan is a plan for distributing research findings or products to those who will use the information in practice and is something that you should be thinking about early on in the process. It is what will help you get the message out to others, whether the message communicates the results of research or a successful intervention.