The 7 essential elements of your Communication and Dissemination Plan for EU-funded research projects

Facing the challenge of submitting one of Horizon Europe's mandatory deliverables but don't know where to start? Read this article, and consider the problem solved.

While a complete Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation (CDE) plan must be submitted within the first 6 months of any Horizon Europe project, today we'll focus on the communication and dissemination pillars, the foundation of your project's visibility and impact strategy.

Below, you’ll find the 7 essential elements that every strong CDE Plan must include to be consistent, effective, powerful, and loved by the European Commission.

The foundations

Project goals and specific objectives

Before anything else, you need to establish the foundations upon which your plan will stand.
Here, you describe the long-term goals you want to achieve by the end of the project (and beyond) regarding communication and dissemination. Then, break these down into specific objectives you will accomplish throughout the project to reach those goals step by step.

The pillars

Visual identity

One of the most overlooked pillars in many projects, yet one of the most impactful. And no, this is not just about having a logo.

A solid visual identity includes a full brand manual:

• a coherent color palette,

• typography,

• graphic elements,

• and a clear, attractive visual narrative that resonates with the project’s mission.

This identity will appear everywhere: on your website, posters and roll-ups for conferences, presentations to the European Commission, event slides, flyers, brochures, and other materials distributed at project booths. That’s why it should always be developed by a professional team.

The brand manual must also include rules for correctly using all partners' logos, funding programme disclaimers, and mandatory EU visibility guidelines.

Target audiences, channels, platforms, tools & messages

This pillar requires strategic mapping of your communication ecosystem. First, you will identify:

• Target audiences,

• Digital and physical channels,

• Platforms and tools,

• Key messages for each audience segment.

Then, you can provide a table that links each audience with the right messages, content formats, and channels. At Blue Ocean, we have our own audience mapping template, that you can download at the button below.

Download our free audience mapping template

Content strategy

This is the heart of any communication and dissemination plan. In this section, outline:

• the formats you’ll produce (articles, videos, infographics, newsletters, etc.),

• the themes and storylines,

• the frequency of publication per channel,

• and a three-month editorial calendar to kick off implementation.

Pro tip: Include special dates throughout the year that align with your project's themes, industries, and values to maximize engagement opportunities.

KPIs, monitoring, and assessment

The final pillar, and the one that determines whether your plan is truly working. Without metrics, you can't measure success.

Here, list the key KPIs for your communication and dissemination activities, and clarify:

• which tools you’ll use to track them,

• how frequently you’ll report on progress,

• and how you will adjust activities based on performance.

The roof

Risk Management Plan and Quality Assurance

This is the “roof” that protects your strategy against unexpected challenges.

List potential risks (operational, reputational, organizational) and describe the corresponding mitigation measures to minimize impacts on the project and on its communication and dissemination outcomes. Make sure you also establish quality assurance protocols and have contingency plans in place.

Contributions from partners

While uncommon in many EU project plans, detailing partner contributions demonstrates consortium commitment and collaborative spirit, aspects highly valued by the European Commission.

In this section, specify how each partner will contribute to the communication and dissemination activities using their own channels, networks, and resources. 

Conclusion

With these 7 elements properly developed and integrated, you'll have a Communication and Dissemination Plan that's not only solid and effective but also positioned for positive evaluation by EU reviewers. This structured approach ensures your research achieves maximum visibility, impact, and stakeholder engagement throughout the project lifecycle and beyond.