Analysis of scope and expected benefit for the participant organizations

The consortium expects the project to add value economically, socially and environmentally. On the level of participating institutions, positive economic and productive results are not expected in the near future but in a long term basis. Also, at a general economic level, an expected benefit is the knowledge and experience acquired that permit to operate under optimum conditions. Even at the social level, the environmental consciousness of the public is likely to be advanced, through the accurate knowledge –base information that will be provided by the project.

Benefits for the University: Universities / Research Institutions benefit by creating a favorable and efficient framework for the development and elaboration of research related to problems of reality with high social impact (and not artificial problems). Experience will be gained regarding actions to overcome barriers related to the transfer of know-how and scientific knowledge to the companies engaged in the project. Finally, the European policy to create innovative products and services will become an integral part of the university lab
research plans.

Benefits for SMEs: The benefits for SMEs participating in the project are direct (the product / service exploitation) and indirect (general promotion and development of green entrepreneurship). In the consortium there are two companies (DEPODATH, GNOSIS) with a clear and proven expertise in developing systems, products and services: GNOSIS with an experience in the field of IT and several facilities in assets and DEPODATH with a large experience in environmental projects. This expertise will be enhanced by the University of Thessaly, which contributes substantially to the transfer of know-how to companies. In order for companies to exploit research results commercially, they need to develop a business plan which will include Marketing, Production and Standardization, Billing and Distribution issues. In WP 10, a detailed inventory of the above issues will be formed and a Business Plan for the exploitation of the developed system will be elaborated. In WP 10, it will be explored how intellectual property rights ownership and user rights will be protected and managed during the productive use of the EGIS.

Techno-economic feasibility study for the optimum use of new services derived from the project

The project includes two WPs, WP10 (Revision and sustainability of the system) and WP11 (Dissemination and Impact) that partly address the exploitation the EGIS, after the project completion. During WP10, a business plan which will include Marketing, Production and Standardization, Billing and Distribution issues, for the exploitation of the developed system, will be elaborated.

Moreover, in WP 10, it will be explored how intellectual property rights ownership and user rights will be protected and managed during the productive use of the EGIS. The possible customers of the GENCENG portal include both the public and the private sector. Concerning the private sector, targeted customers include all professions related to investment planning, e.g., banks, civil engineers, environmental engineers, real estate businesses, lawyers etc. As for the public sector, the potential customers include the corresponding departments of all 25 municipalities in the region.

Following the above outcomes of WPs 10 and 11, in the months that follow the project completion, the partners will reach and sign a commercial agreement for the exploitation of the system. A GNOSIS will be responsible for the IT management and development of the system, DEPODATH for the continuous update of the system data and the definition, collection and feeding of new data types, while University for keeping the performance of the system high, in the course of time, and for enhancing the system by extending its ability to answer queries arising as more user access it. TCG will be responsible for the periodic reevaluation of the system, providing proposals for the extensions of the services provided. All partners will be responsible for the continuous promotion of the system to potential users and groups. Funding from the central or the regional government will be sought and appropriate potential fees, according the category of the user and type of service provided, for access to the system will be determined.