AccessCat Network is a Knowledge Transfer network gathering 20 research groups across Catalan universities and 76 affiliated entities with one goal: to bridge the gap between academia, industry and society and become a flagship initiative on accessibility to information and communication in Catalonia. It faces the challenges and opportunities of being the first knowledge transfer network in Catalonia with a Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) approach.
Description
Launched on 23 February 2023, thanks to a 3-year funding of the Department of Research and Universities of the Catalan government (Spain) (2021XARDI00007).
Coordinating entity: Autonomous University of Barcelona
8 action lines:
- Technologies and services catalogue creation: Compilation of the research groups’ technologies and services with transfer potential, open to society and available through the network’s website. As a SSH network specificity, the catalogue of transferable assets also includes a wide range of educational resources created by the groups.
- Visibility of research, training and legislation on accessibility: Dissemination of research, legislation, training and other practices related to media accessibility is centralised in the Media Accessibility Platform (mapaccess.org), an open access resource.
- Training sessions: The network offers: 1) training to researchers, from an SSH perspective, on knowledge transfer basics, IPR protection, communication, how to apply to competitive calls on knowledge valorisation, etc. 2) training to external institutions and companies on accessible communication.
- Support to disruptive solutions: The network funds a disruptive solution per year through a competitive call. It provides funding for valorisation consultancy services, market studies, communication strategy plans, IPR protection plans, financial plans or any other valorisation activity.
- Promoting awareness-raising and transfer activities: The network funds and promotes activities in which researchers spread their knowledge on accessibility to society, in order to raise awareness on how important accessible communication is, as well as to offer innovative solutions. In the SSH context, and specifically in the context of accessibility, this is a key point for fostering research results valorisation.
- International missions: The network funds and promotes activities abroad through which researchers acquire new abilities, knowledge and contacts that will help them transfer their research to society.
- Standardisation as knowledge transfer: Researchers participate in drafting standards or high-level documents in European and international bodies (ITU, ISO, UNE, CEN/CENELEC/ETSI) to ensure accessibility is considered in public policies. It is a knowledge valorisation activity with huge social impact.
- Demos & Showcases: Researchers participate in fairs, congresses and conferences where industry is present to show their technologies and services.
Achievements and learning
2023-2024 Actions recap:
- 26 Technologies and services + 33 educational resources catalogued: After a thorough scouting process, we have determined which research results have a transfer potential, in the form of a technology or a service. We have compiled them in our web catalogue, which is open to society. As a SSH network we have faced challenges to adapt the traditional technology transfer scouting process and terminology so that our researchers felt engaged. One of the highlights is that many researchers have realised that they have transfer potential and that they are actually already involved in valorisation and transfer activities, even if they were not aware of it because their ways differ from the traditional transfer ways.
- The catalogue, which is updated regularly, is the most visited page of the AccessCat website and the network has proven to be a good platform to liaise research groups and society/industry.
- 15x15 and 6x15 Training Capsules Series on accessibility for entities and companies: Offering 15 minutes online training capsules on accessibility basic topics conducted by AccessCat researchers, and publish them on the website, has been a great success. As a result of raising awareness on the importance of accessibility and thanks to the visibility given to our researchers, requests for our groups services have been received.
- Training sessions for researchers on knowledge transfer and valorisation: As an SSH network, offering training with an adapted understanding of knowledge valorisation processes and its specificities in SSH has proven to be crucial to engage researchers and to create a transfer and valorisation culture among them. During 2023-2024 the network has offered 11 training capsules which have helped several groups to start transferring results.
- Disruptive solutions supported: Thanks to the consultancy services and market and IPR studies funded by AccessCat, the two winning solutions of the 1st Accessibility Solutions Awards (PlanAccess and SCRIBAL) have gained momentum and received further funding from the main Catalan government valorisation call.
- Awareness-raising and transfer activities: In the SSH context, researchers are open to this type of activities which have proven to be a good way to promoting the valorisation of their research results. 74 awareness-raising activities were conducted by AccessCat researchers during 2023-2024. The network has promoted their participation in social events such as The European Researcher’s Night, which has become a must.
- International missions: Geneva, Brussels, Querétaro, New York, Riga, Paris, Rennes and London have been the researchers’ destinations to conduct knowledge valorisation activities, which have resulted in contacts with possible beneficiaries/clients of their research results, and a better understanding of the targeted market/social scenarios.
- High-level documents, standards and policy papers: Several network groups are working intensely on standardisation, with contributions to 18 high-level documents during 2023-2024, both at national and international level. The social impact of this type of knowledge transfer is huge but yet difficult to evaluate. AccessCat is becoming a flagship initiative fostering its acknowledgment as a knowledge transfer activity.
- Demos and showcases: The network has promoted and funded the participation of researchers in industry fairs such as Smart City Expo Barcelona, offering a booth where researchers could showcase their projects. It has turned out to be a good experience for SSH researchers who not so used to attending this kind of industry events. During the "AccessCat Innovation Day" they also had the opportunity to network with the affiliated entities and industry representatives.
- Calls for funding: During 2023-2024 AccessCat has launched 11 calls for funding awareness-raising activities, international missions, standardisation activities and disruptive solutions.
- As a flagship initiative on SSH knowledge valorisation, AccessCat network organised the "Conference on Knowledge Transfer in Social Science and the Humanities" at UAB, with over 200 attendees. Questions such as “What do we mean when we talk about knowledge transfer in SSH?” or “How can we evaluate knowledge transfer in SSH?” were the central issues discussed. Visual diagrams summarising the key ideas and the conclusions presented by the director of AccessCat network were some of the relevant outputs of the event.