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The course will be designed around four practical deliverables D1-4. First the students get a lecture from specialists and small seminars from their peers, followed by practical work in small groups with peer feedback. Every communication deliverable will be aimed at Internet publication on the department, EE or KTH webpages:

Research implementation and commercialization

1. Moving up the TRL ladder.

- Identifying your stakeholders- Impact plan

Invited lecturer Gustav Notander from KTH Innovation presents TRL Roadmap tool. The goal is to understand the process how technology is developed from research results into a final product or system that is in use on the market.

2. Small student seminars.

Every student gives a small presentation on a previously agreed topic.

3. Examples of good practice.

EES (alumni) entrepreneurs give a short presentation about their start-ups.

Practical work: D1 – Value proposition of your own research and identify your own TRL and plan how to reach the next level. Notander has a model called NABC to help define value propositions that is quite effective, and that works well in a workshop/exercise format.

Research communications

1. Communication planning. 

How to incorporate communication in existing plans and how one should think. When should one communicate, why and to whom?

2. Online communication. 

How to design a research website: What should go on the pages and in which order? What is necessary to have on a project page and how should one write it? How to use language that is appropriate for the target audience? How to keep track of website visits and whether you reach your target audience? How to prepare a pitch presentation?

3. Press & News releases. 

How to prepare for a press release / how to approach a journalist / how to generate interest from a larger audience?

Invited lecturer Annika Engström from KTH Communications Office will provide short seminars which should enable PhD students to design their own material. Additionally, the students are again asked to give a short presentations on a previously agreed topic.

Practical work: Online presence (all heavily built on peer feedback - final feedback from teachers and lecturers): Communicate your research via a website, Wikipedia and or social media. A (first) part has to focus on high-school students as target audience; a (second) part has to focus on MSc students in engineering as target audience:

1. D2 – Make your own research website, either an EE departmental project page, or on the student’s personal profile page. For departmental project pages, the technical part (putting up the actual pages in Polopoly) should be done by either a communicator or the appointed web editor at the departments.
2. D3 – Communicate your research via social media or on Wikipedia pages Communicate your research on social media pages such as Twitter or Facebook. Add your research to existing Wikipedia pages or create new pages where necessary.

Practical work: Outreach activities (all heavily built on peer feedback - final feedback from teachers and lecturers): D4: Plan (and execute) at least one significant outreach activities. Examples of such outreach activities are

1. Prepare for a news release about your latest research result/journal paper. Researchers themselves don’t have to write press releases. That part is best left to the professional writers, but it would be really good to talk about how to put together good material for the writer to go from when creating the news item or press release. What should be included? What should be highlighted and how should one think? What are the “criteria” for something to become a press release? What is important to communicate in a news item or in a short Facebook entry? First peer feedback ; thereafter professional help from Louise (EE level news release) and Peter Ardell / Callahan (KTH level news release – they can pick the raisins amongst the suggestions).
2. Make a 90 s “elevator pitch” movie about your research, with Bachelor in engineering students as target audience; aim at potential use in student recruitment for Master or PhD students.
3. Make a short graphical presentation movie about your research, e.g. in style “Minute Physics” or “Dance your PhD”, with Bachelor in engineering students as target audience; aim at potential use in student recruitment for Master or PhD students.
4. Reach out to a lead user, contact a lead user of your research results who has the capability to enhance the technology readiness of your results, e.g., by visiting and providing a seminar where you transfer your knowledge.
5. Educational activity, prepare and organize seminar where you explain your research to the general audience, e.g., pupils of a gymnasium.
6. Other (to be agreed by the course teacher)