Author: Julien Sudre, Horizon Europe grant writing, project management and communication specialist, founder of Grant360 and Innotrope
A strong communication Work Package (WP) in Horizon Europe translates the project's impact objectives into a realistic programme of audience-specific messages, activities, responsibilities, deliverables, resources and measurable outcomes. Start with the audiences you need to reach and the change you want to enable; then choose channels, schedule activities, assign partners and define how results will be measured. Communication should be coordinated with dissemination and exploitation, but these activities have different purposes and should not be treated as interchangeable.
The approach below is a practical proposal-writing framework, not a mandatory WP template. Always check the relevant call conditions, proposal template and Grant Agreement (GA).
What is the role of a communication Work Package in Horizon Europe?
A communication WP explains how the consortium will promote the project and its results to relevant audiences, including people beyond the research community. It converts a strategic commitment into tasks, resources, deadlines and evidence of delivery.
Communication helps audiences understand why the project matters, what it is doing and what its results may mean for them. Dissemination makes results available to audiences that can use them, while exploitation concerns the concrete use of results. A single WP may coordinate all three, but each needs distinct objectives and activities. Read our guide to communication, dissemination and exploitation.
Under Article 17 of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement, beneficiaries must promote the action and its results through targeted information in a strategic, coherent and effective manner, unless otherwise agreed with the granting authority. This is a contractual obligation; establishing a separately numbered communication WP is a design choice that depends on the proposal and project. Source: European Commission, Annotated Grant Agreement.
How do you connect the communication WP to the proposal's impact strategy?
Start from the expected outcomes and impacts in the call, identify the audiences that need to understand or act on the project's work, and design communication activities that support those pathways. The impact narrative and work plan should describe the same strategy at different levels of detail.
For example, a project developing a new energy-management tool might aim to explain the societal value of the research to citizens, inform municipalities about pilot activities and build awareness among future adopters. Its communication WP would assign concrete activities and resources to these objectives, while technical and exploitation WPs would lead validation and adoption work.
Check the structure of the specific proposal template rather than assuming that communication must appear in a fixed section or in a WP with a fixed number. For the broader strategy, see our Horizon Europe communication guide.
How do you define measurable communication objectives?
Write objectives that specify the audience, intended result, timeframe and evidence of achievement. "Raise awareness" is a useful ambition, but it is not yet an operational objective.
For example: "By month 18, explain the project's pilot results to local energy stakeholders through four targeted briefings and collect structured feedback from at least 30 participants." The numbers here are illustrative targets, not European Commission benchmarks; they must be adapted to the consortium's reach, budget and project duration.
Separate outputs (briefings held, articles published) from reach and engagement (relevant people reached, attendance, questions received) and outcomes (improved understanding, follow-up requests, stakeholder participation). Do not claim that a high number of impressions proves policy uptake or exploitation.
Who should the communication WP target?
Segment audiences by what they need to know, why they might care and how they can realistically be reached. "The general public" alone is too broad to guide channel selection or message design.
Typical audiences include:
- Citizens and local communities: main communication need: understand the problem, activities and possible benefits. Illustrative channels: accessible articles, local events and short videos. Evidence to collect: attendance, feedback and relevant reach.
- Public authorities: main communication need: understand the relevance of project activities to their remit. Illustrative channels: briefings and stakeholder meetings. Evidence to collect: attendance, questions and follow-up requests.
- Industry and practitioners: main communication need: understand potential applications and opportunities to engage. Illustrative channels: demonstrations, trade events and targeted newsletters. Evidence to collect: qualified contacts and requests for information.
- Researchers: main communication need: follow project progress and understand emerging findings. Illustrative channels: project updates and research events. Evidence to collect: relevant attendance and engagement.
- Media and multipliers: main communication need: access accurate, timely and understandable stories. Illustrative channels: press materials, interviews and partner channels. Evidence to collect: coverage, referrals and message accuracy.
Scientific publications and technical transfer activities may belong primarily to dissemination rather than communication. Define their role explicitly when allocating tasks.
How do you develop a coherent project narrative and visual identity?
Agree on a short, accurate explanation of the problem, the project's approach, its current stage and the potential significance of its results. Adapt the level of detail for each audience without overstating what has been demonstrated.
Prepare a message framework with a one-sentence description, three or four supporting messages, approved terminology and guidance on how to describe uncertainties. For a project still testing a prototype, "is developing and validating" is more accurate than "has delivered a market-ready solution."
Create a recognisable visual identity and accessible templates that partners can reuse. A dedicated website, a new social media account or a custom logo should be justified by audience needs and available maintenance capacity; they are not universally mandatory for every project. See how to design a Horizon Europe project visual identity.
How should you structure the communication WP into tasks?
Use a small number of coherent tasks with a named leader, participating partners, schedule, outputs and dependencies. The following four-task structure is an illustrative model, not a prescribed Horizon Europe format.
- T1 - Strategy and identity: scope: audience mapping, messages, visual identity, editorial and approval procedures. Typical outputs: communication strategy, templates and editorial calendar.
- T2 - Content and digital channels: scope: website or partner-page updates, stories, social media, newsletters and videos. Typical outputs: published content and maintained channels.
- T3 - Events and stakeholder engagement: scope: public events, briefings, media relations and partner amplification. Typical outputs: events, media materials and engagement records.
- T4 - Monitoring and adaptation: scope: indicator tracking, feedback analysis, reporting and improvements. Typical outputs: monitoring dashboard and periodic updates.
If the WP also covers dissemination and exploitation, add clearly identified responsibilities and dependencies rather than relabelling all activities as communication. A research partner might provide validated results, the communication leader might turn them into accessible materials, and an exploitation leader might organise engagement with potential users.
Which deliverables and milestones should you include?
Select deliverables that document substantial work or provide a useful management tool, and schedule them when the project actually needs them. Avoid creating a contractual deliverable for every newsletter or social media post.
An illustrative project might include an initial communication strategy, a mid-project update and a final communication and engagement report. A website launch or major stakeholder event may be better represented as a milestone, depending on the proposal template and the consortium's management approach.
A Plan for Dissemination and Exploitation of Results (PEDR) should not be confused with a communication-only plan. Coordinate the documents and avoid contradictory objectives, indicators or schedules. See how to write a strong dissemination and exploitation plan.
How much budget and partner effort should you allocate?
Build the budget from the activities and expertise required, not from an assumed fixed percentage of the total grant. Estimate person-months for planning, writing, design, technical maintenance, event preparation, partner coordination, monitoring and reporting, and add justified purchases or external services where eligible.
For example, a multilingual citizen-engagement campaign may require translation, accessible design and local facilitation, whereas a smaller specialist project may rely largely on partners' existing channels. Both can be proportionate if the planned activities, costs and expected reach align.
Specify who supplies technical content, who approves public claims, who maintains digital channels and who pays for event logistics. A task assigned to every partner without identifiable effort or accountability is difficult to manage.
Which indicators should you use to measure communication performance?
Choose a limited set of indicators that reflects objectives, distinguishes activity from effect and can be verified with available evidence. Record the baseline, target, measurement method, responsible partner and review frequency.
Useful indicators include:
- Reach relevant audiences: possible indicator: relevant website visits or newsletter readership. Evidence and limitation: analytics; traffic alone does not prove understanding.
- Encourage engagement: possible indicator: event attendance and substantive questions. Evidence and limitation: registration and feedback records; count relevant participants.
- Improve understanding: possible indicator: change in responses to short pre/post-event questions. Evidence and limitation: voluntary surveys; results represent respondents, not all audiences.
- Generate follow-up interest: possible indicator: requests for meetings or additional information. Evidence and limitation: contact log; interest is not the same as exploitation.
- Maintain consistent delivery: possible indicator: planned activities completed and reviewed. Evidence and limitation: editorial calendar and monitoring log.
Set targets using the project's audience size, partner networks and available resources. Review indicators periodically and revise tactics when the evidence shows that a channel is not reaching its intended audience.
How should the communication WP coordinate with other work packages?
Set up a regular flow of validated information from technical WPs to the communication team, with clear review and approval responsibilities. Communication staff should not have to infer scientific progress from outdated deliverables or announce results before partners have confirmed them.
For instance, a pilot WP can provide a short monthly update covering achievements, supporting evidence, limitations and forthcoming activities. The communication team can then prepare audience-specific material, obtain technical approval and publish it according to the agreed schedule.
Coordinate planned publications, demonstrations and public statements with intellectual property and dissemination responsibilities before releasing potentially protectable or confidential results. See intellectual property in Horizon Europe.
Which EU visibility and compliance requirements must the WP address?
Include a practical approval and compliance process for all communication materials. Under Article 17 and the applicable Annex 5 provisions, beneficiaries must acknowledge EU support using the European Union emblem and the appropriate funding statement, and apply the required disclaimer. The exact wording and any additional conditions should be checked against the signed GA and official guidance. Source: European Commission, communication and visibility guidance.
The WP should also establish how partners check factual accuracy, accessibility, personal-data processing, image permissions and any restrictions on sharing results. Inform the granting authority before communication or dissemination activities expected to have a major media impact, as required by the GA. Source: European Commission, Annotated Grant Agreement.
A shared publication checklist can prevent common mistakes: missing funding acknowledgements, unapproved performance claims, photographs without suitable permissions or premature disclosure of confidential results.
What does a strong communication WP look like in practice?
Consider a hypothetical 36-month project testing a circular-economy solution in three cities. Its communication WP might begin with audience interviews and a message framework, launch a shared project page and partner communication kit, publish validated pilot updates, organise local engagement sessions and evaluate understanding and stakeholder feedback after each phase.
The technical partners would verify claims about the solution's performance. Local partners would adapt messages to their communities. The communication leader would maintain the editorial calendar and evidence log. The exploitation team would separately track whether potential users progress from interest to concrete uptake discussions.
This design links each activity to an audience, a purpose, a responsible partner and an observable result. It is more informative than promising a website, a brochure and frequent social media posts without explaining who they serve.
Conclusion: What makes a Horizon Europe communication WP credible?
A credible communication WP connects the project's impact strategy to clearly defined audiences, accurate messages, coordinated tasks, realistic resources and measurable results. It gives partners a workable process for obtaining, validating and sharing information while respecting EU visibility rules and protecting sensitive results.
Design the WP around what the project needs people to understand and do, then select the activities and evidence that support those objectives. Communication should reinforce dissemination and exploitation without being mistaken for either one.
About the author
Julien Sudre specialises in Horizon Europe grant writing, project management and communication. Through his work with European research and innovation consortia and Grant 360, he helps teams turn proposal commitments into practical project-management and communication activities.