EuroTeQ Sustainability & Outreach
Table of Contents
Work Package Overview
Ever since the industrial revolution, many say it is no longer a challenge to create a product, but to sell it. With EuroTeQ, this is the task of Work Package 6. This task is not such a difficult one, since the product being “sold” almost sells itself.
Focused on outreach and communication, Work Package 6 has been responsible for both internal and external communication at the EuroTeQ Engineering University. Within the WP6, the EuroTeQ partner universities developed a communication strategy, outlining goals, objectives, target audiences, and key messages, and ensured that the communication efforts of the six partner universities around the project are aligned. The strategy highlighted the need to first promote the vision and mission of EuroTeQ and then move towards communication on specific activities within the project, such as the shared course catalogue, the collider, the staff mobility, etc.
The goals included building brand awareness, promoting the innovative concept of European universities, engaging students, strengthening industry partnerships, promoting project outputs, organizing events, and implementing effective communication. The target audiences primarily include students, academic and non-academic staff, and stakeholders.
Representatives from each partner university, particularly those responsible for communication, are part of the WP6. Their role includes participating in planning and content creation and planning, communicating with stakeholders, and attending regular meetings. To achieve the project goals and communicate efficiently, various tools and channels have been used: events, newsletters, message boards, social media, websites, physical communication tools (Booklets, Leaflets, Roll ups…)
Promoting products / ideas generated under EuroTeQ work packages is another objective of WP6. Priorities for communication campaigns are based on deliverables. Increasing the visibility of EuroTeQ events and the participation in events organized by the six partner universities are important in the quest for reaching a wider audience. It is also essential to build a sense of belonging and trust among target groups. In general, the communication approaches of our work package have involved a combination of internal and external ones to reach the different audiences, promote the EuroTeQ brand, and establish strong relationships with stakeholders around the project.
What is required of WP6 staff?
The mission of WP6 differs in the assigned mission in the fact that as opposed to the generally self-contained Work Packages focused on a single aspect of the project, we are intended to cooperate with any and all parties involved.
The communication style, along with the content itself, is required to be selected and adjusted with a deeper understanding depending on the audience, from brand new students to long-term industry partners.
What do results look like?
In accordance with the grant Agreement, task progress and results are reported via “Deliverables”, written statements describing what and how are the tasks being fulfilled.
Representative Deliverable Examples:
EuroTeQ as a Brand
Goals
Through our corporate identity, we have ensured (and continue to ensure) a constant and clear visibility of the EuroTeQ Engineering University. Everything we communicate is easily identified as ‘EuroTeQ’, and is part of the European Universities Initiative of the European Commission. To accompany all our internal and external communication with a clear look and feel, we use a unique corporate identity and corporate design, including a logo and key visuals, and have built a presence on social media and an excellent project website.
Corporate Design
Corporate design was something that has been developed very early on, by the project management team at Technical University of Munich. It was important to have a strong brand recognition from the beginning, through a corporate design that creates – a EuroTeQ identity that is recognized and remembered by all target audiences and the wider public.
- It is used for internal and external communication. It will ensure constant and clear visibility of the EuroTeQ project and its activities, what we have to offer, opportunities to engage, and our achievements.
- All staff members are familiar with and use the corporate design, follow visual identity guidelines and utilize templates.
- The visual identity guidelines include information on name spelling, logo use, colors and fonts. A lot of templates and visual material are already available (Graphics for key activities, icon database, PPTs, picture pool), new materials are constantly developed and shared. If colleagues need new visual materials, they get in touch with the Secretariat or WP6 colleagues.
- Our main communication channel is our website (www.euroteq.eu), as well as our LinkedIn account for professional visibility and networking opportunities. In addition, we have different Instagram channels run by some universities and a You-Tube channel.
- EuroTeQ merchandise is developed along the corporate design guidelines at each partner. Currently, we have pens, note pads, sticky notes, cups, sweatshirts and key chains available and in use.
Visual Identity
To ensure that the Corporate Design is used correctly and new materials align at each partner, we have developed a guideline for the visual identity:
Our name and spelling
- The full name is ‘EuroTeQ Engineering University’. The word ‘EuroTeQ’ is written with a capital E, a capital T, and a capital Q. The abbreviation EuroTeQ may be used, however, in external communication and official documents, maximum effort is expected to use the full name whenever possible.
- The EuroTeQ Engineering University uses British English spelling.
The EuroTeQ logo and its use
- Our logo is the most important graphic element of the EuroTeQ Engineering University corporate identity. As a distinguishing visual sign, the logo with the highlighted letter ‘Q’ helps to instantly recognize our project instantly. The EuroTeQ Engineering University emerges from the EuroTech Universities Alliance and the corporate design shall show a similliarity, while having its own unique feeling and message.
The Q stands for Quality, our promise as six leading universities of science and technology. For Qualification, our goal is to educate the engineer of the future and to contribute to lifelong learning. Generally, it is the distinctive element that makes it possible to separate EuroTech and EuroTeQ. That is why it also serves as THE key visual. The three lines in the Q in the logo are symbolic for the three target groups of the EuroTeQ Engineering University: students, non-academic/vocational and lifelong learners.
- The EuroTeQ logo is a unique creation and should not be altered. It is the core of the visual identity and all other graphic features are derived from it. It should not be squeezed, skewed, stretched, changed in colour, or put on a background that is too dark. Under black and white conditions, the use of an all black logo is possible. On dark backgrounds, the use of a white version of the logo is advised. There is a certain logo protection area around the logo that must be observed at all times.
- A good distance is to be observed between the logo of the EuroTeQ Engineering University and the logos of its members. Additionally, it is recommended to have the members logos reduced to between 1/4 and 1/2 the size of the EuroTeQ logo to visually clarify membership relations.
Colours
- There are two primary colours: dark blue and light green, which are the basis of the entire visual identity. These colours are chosen in such a way that they offer the widest range of graphic possibilities in terms of contrast, saturation, and readability. In addition to the primary colours, there are a number of secondary colours that can be used within the visual identity, whenever the primary colours do not offer sufficient graphic possibilities.
Font
- The standard font of the EuroTeQ Engineering University is Arial, which is widely available and well-known by designers and standard users; a 100% web-safe font, free to use and available in all MS Office applications.
EU Disclaimer
- As beneficiaries of a European Commission European University initiative, we receive European Union (EU) funding and are required to display the EU flag and acknowledge the support received in all communication and promotional material. The European Union emblem (flag) must be used, and the name of the European Union must be displayed in full. The name of the Erasmus+ programme can appear with the flag. The preferred option is to write “Co-funded by” or “With the support of”, then “the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union”
Virtual Roadsow & Tutorials
To get the project approach into the hearts and minds of the target audiences, the WP6 project team has created several virtual ways to get informed about the uses of EuroTeQ for different stakeholders. It is called a roadshow because the materials used will consist of tutorials and presentations that can be taken on the road to show to key stakeholders or viewed in their own time.
The idea behind the virtual roadshow is to inform about the EuroTeQ Engineering University and enable interested people to learn more about it. Each partner university successively hosts the virtual roadshow and conducts an online event dedicated to giving insights on various EuroTeQ initiatives, such as the EuroTeQ shared Course Catalogue, the EuroTeQ Collider, etc. Through Q&A sessions, the webinar format allows the audience to engage with the speakers.
Student and academic testimonies are also included in the webinars to emphasize the significance of the EuroTeQ Engineering University.
The project team has identified several key goals for the virtual roadshow:
- To support dissemination of EuroTeQ learnings
- To promote EuroTeQ worldwide
- To reach out to new audiences, including those in countries that are not currently represented in the project partnership
To achieve these goals, the project team plans to develop the following materials:
- A standardized set of presentations for Industry and Education
- A standard video presentation based on the slide deck
- A set of webinars
- Testimonial videos
One of the keys to WP6 successful webinars is, first and foremost, the way they are planned. As these virtual events involve stakeholders, as well as possible visiting guests, it is important to consider the availability of people, particularly students, if they are part of the target audience
Examples
Visual images and information graphics are powerful elements of our corporate identity. They represent the project through the consistent ‘look and feel’ of the illustrations. As the EuroTeQ Engineering University is a complex project with multiple stakeholders inside and outside the universities and multiple different activities, as well as governance and partnership structures, we decided to develop a visual support early on in the project. The illustrations supported the proposal to the European Universities Initiative and now have an important function within presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
EuroTeQaThon Prague 2023 Showcase
Knowing your audience along with being familiar with the project, combined with appropriate creativity add up to successful direct and indirect marketing campaigns – insight on how this was achieved is provided using examples below as per applicable universities.
Embassy Engagement Initiative
Dedicating yourself to Public Relations is a way of life. Due to this dedication of one of our finest local team members, an idea was born, to upgrade to an already distinguished list of event participants.
Would it, perhaps, be appropriate to invite representatives of embassies from countries, whose students participate in the finals?
It would.
Once an approval was granted from the CTU foreign relations office leaders, some research regarding exact recipients was required. Along with a proper EuroTeQaThon Invitation for distribution, masterfully crafted, as obvious from the results below.
Five embassies were contacted, with all sending representatives to the EuroTeQaThon 2023 Prague finale. Two representatives in the form of ambassadors. In one case, the ambassador expressed interest in speaking with the students directly – a networking outcome we were hoping for. Naturally, a suitable space, along with appropriate refreshments, was reserved for the occasion.
Participant Starter Pack T-Shirts
Mutually beneficial long-term partnerships matter; in education, in business, in life.
Due to last-minute allocation of funds, our plans regarding distribution of commemorative t-shirts had an opportunity to come to fruition.
The first attempt for an in-house design was unanimously agreed to be unsuitable.
Fortunately, a long-term relationships with the approved manufacturer of promotional materials has led to them offering their design services, expeditiously and for an excellent price. After collectively consulting design proposals, requesting some adjustments, selecting shirt form, sizes and color, all was set, at a record time.
Successfully overcoming unexpected complications through effective crisis management is a part of public relations.
