Communication for EU-collaborative projects
Karolinska Institutet is one of Sweden's largest recipients of EU funds, with around 200 ongoing EU-collaborative projects, where KI employees serve as either coordinators or partners. On this page, we have gathered answers to common questions about communication that KI's Communications and Public Relations Office receives from EU-collaborative projects.
To begin with, it can be useful to consider that EU-collaborative projects should be regarded as independent organisations where researchers and other co-workers at KI participate – and not as a part of KI in the same way as a department or a centre. This makes it easier to discuss issues such as branding, website, and media contacts. In communication, we also distinguish between activities conducted within the EU-collaborative projects and the scientific publications that often result from the projects.
Communication resources in general
Since EU-collaborative projects are collaborations between multiple organisations and have funding to carry out certain activities, KI's central Communications and Public Relations Office (Comms Office) expects that resources are also allocated for the communication needed within the project. In cases where the Comms Office is to communicate about EU-collaborative projects, KI's own guidelines and procedures for news evaluation, procurement, working hours, and similar matters apply.
For the EU-collaborative projects coordinated by researchers at KI, the Comms Office also undertakes to support with certain infrastructure, advice, and communication activities. This is particularly relevant when the projects are in the start-up phase and have not yet begun their own communication. However, there may also be other situations where it is appropriate for the coordinating university to take a more active and leading role in communication.
To save time and effort, it is possible for EU-collaborative projects involving KI to use KI's procured communication services. Information about procured suppliers can be found on the pages of the staff portal that deal with the respective area. It is also possible to search among existing framework agreements (you need to be logged-in to the staff portal).
Logo and graphic profile
EU-collaborative projects often consist of a large number of parties from universities, authorities, and industry in different countries. This can make it quite complicated to navigate issues such as name, branding, and tone in communication.
The best (and cheapest) way to handle the problem of "too many cooks" is usually to keep it as simple and neutral as possible and to focus on the priority target audience and the purpose of the communication. Choose a name that says something about the project's purpose and is not too long and complicated. Check that the acronym you have fallen in love with is reasonably unique (for example, by googling) and does not mean something unexpected in certain languages.
Also regarding logos, the KI Comms Office's recommendation is to keep it as simple and neutral as possible. In most cases, the project's acronym in simple design is sufficient. Keep in mind that the project's visual identity (recurring colour, form, logo, font, and images) should be accessibility-adapted and understandable even in small format and digitally. More about this below under "Webpages and related tools".
The member organisations' logos can be presented on one (1) page on the project's website. Avoid plastering a whole forest of logos on everything communicated from the project. It is difficult for the recipient to understand and usually looks quite unattractive.
Note that the EU-collaborative project's logo and visual identity should not be possible to confused with that of KI. The colour plum or the medallion in KI's logo should therefore not be used.
However, there are situations where it may be reasonable for KI employees to use KI's brand to communicate about activities within the framework of an EU-collaborative project. For example, a sub-project run at KI may need to reach patient groups in Sweden. A brand that is well-established in this country can help to quickly build trust with the target audience. But even in these cases, the connection to the EU-collaborative project and EU funding should, of course, be clear.
Always acknowledge EU as funder
Since 2021, all activities receiving EU funding are required to state this when publishing results and in informational material. Use the official EU emblem (EU flag) together with the text "funded by the European Union" or "co-funded by the European Union" in the appropriate language for the context. The information about EU funding is used together with the project's own visual identity and logo. Do not use the logo of the European Commission.
Planning and budget
Communication is an area where costs and time are often underestimated. If it is important for your EU-collaborative project to reach certain groups to share activities or results, you should allocate adequate resources and plan for this communication well in advance.
A communication plan guide and templates are available on the Staff Portal. The template helps you consider important issues such as audience/target group, purpose, and appropriate channels for project communication. However, do not plan for activities over which the project has no control. For example, you cannot decide in advance that KI's press office will send a certain number of press releases during the project period or that Swedish Public Television will report on the project at prime time. However, it is possible to plan for the project to contact journalists.
It is difficult to generalise about the cost of communication, as it depends on the scope and what you want to achieve. An indication can be, for example, the freelance recommendation of the Swedish Union of Journalists (SEK 1,177 per hour with an F-tax card in 2024) or the cost of advertising via KI's social media accounts (around SEK 15,000 - 20,000 per advert). See also the section below on setting up and maintaining websites and the advice from Grants Office regarding budget.
For EU-collaborative projects coordinated by KI that need more extensive communication support over a longer period, it may be possible to use KI’s internal communication consultants (kommunikatörspoolen in Swedish). However, please note that you will need to contact them well in advance and that the assignment must be at least one day a week for at least six months.
Webpages and related tools
The EU normally expects funded projects to have a website describing the project's purpose and activities. This is also something that the KI Comms Office recommends. The size and design of the website are determined by the need to communicate with the outside world. Regardless of how the project's website is to be used, it is good to have an assigned web editor with previous experience in similar work.
It is common for EU-collaborative projects to create their websites outside the domain names (link addresses) of the member organisations. The Comms Office recommends that projects use web addresses with .eu as the top-level domain/domain suffix. Here you can obtain such an EU web address.
Researchers at KI have the opportunity to set up a website using the agreement that the Comms Office has with a web agency. The EU project manages its own website and has its own agreement with the agency but avoids the procurement process.
The website is then placed in a web hotel with the same publishing tool (Drupal) used for KI's own website, ki.se, but without KI's visual identity, logo, and domain name. The advantage of this arrangement is that people who function as web editors for ki.se already know the tool.
The cost of a website of this type is approximately SEK 10,000 – 20,000 to set up and at least approximately SEK 1,000 per month to maintain, including domain and hosting as well as software updates. Do not choose free tools as they often do not meet the security and accessibility requirements applicable to authorities within the EU.
Please email webb@ki.se if you are interested in using KI's Drupal solution for external websites.
The EU-collaborative project's website should follow the project's visual identity and be as simple, neutral, and informative as possible. Do not complicate it with fun features, colours, and shapes. Avoid using the coordinating university's website or creating your own version of it. EU-collaborative projects coordinated from KI should not use the colour plum or the university's name in any form in the web domain.
Also, remember to follow the EU's accessibility directive. On its website, the Swedish Agency for Digital Government, Digg, offers good guidance in Swedish and links to websites presenting the original accessibility standards in English.
News and press releases
Since KI is involved in so many EU-collaborative projects, the Comms Office and Grants Office try to gather news about awarded project grants so that we publish these together once or twice a year. Normally, we do not send press releases about newly started EU-collaborative projects to external media, but sometimes we tip off individual journalists who cover a specific research area. Also, all EU-collaborative projects involving KI are listed on a page on the Research website of ki.se. The list is updated at least once a year.
For news and press releases about scientific articles published as a result of EU-collaborative projects, the same routine applies as for all other scientific articles. The university where the corresponding author is active is responsible for preparing and sending out press releases. Here you can read more about news and press releases about scientific articles.
To reach the project's member countries, it can be a good idea to adapt the press material and let the local member organisation handle communication in their own language in each country. But remember that different organisations have their own routines for news evaluation and media contacts. It is not possible to make a general requirement for all concerned press offices to act in a certain way.
Also, remember to allow plenty of time! The more partners, the longer it usually takes to compile and distribute a press release.
Regarding activities such as project meetings, achieved milestones, and studies that are just about to start, these are only exceptionally suitable subjects for press releases and news tips.
For EU-collaborative projects coordinated by KI that need to reach external media about matters other than scientific articles, the Comms Office can support with email lists to the major news agencies and media houses. There are also external news services available for purchase that reach science journalists worldwide. However, such solutions are often costly and must be agreed upon with all member organisations' press offices, as different organisations may have different rules regarding employees' media relations.
For tips and advice on media relations, please email pressinfo@ki.se
For questions about news on the KI News website, please email nyheter@ki.se
Social media
KI has guidelines for social media if you are to use this in your professional role. The guidelines also apply if you communicate within the context of an EU-collaborative project.
It is almost always better to use your personal accounts on various social platforms rather than creating new organisational accounts. Social media favours personal interaction and dialogue (i.e., social contacts) and activities that make users stay on the respective platform.
There may be situations where it is better to communicate via an organisational account on social media, for example, if there is a risk that individual researchers are exposed to hate and threats or if the project needs to advertise for study participants. In such cases, your EU project should choose one (1) platform used by the target audience you want to reach. There should also be a plan for usage, comment control, and account deactivation. Expect that it takes a lot of time and effort to responsibly manage an organisational account on social media.
For EU-collaborative projects that share information on social media, the EU's various framework programmes and sub-organisations usually have tags or handles they want funded projects to use. Find out which ones apply to your project and use them!
Newsletters
A newsletter can be an effective way to reach the project’s target groups or to keep the members of the project updated on various activities. KI employees have the opportunity to use the procured tool Paloma. But for simpler internal newsletters, regular email programs like Outlook can also work well. Don’t forget to use the EU-collaborative project’s visual identity in the newsletter as well.
Tips and advice on newsletters
More on communication in an EU context
On this page on the European Commission's website, there are both tips and advice on communication for EU-collaborative projects and information about the regulations that apply to this from an EU perspective.
Coalesce – Co-creating the EU Competence Centre for Science Communication – is an EU-funded project running from 2023–2027. The aim is to gather knowledge from previous EU projects in the field of research communication and transform this into tools and resources for future projects. But already now, there is material available on the project's website.
The EU Guide to Science Communication consists of short films with tips and advice available on YouTube. The guide was created for the Horizon 2020 framework programme but can still provide useful guidance.
In some cases, it may be necessary to protect an idea or a brand. KI's External Engagement Office offers tips and advice on such matters.
Contact
First, read through the information on the page above. If you do not find what you are looking for, you can contact the Comms Office through our science communications strategist, who can refer you to the right person.