BLUE OCEANS STRATEGY FOR VALUE CREATION

Project Information

BEAGLE

Grant agreement ID: 101131728

DOI

10.3030/101131728

EC signature date 14 September 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Reforming and enhancing the European R&I System

Total cost

€ 1 002 016,25

EU contribution

€ 1 002 015,75

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BEAGLE (BLUE OCEANS STRATEGY FOR VALUE CREATION)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

BEAGLE proposes an innovative methodology for value creation from the uptake of the research results applying the Blue Ocean strategy. It explores new market niches by fostering sustainable value chains in untapped markets, while promoting disruptive synergies and innovation. This will be achieved through constructing a BEAGLE network of 3 universities, 1 technology centre, 1 innovating communities’ manager and 4 industry clusters with a work plan which will be implemented by the active participation of 240 professionals from 7 European countries, both innovators (from industry) and researchers (academia and tech centre) through the application to an ad hoc open call. Multiple disciplines, sectors and geographic areas are called to connect and interact in this A-I BEAGLE community (mainly those of the participating entities). By the end of the project the goal is to unveil 12 new market niches, the Blue Oceans, and to co-create 20 innovation proposals with specific roadmaps. To facilitate the co-creation experiment 12 Mixed Teams will be set, expert researchers and TTOs officers form the academia and the technology centre will merge with the cluster managers and their representatives from the industry clusters. Those actors will lead, manage, and supervise the whole work plan starting by the recruitment of professionals from their own institutions (the mentioned open call), to actively join BEAGLE as participants of the proposed innovation funnel. Three phases are planned: I) discovering opportunities through co-creation activities (workshops, survey, interviews, video-factsheets, system innovation approaches); II) co-creating the innovation proposals; and III) consolidating 20 new innovative market niches to attract investment. A dedicated marketplace linked to the F6S platform (4.4 million members) will facilitate the implementation of the project and its further sharing of results and lessons learned, will ensure its continuity after the project’s funding period.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During RP1, the BEAGLE project established a solid governance framework (WP1) and advanced the first phase of its Three-Phased Methodology. Core coordination mechanisms, quality assurance systems, and FAIR data management protocols were implemented, and delivered the first Policy Brief introducing the Blue Ocean Strategy approach to knowledge valorisation.

On the strategic level (WP2), BEAGLE mapped 85 best practices in knowledge valorisation (exceeding KPI targets), analysed 40 market niches, and identified 12 thematic niches for action. Twelve Mixed Teams (MTs) were established with balanced academia–industry participation and diversity considerations. In parallel, the BEAGLE marketplace was launched on the F6S platform (M6), providing a space for stakeholder networking, open call management, and resource sharing. The first Open Call (OC#1) targeted the industry side, recruiting 158 participants—32% above the KPI target—while the second Open Call (OC#2), aimed at academia, surpassed 120 registrants by M18, setting the stage for Phase II of the Innovation Funnel.

Progress in Phase I (Demand Discovery) advanced through the production of Innovation Demand Video Fact Sheets (VFS). WP3 created unified VFS production guidelines, engaged 62 industry participants in co-creation workshops using the System Innovation Canvas, and achieved Milestone MS4 with the first set of outputs. Ongoing efforts will consolidate these results into Video factsheets, marking the transition from demand recruitment to demand consolidation. Meanwhile, Phase II (Supply Matching) is progressing with academic recruitment in OC#2, preparing the ground for academia–industry matching in the next reporting period.

The project also achieved notable academic and dissemination results (WP6). Three conference papers were published or presented, with one journal article submitted for review. Preparatory work for WP4 and WP5 has also started, paving the way for Phase II matching and the development of 20 Action Plans in Phase III.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Many knowledge valorisation activities in Europe may still rely mainly on traditional TTO/KTO processes, which sometimes operate in isolation and with limited cross-border collaboration. While this approach allows some progress, researchers and innovators may still face gaps in systematic support, cross-sector A-I communities and access to strategic tools such as Blue Ocean Strategy to create disruptive innovation opportunities.

The BEAGLE Model is a key methodological advancement that delivers results beyond the state of the art by addressing these gaps and enabling multiple objectives by:

1. Providing researchers and innovators with structured intermediary mechanisms—such as the 12 Mixed Teams (composed by delegates from both academic and industry consortium) and the BEAGLE marketplace—to access new collaboration channels and market niches.
2. Introducing a testing workbench for Blue Ocean Strategy in knowledge valorisation, allowing participants to adopt and adapt BOS as part of their own methodologies, aligned with regional and EU-wide innovation ecosystems.

During the first 18 months, BEAGLE has implemented participatory and systematic co-creation processes to establish its Innovation Funnel and collaborative Mixed Teams methodology. This has resulted in the mapping of 85 best practices, the identification of 12 new market niches, and the recruitment of 158 industry participants and 120+ academic participants, creating the first operational workbench for BOS application in knowledge transfer.

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