FormulaGP - Recruitment plan for a skilled associate to help developing the patent pending IRIS GreenPlasma device

Project Information

FormulaGP

Grant agreement ID: 739802

DOI

10.3030/739802

Project closed

EC signature date 9 June 2017

Start date 29 September 2017

End date 28 September 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 106 681,25

EU contribution

€ 106 681,25

Coordinated by

IRIS SRL
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FormulaGP (FormulaGP - Recruitment plan for a skilled associate to help developing the patent pending IRIS GreenPlasma device)

Reporting period: 2017-09-29 to 2018-09-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

FormulaGP aimed to recruit a specialist SME Innovation Associate able to take forward the work undertaken so far by IRIS on a small scale thermal waste treatment technology, the GreenPlasma. This device is an original idea of the Company and it has been developed through to TRL6 and recently granted a patent of innovation; it is a key element of the company’s business strategy as an innovation that IRIS wants to bring to market as own product. The technology allows for the safe thermal treatment of residual waste on a very small scale (a few households’ worth of waste but also marine litter collected by a small vessel) using plasma technology. Being built with commercial components, it is affordable and it allows for the immediate and local recovery of energy: the high temperature pyrolysis generates useable heat and a syngas that can be exploited in direct combustion or for generation of electricity.
The device had been developed up to TRL6 but it required a redesign and further work in order to:
1. Transform the process from batch to continuous;
2. Complete the device by adding same scale pre- and post-treatment;
3. Ensure all the certification requirements are included in the design;
4. Devise an innovation project for the industrialisation and commercialisation of the device.

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

The project was structured in four work packages:
Work package 1 dealt mainly with the development of the career and the personal and technical skills of the SME Innovation Associate (IA). A Personal Development Plan and a Training Plan were devised at month 3 of the project and reviewed throughout the twelve months. Tailored training activities on soft skills, e.g. Project Management and technical skills, e.g. Arduino, complemented the core training on Innovation Management offered by the programme.
Work package 2 concerned the redesign of the device and its validation, to achieve a continuous working set up. This proved a highly challenging task, however the redesign was completed and the validation of some features of the new system was undertaken.
Work package 3 covered the IPR, certification a, d Environmental Product Declaration aspects related to the device. No new IPR was generated within the project; information on the process of CE marking and certification was gathered.
Work package 4 dealt with a follow up of the project and issued a draft proposal to be used as a basis for further investment seeking.

No dissemination activities had been planned, however the IA took part to a conference where he presented the innovation and submitted other three abstracts to high level conferences in Europe and beyond. All abstracts were accepted for oral presentation.

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)

The work undertaken during the 12 months of FormulaGP has allowed IRIS to make progress towards commercialisation of the innovation, through some improved understanding of the process and an exposure to innovation management. IRIS is continuing with the innovation both because of the investment already made (e.g. in the pursuing of a patent, in the business development activities) and because of the belief in the value of the proposition.

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