The main actions taken and conclusions are:
Technical Viability
1. Update – current stage of development and re-definition of objectives. We have verified with our prospective customers (bioethanol producers) the adequacy of the technical actions planned. This has allowed us to incorporate their demands into our roadmap ensuring in this way the acceptance of our solution in the sector.
2. Detailed roadmap-to-market (Phase II work plan). We have organised the end-of-development of our solution in 7 WPs, to be carried out in a period of 18 months. We have assessed the risks associated to all the tasks within the 7 WPs and already defined contingency actions to minimise their impact.
3. Preparation of the Industrial Validations to guarantee a successful execution. The pilot tests to validate our solution in real environment have been planned in detail. We have already engaged all external partners that will participate in these validations, including end users, suppliers and subcontractors , and they have committed to the working calendar defined.
Market Feasibility, FTO and IP
1. Detailed global market analysis & Identification of further business opportunities. We have examined in detail the structure of the overall starch processing industry to identify the best business opportunities. This has allowed us to organise a sequential market introduction of our solution, focusing first in breweries and bioethanol production plants. We have also researched process control technology used to monitor the production lines and analyse our competitors.
2. In-depth analysis of the target market. We have carried out a detailed analysis of our two primary target markets, including size, tendencies, and biggest players. With brewers, we confired the business opportunity arising from the set-up of a database, as planned within our roadmap. We have analysed in detail current situation of bioethanol producers, paying special attention to the new European policy framework.
3. IP actions, FTO and certifications. We foresee that two new patents will be filled in as a result of this project. The FTO analysis discarded any conflicts and verified the relevance of early IP actions to block competence from bigger companies. We have also identified the required certifications for the product resulting from this project.
Commercialization Plan
1. Definition of the exploitation strategy. Well defined commercialisation plan for the period 2021-2025 in line with the new target market and taking into account the singularities of both sectors. Very ambitious dissemination plan including permanent contact with our end users as well as the maximisation of the impact of the industrial validations planned within this project.
2. Communication & Dissemination Plan. Confirmation of the potential of the industrial validations as the most relevant dissemination action. Scan of all relevant events and conferences of both beer and bioethanol sectors and selection of the most relevant ones.
3. Up-scaling of the production. Revision of the supply chain and first contacts with alternative companies. Well-defined plan for extending our internal production capacity, including a hiring proposition, to reach 100 units at the end of 2021.
Business Plan Elaboration
1. Revision of the pricing policy – revenue streams. Definition of new revenue streams including after sales services and exploitation of our Database. Assessment of tailored sales offers to key customers to increase the number of units sold per customer.
2. Update of financial forecast. Sales projections under three different scenarios showing a great business opportunity for our product.
3. Evaluation of investment (expected Phase II budget). Detailed budget for the Phase II including personnel costs, direct costs and subcontractors.
