Innovation Disco recently delivered an exploitation workshop during the Shift2SDV General Assembly, focusing on what happens after the research phase and how EU projects can turn strong technical results into lasting real-world impact.
The session explored the practical side of exploitation, from common challenges projects face once funding ends, to the tactics that help promising outcomes to move beyond reports and pilots. At the core of the discussion was a simple principle: effective exploitation is about ensuring innovation continues to live, evolve, and create value beyond the lifetime of the grant.
A key part of the workshop was the introduction of the Innovation Radar, a modular tool designed to help projects track, assess, and prioritise their Key Exploitable Results in a clear and structured way.
The Radar provides partners with a shared visual overview of where each KER stands, how it is progressing, and where the strongest opportunities lie. By bringing everything into one visible landscape, it supports clearer conversations, stronger alignment across partners, and more informed decision-making around next steps.
What stood out during the session was the level of engagement in the room. Thoughtful questions and open discussion reinforced the idea that exploitation works best when teams are aligned around a common understanding of their assets, goals, and pathways to impact.
When everyone can see the same picture and speak the same language, collaboration becomes easier and exploitation becomes more than a requirement. It becomes a shared effort to carry innovation forward.
