MAX_824143 D9.3 MAX Communication and Dissemination Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Final version

The D9.3 “Deliverable on MaX Communication & Dissemination Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Final version” (delivered in November 2020, M24) is the second iteration of the namesake D9.1, submitted in May 2019 M6. At the time of releasing D9.3, MAX needs to address two issues, one life-changing, the other related to boosting the content-rich approach to the plan for the period M25-36. The first aspect is connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting everyday life, work habits and overall communication activities, obliging a fast transition towards the digital and virtual interactions. This affects the internal initiatives as well as those for stakeholder engagement and pushes us to seek for alternative means of interaction. In the second case, this updated plan explains how the communication strategy has become agile in its approach to dealing with planned activities with new formats, revised and updated plans aimed at tackling the impediments of the pandemic. Secondly, the report covers how the consortium intends to adopt impactful strategies for the remaining months of MAX with a view to ensuring maximum return of investment in terms of growing and supporting the community of users. It is crucial that in this next phase of its communication, stakeholder engagement and dissemination strategy, we demonstrate how to make MAX accessible to all users across Europe with a focus on the public sector and industrial users, no matter where they are located. Under new COVID-19 restrictions, it is vital to find new forms of engagement and ways to support uptake right across the materials science the HPC and HTC, the academia and industry communities in the transition towards exascale. The updated plan therefore focuses on tangible MAX results, advances in the field, and user uptake potential through a pragmatic set of actions and clear editorial plan. In this respect, D9.3 also maps a detailed editorial plan that considers the insights indicated above in the future timeline. To gauge progress towards the original plan in D9.1 and revisions thereof, this plan also reports a brief overview on the overall achievements to date for each activity originally defined. The plan also includes a new approach to outreach and the communications toolbox geared towards a changing landscape of uncertain evolution. Examples include a ramp-up of virtual formats, such as building on the early successes of the flagship code webinar series with a new Highlights and Insights series, a podcast series and diversified formats for MAX training. With this, MAX assets and stakeholder benefits are foremost in mind as is the calling for an assessment of impacts for High Performance Computing (HPC), High Performance Data Analysis (HPDA) and High Throughput Computing (HTC) in the context of the MAX Centre of Excellence, its synergies and stakeholders. This more so, as new investments by the European Commission for supercomputers1 and the transition to Horizon Europe (2021-2027) with a new framework of research fundings are upcoming. Demonstrating impacts in terms of advances and uptake will be key. In this respect, the plan is intended to pave the way for D9.4 (“Impact Assessment Report, Final Version”, due in November 2021, M36). 1 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/eu-steps-investment-world-class-supercomputers-researchers-andbusinesse