Create

THE CREATE
Project
III.
good results. The software selected
worked well and produced an attractive,
economic and robust site and this was
achieved quickly. Loading of material is
easy for both managers and members.
The site http://innopedia.wikidot.com is
easy to use and provides all the functions
intended for the site.
c) The number of new ideas put on the site
was small and this was apparently entirely
related to the small number of members
that was generated. The success of the
site clearly depends upon attracting a
significant number of active members.
The conversion of visitors to members
(i.e. from observing to participation) was
low. Whether this was because of lack of
interest or some problem with becoming a
member by registration is not clear.
d) However, the key parameter of achieving
confirmation that an Innopedia site could
attract a sufficient number of members
to sustain a lively discussion of innovative
ideas was not achieved. Consequently the
evidence that Innopedia could be a source
of innovative ideas, its primary role, was
not established.
Consequently, although many aspects of
Innopedia have been proven to work well,
no recommendation can be made that an
Innopedia service should be established under
public funding unless and until the means
to attract substantially more members is
established.
8.1.4. The IDEA Portal
This has during the lifetime of the CREATE
project morphed from “Ideas Merging” into
the IDEA Portal. The key parameters of this
function are:
a) The ability to conduct the principal aims
of the function by virtue of outlook,
experience, resources and capability.
b) The ability to make contact with a wide
variety of experts in relevant domains of
knowledge.
c) The ability to record and archive concept
notes such that only appropriate material
is made available in the public domain and
that confidential material is appropriately
protected.
The practical problems of conducting Reviews
have been tested by the selection of ideas and
the preparation of test examples of assessment
proposals. The process worked tolerably
well when tested before the first assessment
workshop. The establishment of an IDEA Portal
is recommended.
8.2. The Structured Mechanisms
8.2.1. Assessment
Assessment was considered from the start of
the CREATE project to be an essential feature
of the process. This view has been confirmed
during the work on the project.
The mechanisms for assessment are structurally
simple but the detail of their design and
application differentiates them from the
kind of evaluations normally conducted
in, say, the Framework Programmes. The
CREATE criteria are designed to relate to the
ACARE objectives, they have a longer time
horizon than, say, FET-Open schemes hence
the impact of the proposal is much harder to
judge, they are targeted on the idea rather
than the technology. For these reasons it is
recommended that a separate evaluation
process for innovative ideas should be used
and that the independent experts retained
to serve on its panels should be adequately
trained in the use of the tools designed for the
process.
8.2.2. Incubation
It was never the intention to attempt to carry
out an incubation project under CREATE.
Nevertheless the work done in studying the
incubation process has identified a number
of key parameters that should be established
before any incubation contract is placed and it
is recommended that these be implemented:
a) The aims of the incubation must be clearly
defined. The key objectives in every case
will be to confirm the benefits of the idea
and if possible reduce the perceived risks.
b) Complex concepts should be divided into
a number of workable and viable subunits
that may be contracted together or
separately for incubation.
c) The contractor should be confident that the
key incubation aims can be achieved within
the cost and time budget for the work.
53