Horizon Europe and other projects that are funded by the public money are expected not only to deliver research and innovation results, but also to ensure these results are visible, accessible and impactful. Social media plays a central role in this process, helping projects reach stakeholders, policymakers, industry and the wider public.
A well-planned social media strategy should evolve alongside the project lifecycle, with different types of content shared at each stage.
Early phase: Building awareness and identity
At the beginning of a Horizon Europe project, communication should focus on visibility and understanding. This is the moment to introduce the project to the world and explain why it matters.
Key content to share includes:
- Project launch announcements and objectives
- Partner introductions, consortium expertise, roles of the partners, infrastructure etc.
- The societal, industrial, or environmental challenges addressed by the project
- The main goal of the project and expected impact
- Importance of the project, information about the specific area, topic, sector
Early posts should aim to establish credibility, highlight collaboration, and create a clear narrative around the project’s purpose.
Mid-project phase: Demonstrating progress and engagement
Once the project is underway, communication should shift toward showcasing activity, collaboration, and progress. Stakeholders want to see that the project is moving forward and generating knowledge and results.
Relevant content may include:
- Experimental activities, pilot demonstrations, or technical milestones
- Participation in conferences, workshops and clustering events
- Early insights or intermediate findings (when appropriate)
- Stakeholder engagement activities and co-creation workshops
- Communication about the publications
- Communication about articles published on the website
- Announcements of webinars
- Videos, recordings and/or reels
At this stage, social media helps maintain momentum and keeps audiences connected to the project’s journey.
Late phase: Highlighting results and impact
As the project approaches completion, communication should increasingly focus on outcomes and relevance. This is when projects demonstrate their contribution to policy, innovation, and society.
Key topics to highlight include:
- Final results and validated outcomes
- Policy relevance and alignment with European priorities
- Tools, platforms, datasets, or guidelines developed
- Promotion of the final conference or closing event
- Final announcement about the end of the project and how and where the interested parties can follow the research or innovation advancements and exploitation of the results after the end of the project
Late-phase communication should clearly explain how the project’s work can be used, adopted, or built upon.
After project completion: Ensuring long-term visibility
Communication should not stop when funding ends. Post-project dissemination is essential for sustaining impact and ensuring continued uptake of results.
Useful post-project content includes:
- Exploitation activities and follow-up initiatives
- Uptake of project results by industry or policy actors
- New collaborations emerging from the project
- Continued updates from partners building on project outcomes
This phase demonstrates sustainability and reinforces the long-term value of EU funding.
Social media communication timeline
By planning communication across all phases of the project and combining strong messaging with effective visual and network strategies, projects can significantly enhance their visibility, relevance, and long-term influence. Assuming your Horizon Europe project has a duration of 48 months, the social media communication timeline could be structured approximately as follows.
What makes social media communication effective in Horizon Europe projects?
Beyond content planning, several practical elements are essential for strong visibility.
Tagging partners, stakeholders, programme, sister projects
Tagging consortium partners and other involved parties increases reach and encourages resharing, multiplying visibility across networks. Tagging relevant professionals, organisations, and EU initiatives can also help position the project within the broader European research ecosystem.
Using High-Quality Visuals
Posts with visuals consistently achieve higher engagement. Effective materials include:
- Photos from events, labs, or demonstrations
- Infographics explaining project concepts or results
- Technical diagrams simplified for broader audiences
- Short videos or animations
Unique, project-specific visuals are particularly valuable because they reinforce brand identity and credibility.
Consistent project branding
Using a consistent visual style — colours, fonts, templates, and logos — helps audiences recognise the project across platforms. This is especially important for long-term projects with many communication outputs.
Clear and accessible messaging
While Horizon Europe projects are often highly technical, social media communication should remain accessible. Posts should:
- Use plain language when possible
- Highlight benefits and applications
- Explain why the work matters beyond research community and skilled professionals
- Provide examples and comparisons
Clear messaging helps reach policymakers, industry actors, and the public.
Coordinated partner communication
Encouraging partners to repost, comment, and share content strengthens the project’s online presence. A coordinated dissemination approach ensures that communication is not limited to a single organisation but reflects the collective effort of the consortium or is not limited to only a collective work but also highlights achievements by partners.
Acknowledgement
EU funding acknowledgement is an important element for social media communication – as for all communication materials. Do not forget to add the relevant emblem.
Social media as a driver of Horizon Europe impact
In Horizon Europe, communication is not an afterthought — it is part of the impact pathway. Social media enables projects to build communities, share knowledge, and foster collaboration throughout their lifetime and beyond.
Looking to strengthen your Horizon Europe project’s social media communication?
At WIT Berry, we help consortia build structured, impactful communication strategies aligned with EU requirements.
Contact Us!
Contact us to explore how we can support your project. You can also contact us linda (at) witberry.lv.
