Turning Knowledge into Impact

Jun 03, 2025
Details: By Marta Jurkowska

Turning Knowledge into Impact: Highlights from the Knowledge Valorisation Day 2025

On May 27, 2025, the University of Warsaw hosted the Knowledge Valorisation Day 2025, a landmark event focused on boosting the visibility and usability of research and innovation results, particularly in Widening countries. Organised by IZTECH under the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the event brought together policymakers, research managers, and innovation practitioners for a full day of presentations, discussions, and capacity-building.

Supporting the Transformation of Research into Societal Impact

The core message of the event was clear: valorisation is not just a policy buzzword—it is an essential element of research and innovation ecosystems. In the words of Ioannis Sagias (European Commission, DG RTD):

“Valorisation is about creating value for society. Not just publishing results or reporting to the Commission - it’s about ensuring that knowledge reaches those who can use it. And in Widening countries, this potential is huge, but still underexploited.”

High-Level Perspective from he European Commission

In her keynote remarks, Maria Cristina Russo, Director for Global Approach & International Cooperation at DG RTD, stressed the international dimension of valorisation:

“Europe needs to work with all its regions and partners to unlock the full value of knowledge. We must ensure that Widening countries are not only participants but co-leaders in creating solutions that matter globally.”

Her speech underlined the importance of inclusive innovation policies and the need to create synergies between national systems and EU-level instruments.

Showcasing Tools for Change

Several EU-funded support instruments were presented during the event. These include the Horizon Results Booster, Science4Business, and the widerAdvance Facility.

Katarzyna Walczyk-Matuszyk, from IPPT PAN and the widerAdvance Facility, explained:

“The widerAdvance Facility was designed exactly for this: to support beneficiaries from Widening countries and outermost regions in making their results matter. We don’t only focus on dissemination - we go further into exploitation, stakeholder engagement, and storytelling for impact.”

These tools aim to support organisations that have not yet fully embedded valorisation practices into their institutional strategies.

From Strategy to Capacity Building

A recurring theme was the need for structured support for valorisation. Alessia Melasecche Germini, from META Group (implementing the Horizon Results Booster, but also widerAdvance FAcility), put it succinctly:

“You don’t valorise research by accident. You need a strategy, you need support - and that’s what tools like Horizon Results Booster or widerAdvance can provide, especially for organisations who haven’t yet built this capacity internally.”

Panelists agreed that valorisation must be integrated from the very beginning of a project and that institutions should foster a culture of value creation across disciplines and departments.

Conclusion

Knowledge Valorisation Day 2025 highlighted the growing momentum behind initiatives designed to turn research into action. With dedicated support mechanisms like widerAdvance, Widening countries are better equipped than ever to ensure that excellent science translates into meaningful social and economic outcomes.

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