MAX_824143 D10.2 Draft business plan: preliminary exploitation strategy

This report discusses a preliminary business plan to assess the sustainability of the activities of the MaX European Centre of Excellence beyond the current H2020 funding scheme. The first part summarizes the potential market segmentation and size for commercial exploitation of MaX results and of the related activities and competence of its partners, with reference to both the industrial and the academic and public sectors. The possible value components and the definition of services are analyzed on the basis of the current literature, as well as the experience and data collected during MaX operation. A set of commercial activities are identified, essentially based on consultancy and services at various different levels, that are compatible with the open-source nature of MaX codes and have a demonstrated success record in the activities of the CoE and its partners. The second part examines the legal instruments that could be adopted to set up MaX as a legal entity, taking into account the interests and expected constraints of MaX partner institutions, and presents a draft business plan on which the sustainability of the new legal entity can be assessed. Finally, an economic and financial plan is drafted for three-year development of the activities, which relies on a realistic estimate of revenue and cost streams based on data provided by MaX partners for the last two years. The main conclusion is that a MaX entity essentially based on commercial activities would be sustainable beyond the end of the current H2020 funding period. Further details, and the interest and role of the different MaX partners in this initiative, will have to be assessed in the next one to two years.