Business model including exploitation plan for OPTAIN outcomes. Deliverable D7.6 of the EU Horizon 2020 project OPTAIN.

Deliverable report D7.6 of the EU Horizon 2020 Project OPTAIN (Grant agreement No. 862756)

This deliverable presents the methodology used to develop OPTAIN’s business model and exploitation plan, and provides a detailed presentation of the resulting analyses, value propositions, and Key Exploitable Results. 

Summary 

Deliverable D7.6 presents the business model and exploitation plan for OPTAIN by applying a structured and user-centred methodological approach. This approach combines stakeholder-driven evidence, innovation tools, and strategic exploitation frameworks to ensure that project results can be effectively sustained, transferred, and scaled beyond the project’s lifetime. The methodology is built around four complementary components: (1) a general methodological framework defining the exploitation logic; (2) a stakeholder questionnaire used for empirical data collection; (3) the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC); (4) the Business Model Canvas (BMC); and (5) the identification of Key Exploitable Results (KERs). Together, these steps provide a robust foundation for translating OPTAIN’s scientific outcomes into operational, policy-relevant, and widely usable solutions.

General Approach - The overall methodology follows a stepwise process and iterative logic designed to clarify, structure, and maximize the exploitation potential of OPTAIN results. It begins with an examination of user needs and stakeholder expectations, continues with the structuring of business model dimensions, and concludes with the prioritisation of results with the highest potential for long-term uptake. This sequential progression ensures coherence between empirical evidence, analytical tools, and strategic exploitation planning, while maintaining alignment with Horizon 2020 innovation and exploitation requirements.

Stakeholder Questionnaire – A short questionnaire was circulated among OPTAIN partners and external actors to establish an empirical basis for the steps that followed. Ninety-two responses were collected across a wide range of stakeholder groups, including farmers, advisors, NGOs, researchers, policymakers, and local authorities. The questionnaire captured role profiles, key challenges in water and nutrient management, expectations regarding Natural/Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRMs), and preferred types of support. These insights informed the definition of user segments and supported the identification of customer “jobs”, “pains”, and “gains”, forming the foundation of the VPC and guiding the construction of user-centred value propositions.

Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) - The first analytical framework applied was the VPC, used to map how OPTAIN outputs respond to the needs of seven stakeholder segments. By connecting customer jobs, pains, gains, and jobs with OPTAIN’s products and services, the VPC highlights where the project creates concrete added value and how it alleviates barriers such as regulatory complexity, economic pressure, fragmented data, or insufficient communication tools. This step ensures that OPTAIN’s results are aligned with the realities of end-users and support practical implementation across diverse European contexts.

Business Model Canvas (BMC) – Insights from the VPC were translated into the BMC to structure the operational and organisational dimensions required for the long-term sustainability of selected OPTAIN results. The BMC, customer segments, delivery channels, key partners, cost structure, and revenue streams. This enables the definition of coherent strategies for maintaining, transferring, or scaling tools such as the catalogue of NSWRMs, the climate scenarios, the SWAT+ modelling workflow, the policy brief, the interactive optimisation tools, and the OPTAIN Learning Environment (LE) beyond the project’s duration.

Key Exploitable Results (KERs) – The final methodological step consisted of identifying and characterising nine KER based on their maturity, potential impact, relevance for end-users, and exploitation strategy. Dedicated factsheets detail ownership considerations, added value, resource needs, and recommended pathways for long-term uptake. This prioritisation ensures that OPTAIN’s most promising outputs, technical, digital, policy-based or capacity-building, are supported by clear strategies for post-project valorisation. 

Together, these methodological components form a coherent exploitation framework. Deliverable D7.6 combines stakeholder-based evidence, value-driven analysis, business modelling, and strategic prioritisation to position OPTAINs results for effective uptake across Europe. This ensures that the project’s innovations will continue to support resilient, resource-efficient, and socially accepted water and land management practices well beyond its lifetime.