COLUMBUS was ambitious in its objectives and scope given the limited resources and time available. The project implemented pilot methodologies to collect, analyse and transfer knowledge and in each phase, insights were gained, and processes refined so that the Knowledge Transfer methodology could be replicated. The findings from COLUMBUS also illustrate that numerous Knowledge Outputs have been generated from European Commission marine and maritime research projects including de-novo knowledge, methodologies, products, tools and data. The Knowledge Outputs have applications to users that have the potential to result in varying types of value creation at different levels in society. COLUMBUS also highlighted the need for the European marine and maritime communities to continue to work towards a future where high-quality research is more effectively transferred for measurable impact and the benefits are seen on the ground by society at large. Reflecting on the overall process, what is clear is that there is a lack of established terminology and processes for Knowledge Transfer. Currently there are no clear guidelines on Knowledge Transfer for European-funded research and as such the methods and understanding of Knowledge Transfer vary widely from project to project. There is a need to better define the objectives and methods for different communication activities within projects – dissemination versus outreach versus Knowledge Transfer versus technology transfer. The value of upskilling all actors in the research system to help them better understand the concepts and methodologies for different communication activities and how to measure success in effective communications cannot be underestimated. The roles and responsibilities of actors in the process needs to be reassessed as in many cases it is not clear who has the responsibility for Knowledge Transfer. What is also clear from the experiences of the project is that while there are challenges with regard to the Knowledge Transfer process (what it is, how to carry it out, how to measure impact), there are also bigger issues at play which concern the manner in which publicly funded scientific research is carried out and the role it plays in society. Inherent differences exist between the research community, industry, policy-makers and other users of knowledge (e.g. different technical levels, priorities, agendas, and time scales) resulting in multiple barriers that prevent effective Knowledge Transfer and innovation. There also needs to be a change in culture within the research community with less emphasis on peer-reviewed publications, and more incentives to ensure that results are transferred and utilised by users. This can lead to an evolution of the entire scientific research lifecycle which in turn could result in an increased return on investment in research and a stronger, more robust knowledge-based economy. The COLUMBUS partnership is committed to continue their work to try and overcome the numerous barriers to demonstrable value creation from research. The work of COLUMBUS has helped progress the state-of-the-art in Knowledge Transfer of publicly funded research, but a lot more work and collective action is required.
