ROADMAP: Facilitators

The original SUPORT category of "Facilitators" is a key area coming, as it does, at the end of the logical flow from Benefits through Challenges and Preparation to end up highlighting who can help.

However, given that a facilitator can be defined as "one that helps to bring about an outcome by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance, or supervision" we may want to get away from the idea of a specific individual and, especially, the idea of "indirect".

We want to provide "helpers" that really do help... and in the most direct way possible.

One idea is to use the word "support" for this category, which, at least in French, translates well and clearly into "assistance".

Perhaps a word with my "actionability" and more of a hook would be possible.

Perhaps this category (and all the others) need to be more than just a single word - perhaps something more of a "tag line" with an action verb.

To image what this might be is not easy - perhaps if we look at the "story" the roadmap is telling?

The original SUPORT roadmap STORYLINE was essentially saying " If you work together (collaborate) with a university or research center (HEI; and hence something you may not have done before or even considered or know about) then you may be able to take advantage of certain benefits; however there are some challenges (barriers) than may show up to block your progression and hence you need to prepare well (get Ready ... but also be Willing, have the motivation, and be Able, have the skills or abilities - perhaps some are transversal) by focusing on several actions (that have worked well for others - that are best practices?) and you don't have to do this alone since there is help available from facilitators (who will help by providing information, contacts, procedures and, even, money). All this is still not enough since you will need to be clear about your project by "scoping it out" and, once you have found the appropriate partners you will need to have a solid agreement (we provide guidance?) that leads to real knowledge transfer and successful innovation."

So, just looking at the first part: in the original the "start box" was "Collaborating with a Higher Education Institution - HEI" ... first perhaps we can write colloquially and more action oriented, such as "Working together with a University or Research Center for (adjective) Innovation" - I will develop the idea of also using graphics and images in another post.

For now I ask us to muse upon other language to express the flow and power of the roadmap.