ELIXIR in a Business Model Canvas

Short Abstract: A team of twelve participants representing the four laboratories integrating the ELIXIR PT worked on the definition of two reference business models, one for the ELIXIR Hub and another for its own context. The technique used was the Business Model Canvas, and the main sources of information were the web sites of the ELIXIR Hub and of the ELIXIR PT Node. For the PT Node, assuming the biomedical industry and R&D community as its main costumer segment, the participants identified the woody plants competency as its main value proposition, supported by key data resources (including, up to now, eucalyptus, cork oak, pine and grapevine). A second relevant value proposition to potential customers is competency improvement, especially in training. Among the identified key activities of the PT Node, it emerged the development of analytical software tools. Also relevant to underline was the value in relation with “ELIXIR” as a brand. Details: The members of the ELIXIR PT Node established two reference business models, one for its own context and another for the ELIXIR Hub. These business models were created during a workshop with twelve participants representing the four laboratories integrating the node. The participants used the BMC (Business Model Canvas) technique to express the findings, and intentionally relied mainly on the information perceived from web sites of the ELIXIR Hub and of the ELIXIR PT Node as sources of information for analysis (turning this exercise also an informal assessment of these communication channels). A business is a system that creates value to customers. To achieve that, resources have to be spent, and to be sustainable, revenues or incomes must be assured. Therefore, a business model is a conceptual system defining the structural concepts of a business (value and resources are the core concepts, but others might also exist, usually depending of the specific business), of their relationships (how concepts interdepend of each other) and their dynamics (how value is created and delivered, how the resources are acquired and spent, etc.). In scenarios where a business model has to be shared to wide or heterogeneous audiences, it is fundamental that the model can be easily understood. That has led to the development of reference languages and techniques for that purpose. Among them, the BMC has become one of the most notorious. Finally, we believe that the expression of ELIXIR through this technique, which already is a recognized reference, can be a very efficient tool to reach a wide range of stakeholders, in particular external stakeholders at the business and political levels. The BMC Thechnique: The BMC is a pragmatic visual technique to express and communicate a business model. It was first proposed by Alexander Osterwalder in 2004 in a PhD thesis at the University of Lausanne. Since then it has been recognised as a very effective tool for this purpose. When the creation process of a BMC involves the main internal actors of a business, its value for consensus building has also been recognized. In this sense, the expression of a specific BMC can be an efficient and effective tool to reach external stakeholders. The BMC development and maintenance process can also provide a very important contribution to team building and self-awareness. We therefore believe that actions and results as reported here can significantly drive the definition of the ELIXIR identity (self-awareness and engagement) and communication (internal and external). Concluding, we believe that the expression of ELIXIR through this technique, which already is a recognized reference in many innovation and business assessment fora, can be a very efficient tool to communicate with business and political stakeholders.