Innovation does not create impact simply because a new technology or solution has been developed. It also needs to reach the right people, be understood, and ultimately find its way into practice. In this edition of #DTERBIMVoices, we speak with María Ignacia Culell, Project Manager at AUSTRALO, the partner leading DTERBIM’s Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation activities.
Maria shares her perspective on what it takes to make research visible, accessible, and useful beyond the technical community, from connecting partners and stakeholders to supporting the uptake of DTERBIM’s results. She also reflects on the role communication and collaboration can play in turning innovation into real-world impact.
Could you tell us a little about your professional journey and what you focus on in your work today?
I am a lawyer by training, but my career has gradually led me toward business administration and European project management. Today, I work mainly on Horizon Europe projects, supporting international consortia in making their work visible, understandable, and useful beyond the technical community.
In DTERBIM, I am the Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation Leader. My role is strategic and transversal: I work to connect partners, identify synergies, communicate the project’s progress clearly, and support partners in thinking about how their results can reach the right audiences, stakeholders, and potential adopters.
What do you find most rewarding about working at the intersection of research, communication, and innovation?
What I enjoy most is working on projects like DTERBIM, where ambitious ideas are turned into concrete innovation. I really value the opportunity to work with experts from different fields and to keep learning from areas that are often new to me.
“I really value the opportunity to work with experts from different fields and to keep learning from areas that are often new to me.”
What motivates me most is helping make that knowledge visible and useful beyond the consortium. I care about communicating research in a clear, accessible, and grounded way, and about supporting the exploitation of results so that innovations can reach the right audiences, potential users, and markets, and create real impact.
“What motivates me most is helping make that knowledge visible and useful beyond the consortium.”
What does AUSTRALO’s role in DTERBIM involve, and what are the main challenges when it comes to communicating and exploiting research results?
AUSTRALO leads the Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation activities in DTERBIM. Our role is to make the project work visible, understandable, and relevant for different audiences, from the research community to construction professionals, SMEs, public authorities, and potential end users.
The main challenge is to translate complex technical work into clear messages and to help create connections between partners, results, and stakeholders. We also support the exploitation process by helping partners reflect on the value of their results and how they could be used beyond the project.
“The main challenge is to translate complex technical work into clear messages and to help create connections between partners, results, and stakeholders.”
Looking at DTERBIM’s first year, what has your team achieved so far, and what are you looking to achieve next?
During the first year, we are focused on building the foundations for DTERBIM’s strategy. This includes defining key messages, target audiences, communication channels, and identifying potential exploitable results and synergies among partners.
In the next phase, our goal is to strengthen DTERBIM’s visibility, communicate progress and partner achievements, engage more actively with stakeholders, and continue supporting exploitation pathways so that the project’s results can move closer to real use.
Looking beyond the project itself, what kind of change would you like DTERBIM to contribute to in the construction sector?
In my view, the most significant impact DTERBIM could have is helping the construction sector move towards more sustainable, efficient, and collaborative renovation practices. From the communication, dissemination, and exploitation perspective, I would like to see DTERBIM making its innovations and tools more visible and accessible, helping to connect research, industry, and end users, and supporting the future adoption of solutions that can create real impact beyond the project.
“I would like to see DTERBIM making its innovations and tools more visible and accessible, helping to connect research, industry, and end users.”
This is the sixth in a series of interviews with DTERBIM partners, highlighting the people, stories, and ideas driving the project forward.
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