LUMEN Deliverable 7.1: Intermediate Report on Exploitation and Sustainability Strategy

This deliverable presents the intermediate exploitation and sustainability strategy for the LUMEN project as of December 2025, establishing a foundation for maximising the impact and long-term viability of project outputs. As outlined in the Description of Action, D7.1 provides the initial exploitation plan and roadmap, including outcomes of comprehensive market analysis and business opportunity exploration. Strategic Context and Objectives. LUMEN addresses critical challenges in research discovery and interdisciplinary collaboration across Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), Mathematics (Maths), Earth System Science (ESS), and Molecular Dynamics (MD) domains. This intermediate report identifies pathways to translate project innovations into sustainable services that will continue serving the European research community beyond the project's lifetime. Key Achievements. The report progresses through three core activities: (1) identification of key project outcomes with exploitation potential, including the white-label discovery platform, FAIR Semantic Management Space, multiplatform innovative features, and data mesh architectural framework; (2) systematic market analysis examining existing discovery platforms, semantic tools, and AI-powered research services; and (3) exploration of sustainability models applicable to research infrastructure services, drawing on established frameworks and reference cases. Market Analysis and Competitive Positioning. The market analysis examines existing discovery platforms and their respective strengths, from comprehensive databases like OpenAlex to discipline-specific services. LUMEN's white-label approach offers adaptability for domain-specific needs while building on proven GoTriple technology. The analysis identifies potential value propositions for different stakeholder groups, though significant work remains to validate these through stakeholder engagement and use case testing planned for later project phases. Business Model Framework. Drawing on the EU Innovation Management framework, the report presents a taxonomy of sustainability models applicable to LUMEN outputs, ranging from institutional membership structures to hybrid public-private partnerships. Different outcomes may require distinct business models tailored to their user communities. Next Steps. This strategy will be refined through stakeholder engagement, Innovation Prototyping Labs, and use case validation (M18-M36). The final strategy (D7.2) will present detailed business models, governance structures, and implementation roadmaps for post-project sustainability. This deliverable is currently under review by the EC.