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Description
The main objective of the project is to develop an adaptive gamified coach paired with coaching content that will aim to closing the gap between planning an action and implementing it before it becomes a procrastination cost for the company.
The main result will be to promote value creation in the Romanian business sector by offering an innovative solution to the information and technology sectors as well as the financial sectors, not only in Romania, but also internationally. The implementation of the project will increase the company’s capacity to implement advanced artificial intelligence algorithms, allowing the establishment of a R&D department focused on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies.
The AI will adapt to the existing coaching content of each client and will initially make coaching suggestions based on the available content. The coaching content will also auto-generate personalized coaching question and insights, adding a deeper layer of motivation for employees. Key activities include:
A second project was financed to enhance the outputs of the previously funded project. The activities are specifically designed to communicate the tangible outcomes and impact of the project funded by the programme.
Expected outcomes of the project include an increase in turnover and net operational profit. The implementation will contribute to the company''s efficiency as well.
The project will be implemented in partnership with University of Bucharest, which is a leading university in Romania and among the top research institutes on NLP and AI. Their main tasks will be to develop a detection algorithm, develop the algorithm, implement it and finally test and validate the algorithm.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address several significant issues and challenges:
Procrastination at Work: According to recent research, procrastination at work leads to a substantial loss in productivity and creativity, estimated to cost around 650 billion dollars. This issue has been exacerbated by the global mental health crisis sparked by COVID-19, which has further fueled procrastination.
Employee Productivity and Efficiency: The Applicant, a Romanian software and business services start-up, aimed to increase employee productivity and efficiency by providing innovative, interactive, and gamified coaching approaches to help employees quit procrastinating at work.
Development of a Coaching Solution: The Applicant began developing a software coaching solution in the form of a mobile instant coaching platform that matches clients with appropriate trainers instantaneously. This development required private funding and strategic alliances with leading IT and healthcare firms to test the platform.
AI-Enhanced Coaching Software: The next step involved developing an AI-enhanced coaching software solution to attract new customers from the IT and banking sectors. The Applicant identified that an NLP machine learning solution could meet the growing needs of these sectors by offering personalized coaching content in real-time.
Market and Technical Risks: The project also aimed to mitigate key risks, such as the potential shrinkage of the coaching services market and technical and technological risks associated with R&D. These risks required specific expertise provided by the partner.
The project undertook several key activities and produced significant outputs:
Development of the AI Algorithm: The project focused on developing an AI algorithm capable of analyzing summarized transcripts of coaching sessions. This algorithm was designed to detect coaching needs based on key points from the sessions, such as final goals and planned actions. The algorithm then generated follow-up questions or insights to enhance the coaching process. This work package was the responsibility of the partner, Bucharest University''s Human Language Technologies Research Center.
Creation of the Adaptive Learning Engine: The project developed an adaptive learning engine with three main components:
- Coaching Management Software: This software displayed the coaching content to the user.
- Playground with Coaching Insights: This included business and motivational content to support the coaching process.
- AI Engine: This engine generated personalized learning content, such as questions, quotes, and impressions, tailored to the users'' needs.
The outputs of the project included:
- An AI-based NLP learning engine capable of determining essential points of coaching sessions and generating follow-up questions and gamified material.
- An adaptive learning engine that provided personalized coaching content to users.
- Enhanced capabilities for the company to implement advanced AI algorithms and establish an R&D department focused on AI and machine learning technologies.
- Increased market presence and growth opportunities for the company, supported by a solid client portfolio and non-binding letters of interest from current clients.
The project achieved several significant results, benefiting various stakeholders:
Enhanced AI Capabilities: The project successfully developed an AI-based NLP learning engine capable of analyzing coaching sessions and generating personalized follow-up questions and insights. This advancement in AI technology allowed the Applicant to establish an R&D department focused on AI and machine learning technologies.
Increased Productivity and Efficiency: By providing an innovative, interactive, and gamified coaching solution, the project helped employees quit procrastinating at work, thereby increasing their productivity and efficiency. This benefit extended to the Applicant''s clients in the IT and financial sectors, both in Romania and internationally.
Market Growth and Presence: The project strengthened the Applicant''s market positioning and opened new market opportunities. The expanding client portfolio and non-binding letters of interest from current clients provided a solid base for promoting and selling the new coaching software.
Job Creation and Economic Impact: The project led to the creation of six new jobs and contributed to the company''s estimated annual growth in turnover by 777% and net operational profit (EBIT) by 70% in the second operational year compared to the baseline year 2020.
Innovative Coaching Solution: The development of a new coaching software based on an innovative AI learning engine provided personalized coaching and training content to users. This solution improved the return on training and coaching programs while offering a superior user experience.
Intellectual Property Rights: The project resulted in new Intellectual Property Rights applications to protect the computer software code and technical concepts developed during the project.
The primary beneficiaries of the project included the Applicant, their employees, and their clients in the IT and financial sectors. The project also had a broader impact on the Romanian business sector by promoting value creation through innovative solutions.