The Market, Media and Innovation (MMI) cluster offers expertise on business requirements, value network analysis, business model scenario construction and business model evaluation and impact assessment. Our research allow to better appreciate proposed technological solutions in terms of their market opportunity, the overarching market situation, the encompassing digital business ecosystem surrounding these services. We focus on business value construction processes and issues of hierarchies and control within networks of ICT-related firms. Our main aim is to provide market opportunity assessments and impact analyses of business choices on industrial-level competences in the telecommunication, media and IT markets.

Value network analysis
The Market, Media and Innovation toolbox includes a detailed description of existing and future potential value chains of all stakeholders involved in the development (international trials and pilots) and/or roll-out (international commercialization examples) of a proposed technology. This usually implies an overview of (inter)national case studies and best practices that show how business interactions occur between the concerned stakeholders throughout the entire business ecosystem.
Cross-industrial value network analysis is prescient when players from distinct industries have to cooperate (network infrastructure players, mobility solutions, software developers, network access providers, media players, etc.). Value network analysis forms the basis for the understanding of issues such as who is responsible for customer ownership, who manages the platform, what value chains could continue to exist alongside one another, and which roles are adopted by which actors.

Business model scenario construction
Business scenario’s typically identify four business modeling design aspects as a mode of analysis: (1) the value network (or organization) design describes how the different involved actors relate to each other in a more all-encompassing manner than the classic value chain, (2) the functional architecture (or technology design) briefly examines technical elements that are relevant to the business relationships, (3) the value proposition (or service design) explores the type of services that can be offered to the end user and (4) the financial model identifies revenue flows between different stakeholders.

Business model evaluation
Varying business models will exhibit different end-user-oriented solutions, different payment model variations, and these different scenarios can be appraised according to their varying feasibility, simultaneously in terms of technical, organisational, service and financial terms. Different business models can be contrasted in order to determine who pays what part of the bill, and how revenues are distributed through the entire value network. In some cases, it is of critical importance that openings are created towards business models that rely less on over-subsidisation by the government. Possibilities of business models that at least spread the burden of implementation to other parties can be described.

Impact assessment
Impact can be measured from a variety of viewpoints, depending on the research problem at hand. One can assess the impact of certain business model choices on a single industry or across different industries, on the overall or on specific subsets of the consumer population, and on governmental or non-governmental institutions that make up the fabric of civil society. Each impact assessment requires its different subset of indicators that truly appreciate the (in)direct and (un)anticipated effects the introduction of certain technological or media services under certain cooperation / service / financial / technical modalities will have on all involved actors.