A holistic framework for assessing the uptake potential of EU-funded security research and innovation project results.

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VAN DER LEE, Marcel, PETERS, Clara, VAN BERLO, Marcel, UNZUETA, Luis, RÍOS, David, TOIVONEN, Sirra, CADETE, Gonçalo, HOOG, Björn, VICARI, Salvatore, LA MATTINA, Ernesto, ADOMAITIS, Laurynas, GRINBAUM, Alexei, ESSAFI, Hassane, SOFOU, Souzanna, VALOUMA, Katerina, GKOTSIS, Ilias, CHANTAVAS, Nikos, BATES, Luke, GIBSON, Helen, AKHGAR, Babak, MAGIMEL, Christelle, KUCH WESOLOWSKI, Robert, ÅSTRÖM, Anders, SUBEH, Zakarias, DARRA, Eleni, ANGELOU, Michalis, KAVALLIEROS, Dimitrios, VRETOS, Nicholas, TSIKRIKA, Theodora and VROCHIDIS, Stefanos (2026). A holistic framework for assessing the uptake potential of EU-funded security research and innovation project results. Open Research Europe, 5: 115. [Article]

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Abstract
The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) has been adopted since 2014 within the European Union (EU) as a metric to evaluate the maturity of results from EU-funded research and innovation projects. This metric is crucial for distinguishing between innovation actions aimed at early-stage innovations and market-ready solutions. Ideally, EU-funded research and innovation projects should lead to the development of innovative concepts and technologies by EU industries, which in turn enhance security capabilities within EU member states. However, there is a notable challenge: the adoption rate of outcomes from EU-funded security research and innovation projects is not as high as expected. The current TRL maturity assessment method is insufficient in exposing the possible cause of the limited uptake by fully pointing out where the development is lacking. The TRL's limitations include a lack of comprehensive assessment from various perspectives especially in the civil security research and projects, which is necessary to bridge the gap, often referred to as the "valley of death," between project results and their effective adoption. To address these shortcomings, in the MultiRATE EU research project we propose a holistic framework that enhances the TRL scale by adding additional Readiness Levels (RLs) for a more complete evaluation of security projects. These include the Societal RL (SocRL), Security RL (SecRL), Legal, Privacy and Ethical RL (LPERL), Integration RL (IRL), Commercialisation RL (CRL), and Manufacturing RL (MRL). In this open letter, we explain the background of the design considerations of this framework. Our goal is to define and integrate these seven Readiness Level (RL) dimensions and an investment forecasting tool to support policy makers, practitioners, and investors in bridging the "valley of death" between research and adoption
Plain Language Summary
The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a tool used in the EU to measure how mature new technologies are, especially those funded by the EU. It's important for figuring out if these technologies are ready for the market. However, many EU-funded security projects aren't being adopted as much as expected. The current TRL method doesn't fully explain why this is happening because it doesn't look at all the necessary angles. To fix this, the MultiRATE EU project suggests a new framework that adds extra levels to the TRL. These new levels include societal impact, security, legal and ethical considerations, integration, commercialization, and manufacturing readiness. This more detailed approach aims to better evaluate security projects and help them get adopted more effectively. The white paper explains how this new framework can be designed and implemented to improve the adoption of these projects.
More Information
Official URL:
https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/articles...
Additional Information:

This paper is under open peer review. Please check the Open Access URL to find the latest version of the manuscript.

Identifiers

Identification Number:
10.12688/openreseurope.19711.2
ORCID for Luis Unzueta: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5648-0910
ORCID for Alexei Grinbaum: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7484-1553
ORCID for Ilias Gkotsis: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2228-1387
ORCID for Nikos Chantavas: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0003-3278-9296
ORCID for Luke Bates: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0005-6247-3908
ORCID for Helen Gibson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5242-0950
ORCID for Babak Akhgar: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3684-6481
ORCID for Michalis Angelou: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9522-2869

Library

Publisher:
F1000 Research Ltd
Item Type:
Article
SWORD Depositor:
Symplectic Elements
Depositing User:
Symplectic Elements
Date record made live:
30 Apr 2025 17:23
Last Modified:
27 Jan 2026 16:45
Date of first compliant deposit:
30 April 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:
30 April 2025
Version of first compliant deposit:
Author Accepted Manuscript
ISSN:
2732-5121
Volume:
5
URI:
https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/35600
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