Technology Development

Tom Hockaday, Managing Director, Isis Innovation Ltd
Steve Clarke, Managing Partner, James Cowper LLP, Oxford

June 2011

A number of classifications are used to describe the stage that a research project or a technology development project has reached.

In life sciences terminology, the progression from in vitro (in glass, ie test tubes) to in vivo (in living organisms) studies is commonplace. In the physical sciences there is increasing use of the Technology Readiness Level terminology first developed by NASA in the 1980s (see below).

A new classification system emerged from a recent meeting of the Oxford Innovation Society. We hope you will not take it too seriously.

Stage	Description
In somnio	Dream something up
In neuro	Think about it
In collegio	Talk to others about it
In protecto	Talk to the University Technology Transfer Office
In silico	Do some work on a computer
In vitro	Do some work in a lab
In vivo	Test it on something living
In conclusivo	A possible outcome
Im primere	See the work published
Im pacto	What the government wants as a result

 

Technology Readiness Levels

Technology Readiness Levels were originally developed by NASA in the 1980s. The original definitions only included seven levels. These were later expanded to nine levels.  The UK Ministry of Defence defines these nine levels as follows¹:

TRL 1	Basic principles observed and reported.
TRL 2	Technology concept and/or application formulated.
TRL 3	Analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof-of-concept.
TRL 4	Technology basic validation in a laboratory environment.
TRL 5	Technology basic validation in a relevant environment.
TRL 6	Technology model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment.
TRL 7	Technology prototype demonstration in an operational environment.
TRL 8	Actual Technology completed and qualified through test and demonstration.
TRL 9	Actual Technology qualified through successful mission operations.

 

¹ www.aof.mod.uk/aofcontent/tactical/techman/content/trl_whatarethey.htm