Why Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) Matter
At eg technology, we specialise in turning innovative ideas into market-ready products. One of the key tools we use to assess and manage this journey for our clients is Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
Originally developed by NASA, TRLs provide a structured framework to evaluate a technology’s maturity and ensure a smoother, more predictable development process.
In this blog, we’ll explore why TRLs matter in product development and how they are essential in helping to mitigate risks, optimise resource allocation, and accelerate time to market.
What Are Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs)?
The product development TRL framework is comprised of a nine-level scale that measures the maturity of the critical technology upon which your core IP or innovation is being built, from basic research (TRL 1) through to full commercial deployment (TRL 9).
This scale helps innovators, businesses, investors, and developers understand where a product stands in its journey and what steps are needed to progress it to market.
The TRL Scale at a Glance
- TRL 1-2: Research and concept phase
- TRL 3-4: Experimental proof-of-concept and early prototype development
- TRL 5-6: Validation and demonstration in relevant environments
- TRL 7-8: System integration, regulatory approvals, and pre-commercialisation
- TRL 9: Full commercial deployment
Why TRLs Are Important in Product Development
Risk Mitigation
Developing new products involves uncertainty, but TRLs help break down the process into manageable stages. By assessing the feasibility of a technology at each level, companies can identify potential risks early, preventing costly failures later.
Efficient Resource Allocation
By understanding a technology’s readiness, businesses can allocate resources effectively, ensuring that investment, time, and talent are directed toward the right activities at each stage. This prevents premature scaling or unnecessary delays in development.
Better Communication & Collaboration
TRLs provide a common language for stakeholders—engineers, investors, regulatory bodies, and marketing teams—ensuring clear expectations and alignment throughout the development cycle.
Smoother Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory approval is a critical step when developing medical devices. TRLs help teams align their product development with compliance requirements, ensuring that testing and validation occur at the appropriate stages. By understanding the required actions which need to be completed in order to progress to the next TRL, you effectively create a roadmap for compliance.
Faster Time to Market
By systematically progressing through TRLs, businesses can streamline development, avoid costly redesigns due to development omissions, and accelerate time to market, gaining a competitive edge.
How eg technology Uses TRLs in Product Development
At eg, we integrate TRLs into our development process to create a complete and quantifiable roadmap which aligns all project stakeholders, including investors.
We regularly encounter innovators who believe they are further along the TRL scale than they are; however, due to omissions in their programme – usually in the regulatory, quality and verification and validation streams – their TRL score is actually much lower than they believed. It is incredible easy to focus on the design, development and commercial aspects of a product but the journey to market must incorporate usability, human factors, regulatory and quality management, verification and validation and risk management. By skipping through these phases, innovators leave themselves open to non-compliance and costly redesigns.
By leveraging TRLs, we help our clients create transparency, reduce risk, improve efficiency, and accelerate their route to market.
Conclusion
Whether you’re developing a medical device, industrial system, or consumer product, TRLs provide a structured roadmap for success. At eg, we use this proven framework to de-risk each development, enhance collaboration, and deliver high-quality, market-ready products.
You can find out your project’s TRL by taking part in our quick, free TRL self-assessment. Within a couple of minutes, you will receive a personalised report detailing your TRL score for each development area (from product development & human factors to regulatory & commercial), plus some recommended areas for attention, which will help you progress to the next TRL.
If you’re looking to bring a new technology to market, please get in touch with our team and we’ll guide you through every stage of the journey.
If would like to chat with one of our team about your product design and development requirements, please do not hesitate to get in touch:
Via email on design@egtechnology.co.uk, by giving us a call on +44 01223 813184, or by clicking here.
