IDEA advises the Walloon government on optimal exploitation of research results

Since February 2016, IDEA Consult has been advising the Walloon Social-Economic Council (Conseil Économique et Social de Wallonie - CESW) on the optimal exploitation of the results of research projects. The analysis is based on databases of projects, surveys of companies (which have received public support for R&D), interviews and case studies. A central concept in this research is the TRL-scale ("Technology Readiness Levels"-scale) which ranks a research project, an invention or innovation on the basis of its distance to commercial development (e.g. TRL 1= fundamental research; TRL5=prototype; TRL7= demonstration in operational setting; TRL9= commercialisation). In other words, in this study, ‘optimal exploitation' is given an original interpretation as ‘any substantial step towards commercialisation' (e.g., from TRL5 to TRL6). There is considered to have been ‘optimal exploitation' if a project has successfully been able to develop from a ‘prototype' into a fully-fledged, scaled up demonstration setting with successful certification. In this sense, ‘optimal exploitation' does not necessarily have to mean that there is ‘commercial development' ... The study is focused on TRLs 5-8, meaning, from the point of prototyping and beyond, and is therefore highly industry driven.

Want to know more about this innovative research, please contact Vincent Duchêne.