Managing Technology and Product Development Programmes

Appendix ATRL and MRL Definitions

(Taken with thanks from: Measuring Technology Readiness for Investment – The Manufacturing Technology Centre & Heriot‐Watt University, March 2017 – Ref. 3.8)

The purpose of the attachment is to provide a plain‐language description of the technology readiness level (TRL) and manufacturing readiness level (MRL) scales. The starting point for the scales was information published by NASA, US Department of Defense, US Department of Energy, European Commission, and the UK Automotive Council.

A.1 Technology Readiness Levels

TRL 1. This is the first stage of development for a new technology. At this stage, a need for the technology will have been identified, perhaps in the form of a problem to be solved or a market need to be addressed, and the principles of a solution will have been developed. The solution will be described briefly, probably in narrative form or as a feasibility study, and its performance and characteristics will be predicted. This will be supported by sketches, diagrams, and some calculations or simple mathematical modelling. A literature search may identify other, similar applications that provide confidence that the proposal is a feasible proposition. The development work will probably have been carried out in a research, laboratory, or workshop environment. There may also be some initial ideas about how the solution could be manufactured, but no more.

TRL 2. The concept outlined at TRL 1 will be developed in greater detail ...