Key Findings
Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL): Status and Updates
April 2025
The Manufacturing Readiness Level is a method that allows for an accurate evaluation of the maturity of a manufacturing process throughout the following phases: conception, proof of concept, realisation in a laboratory scale and demonstration in a pilot production line or a low-rate initial production.
Based on previous work from other research groups, MultiRATE’s MRL has been enriched to study various aspects of manufacturing of an element under development, such as manufacturing process, supply chain readiness, cost and efficiency, and others. By evaluating the indicators offered, industrialization managers can manage manufacturing risks and ensure the manufacturability of products, while scaling up from R&D to production. Additionally, it serves as a tool for investors to quickly and accurately access a future product’s manufacturing readiness.
A full version of the MRL is currently available, along with a short version offered for a quick evaluation. The framework is currently tested and validated in the frame of the 4th phase of MultiRATE’s validation cycle.
Enhanced Commercialisation Readiness Level (en-CRL): Status and Updates
April 2025
The goal of the CRL is dual: to support an exploitation team in assessing their product’s readiness for the market, and to enrich the action plan in order to improve the product’s commercialisation strategy and innovation adoption.
Based on previous work by other research groups, the enhanced CRL follows the Holistic Innovation Management methodology [1,2]. Adopting the latter’s proposed combined strategy, it examines in a multi-level assessment process specific indicator categories/types, that include: Intellectual Property Management, Market & Competition Landscape, Team/Consortium Expertise, Solution Definition/Design/Development, Exploitation Plan, Manufacturing/ Supply chain. The evaluation of the indicators determines the commercialization readiness of the element under study.
A full version of the enhanced CRL is currently available, along with a short version offered for a quick evaluation. The framework is currently tested and validated in the frame of the 4th phase of MultiRATE’s validation cycle.
[1] S. Sofou, “Innovation Management Methodology in Horizon 2020 Projects,” in Book of Abstracts of the 14th International Conference on Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies, Thessaloniki, Greece, 2017.
[2] G. Pestana and S. Sofou, “Digital Chain of Custody Innovation Management Roadmap,” The European Physical Journal Plus, vol. 139, p. 633, 2024.
Integration Readiness Level (IRL): Status and Updates
April 2025
What is the Integration Readiness Level (IRL)?
The Integration Readiness Level (IRL) scale is a framework for determining the maturity and readiness of an element for integration into a larger system or environment. It provides a standardized method for assessing the readiness of technologies, software, or hardware for integration, assisting in the identification of potential risks and issues and promoting effective decision-making during the integration process by establishing clear benchmarks and criteria for assessing readiness. Furthermore, It allows stakeholders to track the status of integration efforts, prioritize activities, and allocate resources more efficiently reducing integration risks by encouraging early detection and resolution of difficulties, hence enhancing the overall success rate of integration initiatives.
The MultiRATE Integration Readiness Level
The IRL framework consists of 34 indicators grouped into nine levels. Originally based on the Sauser and Forbes model, the IRL framework has been refined to provide a more systematic and progressive approach. This updated model guides end-users through the integration process, from initial identification to real-world applicability.
To this end, the IRL follows a structured progression via three key stages: (i) The definition and specification; (ii) the testing and validation and (iii) the deployment and optimisation stage. In the first stage key elements are identified, objectives are set, and specifications are clearly defined to establish a solid integration framework. The second phase focuses on testing and validation to ensure successful integration in different context environments. In the last stage, the system is deployed in real-world conditions, monitored for stability, and continuously optimized to ensure long-term reliability and performance improvements.
In order to facilitate the users’ assessments, a simplified version of the IRL framework has also been designed. This simplified scale retains the most representative indicators, allowing end-users to conduct assessments more efficiently maintaining the objectives of the original framework.
The IRL is part of MultiRATE’s Holistic Readiness Level (HRL) methodology, which includes seven readiness dimensions. With its structured assessment framework and alignment with the HRL methodology developed within the MultiRATE project, the IRL addresses the need for a metric that can be understood by all pertinent stakeholders, assesses integration maturity, and can be used with the TRL to potentially determine a system maturity.
The MultiRATE Approach to Security Readiness Assessment
February 2025
The MultiRATE Project and Security Readiness
The MultiRATE project, funded by the EU under Horizon Europe, seeks to establish a unified framework for assessing the readiness levels of civil security-related technologies. By integrating seven distinct readiness perspectives, including a dedicated focus on security, the project delivers a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of how prepared a technology truly is. This approach fosters greater clarity and alignment in evaluating innovations aimed at enhancing civil security.
Why the Security Perspective Matters for Readiness Level Assessment
In an era of rapid technological growth, security and ethical considerations must be woven into every phase of innovation. Placing security readiness at the forefront helps identify and address vulnerabilities before they escalate into critical threats. It also ensures that security measures remain robust and up to date throughout a technology’s entire operational lifecycle, fostering trust among that is also related to ethical, legal and societal readiness. Proactively incorporating security requirements not only ensures stronger regulatory compliance, but also aligns with the security expectations and specific needs of stakeholders, including end users. By integrating this perspective into readiness assessments, research and technology organizations can foster responsible innovation and address emerging risks from the very outset.
Introducing the Security Readiness Level (Sec RL) scale
Until recently, no scale existed for measuring how prepared a technology is from a security standpoint. To close this gap, the MultiRATE team developed a nine-level Security Readiness Level (Sec RL) scale that aligns with other established readiness frameworks. A key difference is that security is recognized as a continuing process that extends beyond the research and development phase. Sec RL 9 “Operational Security Validation”, the highest level, specifically accounts for ongoing testing, updates, and maintenance during a technology’s operational use so that its security performance remains consistently effective over time.
The Security Readiness Calculator
To systematically determine a technology’s Sec RL, the MultiRATE team created the Security Readiness Calculator. This tool uses relevant indicators for each of the nine levels, allowing users to objectively evaluate security readiness. Multiple test rounds were conducted to refine the calculator, improve its ease of use, and provide detailed explanations at each indicator. Although many assume that this tool is limited to areas like counterterrorism, organized crime prevention, or cybersecurity, it can be applied more broadly to assess both processes and technologies across a range of civil security domains, including disaster resilience, critical infrastructure protection, and border management. By integrating security as a core component of readiness evaluations, the MultiRATE project ultimately reinforces responsible innovation, and resilience in emerging technologies.
Societal Readiness Level: Status and Updates
February 2025
The MultiRATE Societal Readiness Level (SocRL) assesses the level of adaptation of an innovation (e.g., the use of a new piece of equipment, system, software, methodology, or procedure within a context it has not been used before) to be successfully adopted by society. Previous work has been carried out into societal readiness, however it is fragmented and incomplete for the purposes of MultiRATE’s proposed comprehensive assessment framework; additionally, past research tends to focus on the areas of energy, decarbonisation, and sustainability, and therefore more work is needed to apply these societal considerations to the security domain, where they are just as, if not more, relevant than ever.
The MultiRATE SocRL will include measures such as the take-up and acceptance of an innovation by society. It will feature levels ranging from the initial identification of the societal need, societal good, and associated readiness aspects of the innovation in question, all the way up to finally proving its benefit within society after launch on the market. It predicts the readiness of and helps prepare an innovation along its journey of adoption. The description and purpose statement of the SocRL are as follows:
· Description: SocRL assesses the level of adaptation of an innovation (e.g., the use of a new piece of equipment, system, software, methodology, or procedure within a context it has not been used before) to be successfully adopted by society.
· Purpose: SocRL is used to measure the take-up and acceptance of an innovation by society. Innovations are based on the results of new technological developments, technology combinations, or other knowledge towards societal well-being, and should be developed alongside stakeholder input to ensure they are suitable for their intended purpose and accepted within their context.
As part of its integration into the Holistic Readiness Level (HRL) calculator, the SocRL now also has a simplified version of its assessment; this is in order to have a quick version that saves users’ time and reduces the number of indicators considered, which also reduces the strain on any potential holistic assessments. This version of the SocRL has less than a third of the indicators present in the full assessment. To reduce the number of indicators by such a substantial amount and have the assessment still make sense, we identified the most crucial indicators across the indicator types and then kept a consistent framework throughout. The result is a highly reduced assessment but one that still makes sense using just a handful of the previous indicators in order to give an indication of the user’s RL.
Predicting Resource Allocation Needs for Elements Development: MultiRATE’s Forecasting Module
January 2025
In the dynamic world of research and development, planning resources effectively can make the difference between a project that thrives and one that stalls. With that in mind, MultiRATE has developed a forecasting module designed to help researchers and project managers, as well as policy makers and funding managers, make optimal decisions about resource allocation or resource requirements.
The goal of this module is to objectively and accurately predict the funding or effort required to achieve a targeted Readiness Level, and more specifically Technical Readiness Level (TRL) or, on the other hand, to estimate the potential RL increase achievable with a specified budget. Instead of using monetary values, the module adopts person months (PMs) as the primary. Why PMs? This metric better represents the human effort required for development tasks while addressing disparities in wages, funding, and costs across different EU states. By focusing on PMs, MultiRATE ensures more accurate, comparable, and practical predictions across diverse settings.
Leveraging Data to Drive Insights
The forecasting module employs advanced data-driven techniques, relying on both public datasets and relevant, project-specific data. Public datasets serve as a robust foundation for training the prediction model, allowing it to account for trends, challenges, and benchmarks commonly encountered in research and innovation community. Once trained, the module is fitted to the project related data, and applies this knowledge to analyse the specific data input by users, offering tailored insights that reflect real-world conditions.
However, achieving this level of precision isn’t without its challenges. One major obstacle is the inconsistent recording of data across organizations. Different institutions may have varying levels of detail, formatting, and standards in how they document development effort allocation and progress. This variability introduces subjectivity and makes standardisation a critical step in the process. Overcoming these difficulties is a key focus of MultiRATE’s development efforts, as ensuring data quality and consistency is essential for reliable forecasting.
An Intuitive, Visual Experience
One of the standout features of MultiRATE’s forecasting module is its ability to visualize predictions. Users can input key features related to their project—such as the expected effort distribution, development duration, and other relevant factors—and receive a detailed 3D visual representation of the forecasted outcomes. This visualization maps research person months, time, and RL progression, giving users an interactive and intuitive way to explore different scenarios.
This tool empowers stakeholders to plan effectively, set realistic goals, and allocate resources where they are most impactful. Whether you’re working on cutting-edge technology or groundbreaking scientific research, MultiRATE’s forecasting module ensures you’re equipped with the insights needed to drive progress and maximize results.
As research becomes increasingly global and competitive, tools like MultiRATE are paving the way for smarter, data-driven decision-making. With its emphasis on comparability, accuracy, and user-friendly design, the forecasting module is set to become an indispensable asset for the research community.
Technology Readiness Level: Status and Updates
January 2025
The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework is a widely used tool for evaluating the maturity of technologies, providing a clear pathway from initial research to full operational deployment. Within the MultiRATE project, the TRL framework has been carefully refined to better address the specific challenges of security technologies. These updates are designed to ensure that readiness assessments remain thorough, reliable, and practical for real-world applications.
The current TRL framework follows its established nine-level structure, ranging from basic concept validation (TRL 1) to fully integrated, operational systems (TRL 9). MultiRATE’s refinements focus on four key areas: Technology Preparation & Requirements, which establish a robust foundation for development; Documentation, ensuring transparency and accessibility of technical progress; Operability & Continuity, assessing how technologies perform in realistic settings; and Evaluation & Usability, which prioritizes user-centered design and functionality. This approach enhances the framework’s ability to identify and address readiness gaps, making it more aligned with the complex demands of modern technologies.
A major milestone in this effort is the development of a TRL calculator, a powerful tool that integrates these dimensions to provide accurate and intuitive assessments. Designed for use across both software and hardware technologies, the calculator simplifies evaluations while maintaining the rigor required for meaningful results. By supporting iterative assessments throughout the development process, it enables stakeholders to make informed decisions and adapt technologies to meet readiness standards effectively. Suitable indicators have been established to leverage the professional skills and knowledge of respondents prioritizing the diverse indicators within the different technology readiness levels. This can also facilitate the subsequent process of determining the respective weights for each indicator. The determination of weights is crucial not only because they produce a more precise TRL assessment result, but also because they reflect the responses of different types of end users.
These advancements in TRL are on the one sense part of MultiRATE’s broader Holistic Readiness Level (HRL) methodology, which brings together seven readiness dimensions, including societal, security, and legal readiness (see Figure 1) but on the other side TRL as a standalone web-based tool (see Figure 2) which brings insightful evaluation results when used during an evaluation session from several stakeholders
This approach ensures that technologies are not only technically sound but also ethically and commercially viable. By continuously improving the TRL framework and aligning it with the broader HRL methodology, MultiRATE is empowering European R&D projects to transition their innovations from the lab to impactful real-world deployment, meeting the needs of both industry and society.
MultiRATE recently has developed the initial version of the Holistic RL assessment methodology
Deliverable D3.1 “MultiRATE Holistic RL assessment methodology-initial” that was delivered to the EC by the end of October 2023, presented the initial holistic assessment methodology. This report discusses the development of a robust and holistic assessment methodology. At the centre of the approach was the creation of a flexible and adaptable RL framework suitable for various scenarios. The effectiveness of the methodology will be tested, refined, and optimized through the upcoming project pilots, and feedback will be collected. Once the RL assessment is harmonized, it will facilitate an enhanced and coherent direction for system development assessment. Among its benefits is its ability to take the EU’s innovation diversity into consideration, acknowledging the multifaceted factors influencing technology adaption, and deliver a methodology that is both verifiable and scalable.
Drawing from the insights of D2.1 and an extensive literature review of existing maturity and readiness level frameworks, the Holistic Readiness Level (HRL) assessment offers a comprehensive perspective, going beyond a mere aggregation of discrete, domain-specific RL assessment methods. The ultimate aim is to develop a unity with the holistic RL assessment with due consideration given to domain-specific criteria.
The HRL assessment consists of two main phases: the initialisation phase and the actual assessment. The initialisation phase contains a number of optional steps, which are outlined in dotted lines in the figure. For the optional steps, the user has to decide which indicators they want to assess, whether they want to assign different weight factors to the indicators, and whether they want to set an ambition level per indicator. If they want to use the ambition level, they might also want to use a baseline HRL assessment to compare the current assessment with. This baseline HRL assessment is depicted by a single box in this figure, but it actually requires the user to perform both the initialisation phase and the assessment phase to determine the baseline.
The MultiRATE Holistic RL assessment methodology, as presented in this deliverable, relies on a comprehensive understanding of holistic readiness level assessment and the harmonisation between domain specific knowledge. The construction of this robust framework integrates and builds upon well-established scales and definitions, providing a foundation to enhance the trustworthiness of system evaluation processes. This, in turn, enables more straightforward acceptance and adoption of the development outcomes. The forthcoming stages in the project will refine and enhance its efficacy, promising a transformative tool for the realm of security.
MultiRate recently has published the D2.1 deliverable titled ‘’Cross-disciplinary RLs needs, methodologies and calculators-initial version’’.
The recently published Multirate deliverable D2.1 “Cross-disciplinary RLs needs, methodologies and calculators-initial version’’ initially presents the findings of a literature survey conducted on the mechanisms underlying technology maturity. It identifies the factors that contribute to maturity, describes innovation lifecycles, and highlights success and failure factors specific to EU-funded technology research projects. Additionally, it focuses on technology within the security sector and investigates whether the factors influencing technology maturity differ from those in other sectors. The deliverable further illustrates the cross-disciplinary needs for RLs, outlines user requirements for each RL, and presents the initial versions of the methodologies and indicators.
The deliverable D2.1 starts with describing a foundational knowledge base by providing detailed definitions of crucial terms and by introducing the MultiRATE conceptual model, a block-diagram of a generic readiness assessment methodology for a to be assessed element. The model describes a generic single readiness assessment such as TRL or CRL, IRL etc.
The MultiRATE conceptual model follows a three-step process. It begins with determining the element to be assessed by defining its scope, nature, and the environment in which it should be evaluated. Next, the criteria relevant to various stakeholder groups are identified, and finally, each RL is calculated within its operational environment using corresponding algorithms.
The deliverable also presents a comparative study along with an overview of differences in the market, stakeholders, financing related to innovation development and uptake among the research areas covered by the Horizon EU program, with a specific focus on the Security Research Domain. It discusses the characteristics and differences in market, stakeholders, financing, and innovation development and uptake within different clusters of EU research, such as Health, Digital, Industry and Space, Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Societies, Climate, Energy & Mobility, and Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment, as well as the Security domain. These differences reflect the unique challenges and opportunities within each domain and highlight the need for tailored approaches to innovation development and uptake. The uptake of security innovations can be slow due to the need for regulatory compliance and the complexity of security challenges.
The 7 Areas of Readiness Level
In the past years, the European research community has identified that assessing readiness level is crucial as it enables a clear understanding of the technological maturity and feasibility of research outcomes. It facilitates informed decision-making, effective resource allocation, and timely identification of promising technologies for further development and implementation.
The ambition of MultiRATE is to develop a holistic, homogeneous, and harmonized Readiness Level (RL) evolution methodology and calculator for R&D projects and solutions in the security domain, which will be made available to the EU R&D community.
MultiRATE conducts research in multiple fields to create a solid ground for the development of the holistic, homogenous and harmonised RL evaluation methodology. It provides detailed information on each methodology, the indicators selected for each RL, and the respective calculator. Initially, existing methodologies were studied, assessed, and modified as needed for the development of each RL.
Subsequently, the MultiRATE maturity assessment frameworks were
created, proposing seven RL scales: Technology (TRL), Societal (SocRL),
Security (SecRL), Legal, Privacy and Ethics (LPERL), Integration (IRL),
Commercialisation (CRL) and Manufacturing (MRL).
A brief overview of these proposed RLs is provided below.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is defined as a mean for measuring or indicating the maturity of a particular technology during its acquisition phase. The TRL is used in each technology project evaluating the parameters and assigning a rate based on the project’s progress. The evaluation framework comprises four distinct indicator categories: Technology Preparation & Requirements, Documentation, Operability & Continuity, and Evaluation & Usability. These categories serve as key aspects for assessing the readiness and effectiveness of a system.
Societal Readiness Level (SocRL) is defined as a way of assessing the level of societal adaptation of, for instance, a particular social project, a technology, a product, a process, an intervention, or an innovation (whether social or technical) to be integrated into society. The evaluation framework comprises four indicator categories: stakeholder engagement, acceptance, social integration and social good.
The Security Readiness Level (SecRL) is a scale for measuring the security of an innovation or solution (a process or a technology) and its assets concerning its threat environment. The Security evaluation methodology, which will be developed within the scope of MultiRATE will consider security aspects beyond cyber, such as protection against human-caused and naturally caused incidents as well. Also, it covers measures for all different security functions, namely: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover.
Legal, privacy, ethics Readiness Level (LPERL) tackles the maturity level of ethical risks, privacy, and data governance. Currently, no unified LPERLs exist for security or generalist technology or applications. To build the LPERL methodology it was chosen to rely on core European frameworks for ethical and privacy regulation or guidance. For each one of the aspects covered by the specific RL framework, dedicated indicators have been identified, such as legal indicators (e.g. Legal basis for data processing, Purpose limitation, Data quality and accuracy etc.) and privacy indicators (e.g. Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency, Integrity and confidentiality). By combining the identified frameworks and adapting them to the specific needs of security applications, a comprehensive and practical LEPRL evaluation methodology has been developed.
The Integration readiness level (IRL) defines a metric to measure the integration maturity between the technological components of a system. The assessment method that is utilised in the MultiRATE project will be based in an existing and validated IRL framework with the original decision criteria and indicators being modified and improved as needed to meet the demands of the project.
The Commercialisation Readiness Level (CRL) framework assesses various indicators which influence the commercial and market conditions beyond just the technology maturity. This enables key barriers to be addressed to support technology commercialisation. The evaluation framework comprises seven distinct indicator categories: Technological innovation, Market potential, Intellectual property (IP), Regulatory compliance, Business model and scalability, Team/Consortium expertise, and Funding and financial viability.
The Manufacturing readiness level (MRL) is a measure to assess the maturity of a given technology, component, or system from a manufacturing perspective. The evaluation framework comprises seven distinct indicator categories: Technical feasibility, Manufacturing process design, Supply chain readiness, Quality control and assurance, Manufacturing cost and scalability, Regulatory compliance, and Production capacity and timeline.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Duration: (12/2022-05/2025)
Grant Agreement Number: 101073929
Funded Under: HORIZON-CL3-2021-SSRI-01
Funding Scheme: RIA – Research and Innovation Actions
Topic: HORIZON-CL3-2021-SSRI-01-01 – A maturity assessment framework for security technologies
Cordis link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101073929