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Due to the widespread recognition of TRLs introduced by NASA, particularly following their successful implementation, research institutions have adopted NASA’s TRL definitions as a reference for designing and developing their research products for potential commercialisation. However, the adoption of TRLs by research institutions, such as universities, in their research activities has not demonstrated a significant impact on research product commercialisation. In 2018, the Director of the Universiti Malaya Centre of Innovation and Commercialisation (UMCIC) commented that universities’ product readiness only reaches the laboratory prototype stage (TRL 4), even though the research products have undergone all necessary testing and validation processes at the university (source).

How Ready Are Universities' Research Products?
Even though universities have adopted TRLs in their research and product development processes, there is a limited depth of understanding of TRLs among university researchers. Generally, universities refer to the TRLs outlined in Figure 1.

TRLs, as shown in Figure 1, are widely used as a reference in university research and other institutions. However, there is a lack of deeper understanding—particularly regarding why and how NASA successfully used TRLs as a reference with zero failures in their product testing and validation. This crucial aspect remains largely unexplored by many researchers who are, or will be, venturing into the product commercialisation stage.

Having experience as the Director of the Centre of Innovation and Commercialisation at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), Associate Professor Ir. Dr Ranjit Singh Sarban Singh conducted research to understand why and how NASA achieved zero failures in their product testing and validation using TRLs. A brief study shows that NASA's strict sub-level verification and validation processes were key to their success.

Therefore, Table 1 presents compact guidance compiled after carefully studying the Technology Readiness Assessment Guide (source), the Technology Readiness Assessment Best Practice Guide (source), and the Standard Review Plan (SRP) – Technology Readiness Assessment Report (source).

This compact guidance in Table 1 explains four levels of technology readiness assessment:

Idea Level – Divided into basic technology research and research to prove feasibility. This stage helps research teams understand the initial potential of their study and systematically document scientific findings before moving to the prototyping level.
Prototyping Level – Focuses on technology development and demonstration, validating the developed technology in laboratory and relevant environments.
Validation Level – Involves technology demonstration and system commissioning, which is crucial before proceeding to the production level.
Production Level – Where the actual system, proven in an operational environment, is tested for future production planning.
The requirements to achieve each TRL have also been compiled to provide compact guidance that can be used to accelerate product design and development, driving research products towards successful commercialisation.

Avoiding the "Valley of Death"
An important aspect of this compact guidance in Table 1 is to help researchers avoid the "Valley of Death"—the critical gap that prevents new technologies from transitioning from laboratory development to full-scale production. Understanding the requirements of each TRL can help researchers navigate this challenge and prevent their projects from becoming stalled in development.

Conclusion
After studying the referenced documents (source), (source), (source), the compact guidance presented in Table 1 can serve as a valuable reference for researchers transitioning their products towards commercialisation. Additionally, the structured division of levels allows researchers to focus on clear objectives before moving to the next stage, while also emphasising the importance of verification and validation at each sub-level.

By developing compact guidance such as that in Table 1, researchers can be better prepared for the journey towards making their products market-ready.

Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr Ranjit Singh Sarban Singh
School of Engineering and Technology
Email: @email