The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA), in collaboration with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), launched the TRL Compass Platform on June 29, 2026, to create a uniform national standard for evaluating technology maturity across sectors. The platform adapts the globally recognised nine-level Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale to India’s research ecosystem and provides an objective, evidence-based framework for assessing projects that seek public funding. This initiative addresses a long-standing gap in India’s innovation pipeline, where the absence of a common language for technology readiness has led to inconsistent funding decisions and stalled commercialisation of promising research.
What Is the TRL Compass Platform?
The TRL Compass Platform is a digital framework developed by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) in partnership with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) to standardise how technology projects are evaluated for maturity across India’s research and innovation ecosystem. It was launched under the chairmanship of Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and was unveiled at an event attended by senior officials from OPSA, DSCI, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) , NASSCOM, and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) .
The platform transforms project evaluation from subjective judgement into an objective, documentation-backed assessment. Instead of relying on qualitative claims by researchers about their technology’s readiness, the TRL Compass requires verifiable evidence at each stage of development. It assesses not just technological maturity but also manufacturing readiness, quality standards, and programmatic preparedness before a project can advance to the next stage.
The complete framework, including its assessment questionnaires and implementation guidance, is openly available at www.trlcompass.in for researchers, project investigators, reviewers, and funding agencies across the country.
Understanding Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs)
The concept of Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) was originally developed by NASA in the 1970s to assess the maturity of space technologies. It has since been adopted by innovation agencies worldwide, including the European Commission and the US Department of Defense, as a standard method for measuring how far a technology has progressed from a basic concept to operational deployment. The TRL scale consists of nine levels, broadly grouped into three stages:
| Stage | TRL Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of Concept | TRL 1 to 3 | Basic research, concept formulation, and experimental proof of concept |
| Prototype Development | TRL 4 to 6 | Laboratory validation, pilot-scale testing, and prototype demonstration in simulated environments |
| Operational Deployment | TRL 7 to 9 | System demonstration in operational conditions, final integration, and full commercial deployment |
Each TRL demands specific evidence. For example, a technology at TRL 4 must have its components validated in a laboratory environment, while TRL 7 requires a working prototype demonstrated in real-world operational conditions. The TRL Compass Platform operationalises this scale for India’s context, with sector-specific annexures for Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals and Software that define what evidence is appropriate for each domain.
How the TRL Compass Platform Works
The TRL Compass uses a multi-level assessment methodology that progresses from broad screening to detailed verification. The assessment follows a three-tier structure:
At Level 0, a set of preliminary screening questions estimates the TRL band that a technology falls into. Level 1 consists of top-level questions that determine the anticipated TRL. Level 2 involves detailed verification questions that require supporting documentation to validate the claimed TRL. This step ensures that every readiness claim is backed by tangible evidence rather than narrative assertions.
The platform evaluates four distinct dimensions of readiness. Technology readiness measures the maturity of the core technology itself. Manufacturing readiness assesses whether the technology can be produced at scale. Quality readiness checks compliance with standards and quality systems. Programmatic readiness evaluates the project’s preparedness in terms of timelines, resources, and risk management.
For the Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals sector, the annexure maps TRL levels against specific biomedical evidence requirements such as basic biological plausibility at early levels, pre-clinical and early clinical validation at mid-levels, and regulatory dossier readiness at higher levels. The Software annexure similarly tailors criteria to the unique development lifecycle of digital products.
Why India Needs a Standardised TRL Framework
India’s research and development ecosystem has expanded significantly in recent years, but it has faced a persistent structural problem. Different organisations, funding agencies, and research institutions use their own modified versions of TRL definitions, leading to inconsistencies in how technology maturity is assessed. This lack of uniformity creates what experts call the Valley of Death in the innovation lifecycle.
The Valley of Death refers to the critical phase between TRL 4 (laboratory validation) and TRL 7 (operational demonstration) where many promising technologies fail due to a lack of funding and support. Researchers often claim a higher level of readiness than they have achieved, while investors remain cautious because they lack an objective way to verify these claims. The absence of a common language between academia, industry, and funding bodies leads to misaligned expectations, stalled technology transfers, and inefficient allocation of resources.
Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood noted that for too long, the Indian deep-tech ecosystem has faced a situation where academia and industry speak different dialects regarding technology readiness. The TRL Compass addresses this by providing a single, authoritative framework that all stakeholders can use, enabling funding agencies to allocate resources with greater precision and reducing the perceived risk of early-stage technologies for private investors.
Key National Initiatives Supported by TRL Compass
The TRL Compass Platform is designed to support the effective implementation of two major national initiatives.
Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) was established as the apex body to promote research and development across India’s universities and research institutions. It provides a significant pool of public capital for scientific research. The TRL Compass Platform serves as the evaluation backbone for ANRF-funded projects, ensuring that funding decisions are based on objective, evidence-based assessments of technology maturity rather than subjective claims.
Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund
The RDI Fund is a flagship ₹1 lakh crore initiative announced by the government to finance projects from TRL 4 level onwards, focusing on bridging the gap between laboratory research and commercial deployment. The TRL Compass helps operationalise this fund by providing a standardised mechanism to evaluate whether projects meet the required readiness threshold before they receive funding.
The platform is expected to bring structural rigour to the evaluation of high-risk, high-reward projects under these national missions, enabling funding agencies to maintain a balanced R&D investment portfolio across different TRL stages.
The MoU Between OPSA and DSCI
Alongside the platform launch, OPSA and DSCI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their collaboration. The MoU was signed by Dr. Preeti Banzal, Adviser and Scientist G at OPSA, and Vinayak Godse, CEO of DSCI.
The agreement covers collaboration on three key areas. Technology readiness assessments involve joint development and implementation of standardised TRL evaluation processes. Capability mapping focuses on identifying and documenting India’s technology capabilities across sectors. The Technology Radar methodology aims to create a system for tracking emerging technologies and forecasting their development trajectory.
The partnership also focuses on building a pool of trained TRL assessors who can independently evaluate technology readiness claims. This is particularly important for specialised domains such as healthcare, where evaluating a novel biosensor or an AI-assisted diagnostic requires domain-specific expertise that cannot be borrowed from general engineering assessment frameworks.
The Way Forward
The TRL Compass Platform is part of a broader effort to strengthen India’s deep-tech innovation ecosystem. It builds on the earlier National Technology Readiness Assessment Framework (NTRAF) , which was unveiled in December 2025 and had been opened for public consultation until January 31, 2026. The TRL Compass is the operational digital platform that brings the NTRAF to life.
Looking ahead, the widespread adoption of TRL Compass across India’s research institutions and funding agencies is expected to have several long-term effects. It will improve the efficiency of public R&D spending by ensuring that funds are allocated to technologies that have genuinely achieved the claimed readiness levels. It will boost private sector confidence by providing validated, investment-ready readiness benchmarks. And it will accelerate the commercialisation of Indian innovations, helping the country move towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, where scientific strength is measured by the ability to translate research into deployable and commercially viable technologies.
As India expands its national research initiatives through ANRF and the RDI Fund, the TRL Compass provides the much-needed evaluative infrastructure to ensure that public money supports technologies with real commercial and societal potential.
Key Takeaways
- The TRL Compass Platform was launched on June 29, 2026, by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) in collaboration with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) .
- The platform standardises Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessments across sectors, adapting the nine-level scale originally developed by NASA to India’s research ecosystem.
- TRL is measured on a scale from TRL 1 (basic research) to TRL 9 (full commercial deployment), grouped into proof of concept, prototype development, and operational deployment stages.
- The platform supports two major national initiatives: the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund (₹1 lakh crore).
- Sector-specific annexures are included for Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals and Software, enabling domain-appropriate evidence requirements.
- A MoU was signed between OPSA and DSCI to build a pool of trained TRL assessors and develop a national Technology Radar methodology.
