NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY READINESS ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK (NTRAF)

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Context

Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) unveiled the National Technology Readiness Assessment Framework (NTRAF).

What is National Technology Readiness Assessment Framework (NTRAF)?

The office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has developed the NTRAF. 

This framework aims to create a unified, standardized methodology to assess the maturity of indigenous technologies, from the initial research phase to final commercial deployment.

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)

NTRAF is built on the globally recognized 9-level TRL scale, originally developed by NASA in the 1970s, formalized in the 1980s.

This scale provides a common language for researchers, industries, and investors to understand the exact stage of a technology's development. 

The goal is to shift from subjective evaluations to an objective, evidence-based assessment system.

Why India Needs a Standardized Assessment Framework?

Bridging the ‘Valley of Death’

India’s innovation ecosystem often faces the ‘Valley of Death’ – the critical phase between TRL 4 (lab validation) and TRL 7 (operational demonstration) where many promising technologies fail due to a lack of funding and support. 

NTRAF provides a common, trusted language for innovators and investors, thereby de-risking investments in deep-tech and making it easier to secure funding to cross this valley.

Addressing Low R&D Expenditure

India's Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) has remained stagnant at around 0.6% of its GDP for the past decade, which is lower than other major economies like the USA (3.45%) and China (2.4%). (Source: Economic Survey)

India’s private sector in GERD, accounting for only around 36%, whereas in the developed countries, private sector contributions is more than 70%. (Source: PIB). 

NTRAF aims to boost private R&D investment by providing a clear, transparent, and objective assessment of technology risk and potential, making deep-tech innovations more attractive for corporate funding.

Strengthening Lab-to-Market Linkages

India excels in academic and lab research but struggles to commercialize products, hindered by institutional silos among academia, R&D labs, and industry.

NTRAF offers a structured technology transfer pathway. For example, while organizations like DRDO transfer technologies to industries, NTRAF can standardize this process, making it more efficient and transparent from the start.

Boosting ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’  

Achieving self-reliance in critical and emerging technologies is an objective of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives. 

NTRAF acts as a catalyst by creating a robust mechanism to identify, nurture, validate, and scale indigenous technologies, ensuring they are mature and reliable for industrial adoption and national missions.

Expected Impact of NTRAF on India's Innovation Ecosystem

For Researchers & Innovators: Offers a clear roadmap to benchmark progress and communicate technology maturity to funders and partners.

For Funding Agencies: NTRAF facilitates strategic, data-driven decisions. Agencies like the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) can use it to manage a balanced R&D investment portfolio across TRL stages.

For Industry & Startups: Streamlines tech discovery and due diligence, increasing company confidence in adopting early-stage lab innovations and reducing associated risk.

For Policymakers: It is a powerful tool to monitor the national innovation pipeline, pinpoint bottlenecks, and inform targeted policies for high-potential technology sectors.

Potential Challenges

Widespread Adoption: Ensuring uniform adoption by all stakeholders, including universities, PSUs, startups, and MSMEs, is a major challenge.

Assessment Capacity: India needs to build a large cadre of trained and certified professionals who can conduct credible TRL assessments across diverse sectors.

Holistic Assessment: TRL focuses on technological maturity. It must be integrated with other metrics like Commercialization Readiness Level (CRL) and Market Readiness Level (MRL) for a complete picture.

Maintaining Objectivity: The framework must have robust checks and balances to prevent subjective bias and needs to be adaptable to different technology domains.

Way Forward

Create a National Digital Registry: A centralized portal listing all TRL-assessed technologies can act as a transparent marketplace connecting innovators with investors and industry.

Launch Capacity Building Programs: Implement nationwide training and certification programs for TRL assessors in partnership with premier institutions (like IITs) and industry bodies (like CII, NASSCOM).

Integrate with National Missions: Formally embed NTRAF into the evaluation criteria for major government initiatives like Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, Startup India, and the National AI Mission.

Promote a Culture of Assessment: Promote a cultural shift within the research community to embrace objective, evidence-based evaluation as a standard practice for R&D projects.

Conclusion

The National Technology Readiness Assessment Framework (NTRAF) designed to standardize R&D evaluation, close the lab-to-market gap, attract investment, and convert scientific knowledge into economic assets, supporting the goal of a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) by 2047.

Source: PIB