Technology readiness level
Also called: TRL · Topic: Factors of Production, Entrepreneurship and Startups · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Technology readiness level (TRL) is a 1-to-9 scale that shows how close a new technology is to real use. TRL 1 is a basic idea based on scientific principles. TRL 9 is a finished system that has been proven in actual use. TRL 1–3 covers pure research: new ideas and early experiments. TRL 4 means the idea has worked in a laboratory test. The higher levels move from lab tests to prototypes, then to field trials, and finally to a working product. Governments and investors use the scale to decide what kind of money suits a project. Early-stage science needs grants, because it is too uncertain for a lender. Projects close to the market can repay loans.
Example
India's ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme was approved by the Union Cabinet on 1 July 2025. It funds only projects at TRL 4 or above. It lends mainly at low or nil interest and pays at most 50% of a project's cost. A company with a deep-sea sensor that has already worked in a lab test (TRL 4) can apply. A scientist who is still studying seabed life (TRL 1–3) cannot apply, and has to look for a research grant.