**Executive Summary**
The Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India unveiled the National Technology Readiness Assessment Framework (NTRAF) on December 29, 2025. Developed in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), it aims to standardise innovation assessment in India by establishing a unified and objective yardstick for measuring the maturity of technology projects. The NTRAF is open for public consultation until January 31, 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Purpose and Scope:**
* Serves as the operational backbone for various R&D funds launched under National Missions.
* Provides a rigorous methodology to assess projects across the nine Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), from TRL 1 (Proof of Concept) to TRL 9 (Operational Deployment).
* Enables funding bodies to allocate resources with greater precision and de-risk early-stage technologies for private investment.
* **Key Features of the Framework:**
* *Global Best Practices, Indian Context*: Adapted from global standards (e.g., NASA) and tailored to the specific needs of the Indian R&D ecosystem.
* *Objectivity over Subjectivity*: Replaces qualitative estimation with a structured, evidence-based checklist for every stage of development.
* *Sector-Specific Nuances*: Includes specialized annexures for distinct sectors like Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals and Software.
* *Self-Assessment Tool*: Empowers Project Investigators to realistically gauge their standing and identify technical gaps before seeking funding.
* **Pilot Phase:**
* A pilot phase is suggested, where 20 selected technologies may be cross-validated by the NRDC.
* The pilot would calibrate and stress-test the framework before its broader adoption.
**Impact Analysis**
**Researchers and Academia**
*Impact:*
The NTRAF establishes a common language for technology maturity, helping bridge the gap between researchers' claims of readiness and investors'/evaluators' requirements.
*Action Required:*
Utilise the Self-Assessment Tool to realistically gauge project standing and identify technical gaps before seeking funding.
**Investors and Funding Bodies**
*Impact:*
Enables more precise allocation of resources and de-risks early-stage technologies for private investment.
*Action Required:*
Utilise the framework to assess projects across the nine TRLs, ensuring objective evidence for investment decisions.
**Industry**
*Impact:*
Ensures startup claims of deployment-readiness meet industrial-grade validation.
*Action Required:*
Adopt the framework to evaluate technology readiness and ensure it aligns with industry standards for manufacturability.
**Government (DST, OPSA, etc.)**
*Impact:*
Provides a "timely intervention" for the effective implementation of the RDI Fund and helps refine the tool in alignment with India's dynamic innovation landscape.
*Action Required:*
Align RDI Fund evaluations with the NTRAF framework to ensure high-risk, high-reward projects are evaluated with structural rigor.
Key Entities Referenced
National Technology Readiness Assessment Framework (NTRAF): Framework designed to standardize innovation assessment in India by measuring the maturity of technology projects for commercial deployment.
Office of Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA): The office responsible for unveiling the NTRAF and supporting its implementation.
Department of Science and Technology (DST): Department involved in the framework and implementation of the RDI fund.
Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): Organisation related to research and innovation in India.
Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI
Principal Scientific Adviser Unveils "National
Technology Readiness Assessment Framework
(NTRAF)" to Standardise Innovation Assessment
in India
प्रव तथ: 29 DEC 2025 7:43PM by PIB Delhi
Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, unveiled the Nati
onal Technology Readiness Assessment Framework (NTRAF) on December 29, 2025. The launch event
was attended by Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the PSA (OPSA); and Dr. Shivkumar
Kalyanaraman, CEO, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), Dr. Preeti Banzal,
Adviser/Scientist ‘G’, OPSA; Shri Praveen Roy, Head TT, Department of Science and Technology
(DST); Dr. Jyoti Sharma, Head RDI, DST, Shri Rohit Gupta, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), OPSA
and other officials from OPSA and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Developed in collaboration
with CII, this framework establishes a unified, objective yardstick to measure the maturity of technology
projects from laboratory conception to commercial deployment. The framework is open for public
consultation until January 31, 2026.
The framework aims to serve as the operational backbone for various R&D funds launched under
National Missions. By providing a rigorous methodology to assess projects across the 9 Technology
Readiness Levels (TRL) - ranging from Proof of Concept (TRL 1-3) to Prototype Development (TRL 4-
6) and Operational Deployment (TRL 7-9), the framework will enable funding bodies to allocate
resources with greater precision and de-risk early-stage technologies for private investment.
Speaking at the launch, Prof. Sood highlighted the critical need for a common language between
researchers and investors. "For too long, the Indian deeptech ecosystem has faced a precarious situation
where academia and industry speak different dialects regarding technology readiness. This mismatch
often creates a 'Valley of Death' between TRL 4 and TRL 7, where funding dries up due to perceived
risks. The NTRAF moves us from subjective narratives to objective evidence, ensuring that we are not
just funding science experiments, but scalable, market-ready solutions," he stated.Describing the document as a "definitive guide" for the scientific community, Dr. Maini noted “By
establishing a common language for technology maturity, we aim to bridge the often-subjective gap
between a researcher’s claim of readiness and an investor’s or evaluator’s requirement for proof.”
Dr. Kalyanaraman emphasised that technology readiness must run parallel to market validation,
particularly beyond TRL 4. He also suggested a pilot phase where 20 selected technologies may be cross-
validated by the NRDC to calibrate and stress-test the framework before its broader adoption.
Shri Roy and Dr. Sharma from DST welcomed the framework as a "timely intervention" crucial for
effective implementation of the RDI Fund, stating that the structural rigour it brings to evaluating high-
risk, high-reward projects will help refine and evolve the tool in alignment with India’s dynamic
innovation landscape.
Dr. Rahul Katna, Counsellor – Technology, Innovation and R&D, CII, emphasised the industry’s role in
shaping the tool, noting that its stringent standards ensure any startup claiming to be ‘deployment-ready’
meets true industrial-grade validation.
Shri Gupta underscored that the NTRAF eliminates the ambiguity hindering technology transfer by
establishing a unified metric that synchronises research laboratories, industry, and government on a
validated, manufacturable definition of readiness.
Key features of the Framework include:
Global Best Practices, Indian Context: Adapted from global standards (such as NASA) but tailored
to the specific needs of the Indian R&D ecosystem.
Objectivity over Subjectivity: Replaces qualitative estimation with a structured, evidence-based
checklist for every stage of development.
Sector-Specific Nuances: Includes specialised annexures for distinct sectors like Healthcare &
Pharmaceuticals and Software, acknowledging that development pathways differ across domains.
Self-Assessment Tool: Empowers Project Investigators to realistically gauge their standing and
identify technical gaps before seeking funding.
***
MJPS/SR
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