TRL 9 — Why We Don't Sell Prototypes
In 1974, Stan Sadin at NASA Headquarters had a problem: nobody could clearly say which of dozens of technologies was ready for flight. His TRL scale is now the language of every QA10 deployment.
The Scale Invented for Rockets
Engineers said “almost ready.” Managers heard “ready.” Budgets collapsed.
Sadin proposed something simple: a scale from 1 to 7, later extended to 9, that unambiguously defines at what stage of maturity a given technology is. One — someone observed a physical phenomenon and thought “what if…”. Five — a prototype tested under conditions close to real-world. Nine — a system proven in action, in a full mission, in a real operational environment. No “almost.” Either it flew or it didn’t.
NASA called it the Technology Readiness Level. TRL.
The US Department of Defense adopted the scale in the 1990s. The European Space Agency followed in the mid-2000s. The European Union embedded it in the Horizon 2020 programme in 2014, and then in Horizon Europe with a budget of €95.5 billion. Today TRL is the universal language of technological maturity — from aerospace through pharmaceuticals to digital transformation.
And it is the language we use to describe our solutions at QA10.
Nine Levels from Concept to a Machine That Works
The TRL scale is divided into three phases. Understanding this structure takes a minute — and changes how you view every technology offer you receive.
Research phase (TRL 1–3) is the world of theory and laboratory. At level one, someone has described a scientific principle. At level two — formulated a concept for its application. At level three — built a proof of concept that demonstrates the idea has merit. None of this works outside a controlled environment. Risk is enormous, but the cost of exploration is low.
Development phase (TRL 4–6) is prototypes and testing. At level four, the technology has been validated in a laboratory. At level five — under conditions close to real-world. At level six — a full prototype works in an environment corresponding to the target one. This is where serious funding begins and where most projects die. The industry has a name for it: the Valley of Death.
Deployment phase (TRL 7–9) is real systems. At level seven, an operational-scale prototype is working in a real environment. At level eight — the system is complete and qualified. At level nine — mission proven. Battle-tested. Everything documented. Full integration with operational hardware and software systems. Zero surprises.
TRL 9 — per the NASA definition — means: “Actual system proven through successful mission operations. Fully integrated with operational hardware/software systems. Thoroughly demonstrated and tested in its operational environment. All documentation completed.”
Translated into business language: a system running at a client’s site, on their infrastructure, with their data, under full load, for at least several months. Not a demo. Not a pilot. Not a “proof of concept that can be developed further.” A production-ready product with documentation.
The Valley of Death — Where Innovation Money Disappears
Between TRL 6 and TRL 8 lies the space where most technology investments perish. The European Commission published a 2025 report “Scaling up ideas” showing that while most Horizon Europe projects start at TRL 1–3, nearly half reach only the demonstration stage (TRL 6–8) by the end of funding. Just 10% of projects in programme partnerships reach TRL 8–9.
These proportions have an enterprise counterpart. 55–75% of ERP implementations fail — these are essentially failures in the transition from TRL 6 (prototype in an environment close to the target) to TRL 8–9 (operational system). The technology worked in the lab. It didn’t work in reality.
A client buying a solution at TRL 5–6 pays not only for the product. They pay for the risk of crossing the Valley of Death. For the integration that “should work.” For edge cases nobody anticipated. For months of adapting configuration to real-world data. For the moment it turns out the prototype that looked great in a presentation can’t handle unusual VAT number formats or an atypical order structure in a niche industry.
This is not an abstract risk. It’s a cost that appears after the contract is signed.
What TRL 9 Means in the QA10 Context
When we say our solutions operate at TRL 9, we’re not using it as a marketing term. We use it in its original, engineering meaning.
It means the modules we deploy — from process mining through RPA automation to Zero-Trust overlays on existing systems — are not prototypes. They have been designed, built, tested and proven in real operational environments. At clients in manufacturing, logistics and service industries. With real data, real exceptions, real load.
What does this change from a decision-maker’s perspective?
Deployment time drops because we’re not building from scratch — we’re configuring a proven system to your parameters. Risk drops because the algorithms and integrations have already encountered situations your company has yet to face. Cost drops because you’re not paying for the vendor’s R&D — you’re paying for a finished product.
The EUACC — the advisory platform for EU beneficiaries — aptly notes: “Having paying customers does not automatically mean TRL 9 if the product still requires manual configuration at every deployment.” This is an important distinction. TRL 9 is not “we have customers.” TRL 9 is “we have a repeatable, documented, validated system that operates without extraordinary interventions.”
TRL and EU Grants — The Language That Opens Budgets
There is one more dimension in which TRL has concrete, financial significance. The European Union uses the TRL scale as an eligibility criterion in grant programmes.
EIC Pathfinder funds projects at TRL 1–4. EIC Transition — at TRL 3–6. EIC Accelerator — at TRL 5–8. Horizon Europe distinguishes Research and Innovation Actions (starting at TRL 2–3, targeting TRL 5–6) from Innovation Actions (starting at TRL 4–5, targeting TRL 6–8). National programmes typically support up to TRL 5. Only EU programmes reach higher.
For your digital transformation projects this means two things. First: if you plan EU funding, you must precisely define the TRL of your project — overstating or understating it is one of the most common reasons for application rejection. Second: partnering with a vendor who delivers technology at TRL 9 means your project doesn’t have to traverse the Valley of Death within the grant funding. The technology is ready. The fund finances deployment, not an experiment.
In our Financing Protocol we connect both sides of this equation — identifying funding sources and delivering solutions at the maturity level those sources require.
How to Tell TRL 6 from TRL 9 in a Vendor’s Offer
Finally — a practical tip, because the automation market is full of offers that sound similar.
Ask the vendor: in how many companies is this system running in production? Not “was tested.” Not “was demonstrated.” Running — daily, under load, for months. If the answer is “this will be the first full deployment” — you’re looking at TRL 6–7. The technology is promising, but your company will bear the cost of the vendor’s learning curve.
Ask about documentation. TRL 9 requires — literally, in the NASA definition — complete documentation. If the vendor says “we’ll prepare documentation after the deployment” — they’re not at TRL 9.
Ask about edge cases. Every system that has passed through a real operational environment has encountered situations the designer didn’t foresee. A TRL 9 vendor will tell you about them. A TRL 6 vendor will say “our system is fully flexible.” That’s not the same thing.