Commercial Readiness Levels: the other half of a fundable project

Why TRL is not enough

A grant application can describe a technology that is genuinely advanced and still fail because the commercial story is weak. Funders want to know that someone needs the technology, that the route to market is understood, and that the company can turn a proven idea into a business.

Commercial Readiness Levels, or CRL, are a way of describing how far a technology or product has progressed towards market. Unlike TRL, there is no single universal CRL standard used by every funder, but several related frameworks exist, including the Curtinnovation Readiness Levels and the KTH Innovation Readiness Level model.

What CRL measures

CRL is concerned with the things that sit outside the lab: customer need, market size, value proposition, competitive position, regulatory pathway, supply chain, pricing, and the ability to sell and support the product.

A project can have high technical maturity and low commercial maturity. A working prototype with no identified customer is a common example. Conversely, a project can have strong commercial validation, letters of intent and a clear market, but still need grant funding to get the technology from TRL 4 to TRL 7.

A practical five-level view of commercial readiness

One useful way to think about CRL is in five stages. CRL 1 is research-driven: the work is curiosity-led and the commercial application is unclear. CRL 2 is application exploration: potential uses have been identified but not validated with customers.

CRL 3 is value proposition validation: the team has spoken to potential customers, understands the problem, and can articulate why this solution is better than alternatives. CRL 4 is market and model validation: there is evidence of demand, a credible route to market, and an early view of pricing, margins and partnerships.

CRL 5 is commercial traction: the product is being sold or used, with real customers, repeatable sales processes and actual revenue or usage data. This is the equivalent of TRL 9 for the commercial side.

How CRL changes your grant application

A strong application does not just state the TRL. It shows that the commercial readiness is appropriate for the technical stage. At TRL 3 to 4, you need evidence that the problem is real and that the proposed solution is worth pursuing. At TRL 5 to 6, you need stronger customer engagement, a clearer market definition, and a plausible commercial partner or route.

By TRL 7 to 8, assessors expect to see commercial traction or near-term contracts, a regulatory strategy if one is needed, and a credible plan for what happens after the grant ends. The funder is effectively asking: if this works, will it actually be adopted?

Mapping TRL and CRL together

The most fundable projects move both axes forward at the same time. A project that raises TRL from 4 to 6 while also moving CRL from 2 to 4 is a coherent, de-risked proposition. A project that raises TRL from 4 to 6 while leaving CRL at 1 is a research exercise with no obvious buyer.

When you write your application, make the link explicit. For each technical milestone, ask what commercial evidence you will generate alongside it. A field trial is not just a technical validation; it is also a chance to collect customer feedback, refine pricing, and build a reference user.

Practical next steps

Start by writing down your current TRL and your honest CRL. If the gap between them is large, your application needs to address both. A technical project plan without commercial milestones will look one-dimensional to assessors.

If you are unsure how your project maps across TRL and CRL, book a free consultation. We help founders position the technical and commercial maturity of a project so that assessors see a fundable whole, not just a clever idea.

Sources and further reading

There is no single universal CRL standard. The five-level summary here is adapted from the Curtinnovation Readiness Levels and the KTH Innovation Readiness Level model. For the technical side of the same conversation, see our article on Technology Readiness Levels.