A Professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (DTM FTUI), Prof. Sugeng Supriadi, S.T., M.S.Eng., Ph.D., delivered a seminar on technology readiness for the market. The seminar, titled “Ready or Not? How to Assess and Accelerate Your Technology Toward Market Readiness”, was organized by the FTUI Research, Innovation, and Community Engagement Unit and held virtually via Zoom on Tuesday (April 22).
Prasandhya Astagiri Yusuf, S.Si., M.T., Ph.D., Sub-director for High-Impact Research, opened the event with his remarks. According to him, the seminar was essential in broadening researchers’ perspectives on how to move innovations toward downstreaming and commercialization. He emphasized the importance of incorporating a demand-pull approach from industry to ensure that research innovations have tangible societal impact.
Dr. Aries Subiantoro, S.T., M.Sc., Manager of Research, Innovation, and Community Engagement, moderated the seminar. In his introduction, Dr. Aries noted that innovation programs require researchers to understand business model development and assess their prototypes’ Technology Readiness Level (TRL).
Prof. Sugeng began his presentation by highlighting that what is brought to market is a product, whereas at the university level, researchers develop technology. When considering a product’s journey to market, several aspects must be taken into account, including market needs, technology readiness, market readiness, business strategy, and manufacturing readiness.
He gave an example of battery technology, illustrating its various stages—from sub-components and battery components to battery cells and finished battery products. According to Prof. Sugeng, battery technology is not a singular entity but comprises a range of interdependent sub-technologies that evolve in parallel. Each stage of this technology has the potential to be commercialized, with the key element being the business aspect.
He added that every developed product or technology stems from three development phases: scientific development, technological development, and business development. Each phase involves different actors—scientific development is carried out by academics, technological development is through collaboration between academia and industry, and business development is by industry players.
Prof. Sugeng further explained that the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a method used to estimate a technology’s maturity during a program’s acquisition phase. It serves as a standard measure of technical maturity across different types of technology. TRL is determined through a Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA), which examines the program concept, technology requirements, and demonstrated capabilities. The TRL scale ranges from 1 to 9, with 9 representing the highest level of technological maturity.
He outlined at least seven benefits of TRL assessment: evaluating how mature and ready a technology is for use; helping set research, funding, and development priorities; facilitating collaboration between researchers, industry, and government through a standardized evaluation; identifying problems early before mass production; helping investors and industry stakeholders understand the market potential of the technology; assisting governments and research institutions in selecting projects worth funding; and enabling comparative analysis of technological progress against competitors.
The Dean of FTUI, Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., also shared his thoughts on the event. “Hopefully, through this seminar, researchers can enhance their innovations not only for publication but also for downstream and commercialization,” he said.
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Public Communications Office
Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia
