How do you evaluate the success of your R&D ideas?

From my perspective, ‘commercial success’ is the main criterion for success. The others are mere proxies. Ideation is nice, but the heavy lifting is from taking the idea through commercialization and profitable growth.

Every internally funded R&D project should, by definition, be aligned with the organizations strategic plan. The project should be focused on expanding the organization’s competitive advantage, either in currently addressed markets, or new ventures identified in the strategic plan. The issue, therefore, should be the degree that the R&D will enhance the strategic competitive advantage, not if it is relevant. Too often, an internal R&D project takes a life of its own, and is continued, even if/when the strategic plan does not support it. It’s important to periodically review the internal R&D program for relevance; and eliminate those a projects not aligned with the strategic plan.

When my R&D idea results in a product that can compete with others in an international level, or the idea results in an improvement in a process which has a financial outcome for the organization, than I rate its success.

It’s also very important to identify all the stakeholders for the problem you are trying to solve. This is important to understand how the work is impacting each stakeholder.

Having a clear specification/requirement in the beginning can help smoothen the whole process. Getting the specification/requirement correct is also important, which requires user engagement

Measuring the success of an R&D idea can be challenging, as success can be subjective and dependent on various factors. However, there are several key indicators like Techno-commercial feasibility, market potential, IP rights, collaboration and team Dynamics, feedback and validation from experts, Asses time required to bring R&D ideas to the market. Regular evaluation and adaptation of the R&D strategy are crucial in ensuring the success of an R&D idea.

I always find it difficult to fairly quantify research progress. Looking forward to the recommendation by the other contributors.

To me R&D ideas can be evaluated on following: - How practical it is to implement. - Will it touch the lives of common people at large and how can it make it more comfortable, safe and healthy. - Does it make commercial sense today .....if yes, OK and if not, how can we work on to make it sustainable in a long term: a clear plan towards it would help. I am not a very big fan of R&D ideas to be directly related to profit making but yes, majority corporates looks at it and cannot be avoided.

Success of R&D ideas will be evaluated based on its impact on the betterment of society, Values of the product in real life and ecosystem. development of new molecules which can add some additional value in existing application and balance cost.

Some R&D ideas are pure science fiction gimmicks, in the beginning. I remember laughing along with my friends watching James Bond talking to people across continents using a small hand held set, which is now Cell Phone used by us! In spite of being a polymer technocrat, it was difficult for me at a point of time to think the "Almost non-reactive" polyethylene can be crosslinked to XLPE (Cable applications). Think of flexible electronics coated with nano stuff for high electrical conductivity! So, R&D ideas need to be evaluated along-side the idea creator's passion. Implementation might be eons away, but will happen, if the idea was formed with passion. The materialistic gains will certainly follow, if the idea is in the right direction.

From my experience, there are 2 things to measure when evaluating R&D Projects, Cost Efficiency/profit and/or Work Efficiency. Either way is okay from C-levels perspective, R&D is a chance for company to find room to grow.

One of the problems of research and development is that sometimes success is impossible to measure and/or evaluate. The value of some discoveries may not be recognised- because the immediate application isn't clear. Or maybe some other technology needs to develop further (e.g. computational power). Sometimes a contribution might be a piece in a bigger puzzle and thus the value isn't realised by the original researcher. Research and Development is inherently a cost - if things go badly, hopefully valubal lessons were learnt and experiences gained. And if it goes well, well maybe it leads to a new product, gain in performance or recognition, etc.

Most of the points are cover in the article , according my opinion assess the financial impact this could involve cost saving , revenue generation and return on investment.evaluate whether the idea has a positive impact on the organisations financial goals and scalability is crucial for maximising the impact of successful innovation . To check the adoption rate how quick is it being embraced by customers .

You can claim your R&D idea as successful, if it leads to a new product or process useful to your organisation or the society OR if the idea offers something new to your field of study.