New key success factors for engineering technology transfer between research and development: technology maturity and proof of usage
Year: 2013
Editor: Udo Lindemann, Srinivasan V, Yong Se Kim, Sang Won Lee, John Clarkson, Gaetano Cascini
Author: de Fontaines, Iris; Lefeuve, Didier; Prudhomme, Guy; Tollenaere, Michel
Series: ICED
Institution: 1: Eurocopter, France; 2: Laboratoire des sciences pour la conception, l'optimisation et la production (G-SCOP), CNRS: UMR5272 - Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble - Université Joseph Fourier
Page(s): 061-070
ISBN: 978-1-904670-46-9
ISSN: 2220-4334
Abstract
Investment on Research and Technology (R&T) projects is a competitiveness key and contributes to study and develop innovative technologies. However, the success of the technology transfer between research and development projects is essential. In Eurocopter context, R&T projects are monitored thanks to the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) methodology. Developed by the NASA, it assesses the maturity of aircraft technology products in terms of efficiency, engineering, manufacturing and support means. The aim of this article is to enhance the technology transfer between research and development projects in the case of engineering technology product. Once developed, engineering products (DMU, PLM) are used by engineers during aircraft development programs. But how can teams manage with success the technology transfer of engineering products? In this paper, enrichments of current TRL methodology are proposed with a new key success factor: the proof of usage. The idea is to anticipate during R&T projects future usage of engineering technology products thanks to scenarios modeling. In this frame, a new approach is proposed and validated based on a Eurocopter case study.
Keywords: Technology transfer, engineering technology product, maturity, proof of usage, scenario