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Technology Readiness Levels, the Valley of Death and Scaling Up Innovations

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Social and Technological Innovation in Africa
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Abstract

The different components of the innovation value chain, in the form of technology readiness levels (TRLs), which was first described by NASA (the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration), are discussed. The chapter emphasizes the “valley of death” or “innovation gap” within the TRLs—a traditional gap between academic or upstream R&D and its commercialization. We return to these definitions to further explain the stages of most African innovations and the challenges that they face.

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Notes

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Nwaka, S. (2021). Technology Readiness Levels, the Valley of Death and Scaling Up Innovations. In: Social and Technological Innovation in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0155-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0155-2_7

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