A new delivery process to speed up R&D exploitation from end-to-end engaging all stakeholders was recommended. A recommendation that was iterated in the October 2007 review of R&D that found that MoD's R&D is not currently managed as a coherent whole22. A revised three channel research delivery process was defined in the MoD Research and Development Handbook, May 200723.
The Enabling Research Channel is sponsored by Science Innovation Technology (SIT) and focuses on delivery new technology and should generally take projects up to TRL 3.
The Capability and Management Channel is sponsored by ECC and provides technical and capability management skills.
The Technology Development Channel, sponsored by DE&S, typically takes technology from TRL 3 to 6, at which point it should then be transferred to the relevant IPT and be funded through the Equipment Plan. This channel should focus on cross-cutting technologies and open system architectures to allow technology to be used across a number of IPTs or clusters.
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22 Maximising Defence Capability Through R&D (Oct 2007)
23 MoD R&D Handbook Interim Draft Release Issue 1 (10 May 2007)