Reaching TRL 6 is now one of the most decisive factors in EIC Accelerator success — yet it remains one of the least understood. While the Work Programme requires applicants to enter at TRL 5, evaluators ultimately select companies that demonstrate a credible, evidence-driven trajectory toward TRL 6–8. Crucially, this threshold is not uniform: what constitutes “validated in a relevant environment” varies significantly across MedTech, Biotech Therapeutics, Digital Health, Deep Tech and Sustainable Livestock.

These sector-specific validation requirements—ranging from clinical-environment prototype testing to robust preclinical packages, prospective real-world data, dual platform–application validation, or complex field trials—explain why many promising innovations fall short. The differentiator is not scientific merit, but whether the evidence package reflects the standards regulators and evaluators expect for that technology category.

At Strategic Healthcare Advisors, we help innovators design validation strategies that align scientific, regulatory and funding pathways, ensuring TRL progression is both sector-appropriate and compelling to evaluators.

In this episode, Dr Caroline Chauché outlines what TRL 6 really means across life sciences sectors — and why understanding these differences is essential for EIC Accelerator readiness.