An Approach for the Development and Maturation of ICT Products

Product development in academia and its technology transfer are crucial activities for the sustainable development of society. Nevertheless, transferring academic research is a complex process that requires mature research results aligned with market needs. Existing approaches frequently focus on process management and the relationships between system participants, disregarding the importance of maturity assessment in the product development cycle. This paper proposes an approach, comprising a Framework and a Method, to guide the progressive maturation of ICT products from universities and to facilitate their transfer to productive and social sectors. The Framework maps the innovation trajectory from research to commercialization by phases, tasks, activities, and stakeholders. The Method articulates agile cycles inspired by Scrum, with a continuous TRL-based maturity assessment and sustained market engagement to align academic product development with market demands. Innovation experts evaluated the approach using content validity indices and qualitative content analysis. The results showed a high level of agreement on the relevance and usefulness of the Framework and the Method, and qualitative feedback informed improvements in presentation and clarity. In summary, the proposed approach provides a practical roadmap for aligning university research with market needs and enhancing the conversion of prototypes into transferable and marketable solutions.