The Life Science sector now has its own version of the Innovation Readiness Level (IRL), developed to help early-stage companies assess their level of innovation maturity. In January, Leap for Life will assume responsibility for the analysis tool from Life Science Academy for Startups.

Life Science Academy for Startups, a Scandinavian Life Science initiative, has developed a new version of the KTH Innovation Readiness Level (IRL) specifically tailored to companies in the Life Science sector. The tool, which has been developed and used over nearly three years, takes into account the requirements and challenges that companies face early in their development journey, such as regulatory processes, clinical needs, safety and risk management. It provides a consolidated overview of a company’s current position, identifies gaps that need to be addressed, and clarifies the next steps on the path from idea to market.

Leap for Life Takes IRL Development Forward

Leap for Life, Halland’s arena for health innovation, will take over responsibility after the turn of the year for managing and further developing the tool, which is based on the KTH IRL model. Close collaboration with researchers, companies and other innovation environments makes Leap for Life a natural coordinator for stewarding the tool and driving its continued development. The aim is to keep the tool up to date, easy to use and relevant for companies across health tech, medtech, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals.

“Life Science Academy for Startups has laid a strong foundation, and our focus now is to build on the excellent work that has already been done and ensure that the tool continues to be relevant and valuable for the sector,” says Emma Börjesson, Head of Operations at Leap for Life.

Ownership of the tool means that Leap for Life will provide a resource to support companies that want to integrate innovation maturity assessments into their own processes. This may involve helping an incubator get started or conducting more in-depth analyses of startups to create clearer decision-making support.

“This is an important step in providing Life Science companies with stronger support throughout their innovation journey. With a Life Science IRL tool, we can identify critical issues at an early stage and help companies take the right step at the right time,” says Richard Grönevall, who will lead the development and launch of the tool during the spring.

Support in Identifying the Next Step

As coordinator and owner of the IRL tool, Leap for Life will continue the work in close collaboration with the KTH Innovation. The ambition is to make it easy for more startups, investors and innovation environments within Life Science to use the tool in their work and to follow companies’ development journeys in a structured way.

Through the launch of a Life Science–specific IRL tool, companies gain practical support to identify their most important development needs at an early stage, prioritise the right actions and make more informed decisions throughout their development journey.