Research projects are funded up to different Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). In the case of application-oriented funding, e.g., within the framework of the energy research program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the development up to a prototype (TRL 6) is usually part of the funding. If it is already clear during the development that a business model could emerge from the development, a funding opportunity should be explored immediately afterwards until the product is ready for the market. This could be start-up funding, internal company funding, or follow-up funding for the research project. It should be kept in mind that funding applications can take some time to be processed.

Especially when it comes to digital products, an increasing diversity of stakeholders needs to be taken into consideration, both in the development and in the target groups. On the one hand, technical actors from the energy sector with the necessary energy technology expertise must be involved in the development. On the other hand, the knowledge required for the development of software and/or hardware must also be represented. If economic sustainability is the goal, economic expertise should also be involved. Depending on the target group, it may also be useful to include a social science perspective to enable user-oriented development.

The skills shortage is also a major issue in the research sector. On the one hand, there is a lack of qualified personnel in research projects, and on the other hand, there is a high fluctuation rate, as Ph.D. students, for example, are in demand on the job market and there is a risk of a large outflow of knowledge. Universities, in particular, lack long-term employees who will continue to work on the developed products after the end of the project or who are even interested in a spin-off. It can be helpful to communicate these options at an early stage.

In the energy sector, some monopolies exist due to the infrastructure. This is the case, for example, with district heating or electricity grid operators. Innovations and digital products in these areas should take this into account when developing business models. Often there is no purely economic interest, as these areas are highly regulated. Stakeholders who are potential target groups should be involved at an early stage. In this way, the added value can also be identified at other levels, such as efficiency, modernization or automation.

The development of products in the context of research projects has the advantage that the products do not initially have to exist within the economic framework provided by the legal framework. Data collection, which is sometimes necessary for digital applications, is also generally not covered by the legal framework. If this is the case, or if the model cannot be economically implemented within the current legal framework, this fact needs to be communicated to policy makers at an early stage to ensure that the application can still be continued.