The development of digital products in research projects is usually done primarily to gain knowledge. If the products are then to be transformed into a usable product, economic quantification can sometimes be difficult. In this case, it is advisable to involve business partners in the discussion from the outset in order to obtain an assessment of the added value that can be emphasized in marketing and the economic value of the developed product.

The monetization of the developed product is further complicated by the fact that research projects often deal with complex problems and the results are correspondingly complex. On the one hand, this makes it more difficult to communicate to potential customers and, on the other hand, it makes it also more difficult to translate this into a business model. For example, the product may appeal to a very heterogeneous target group or even require a partnership between users, as in the case of new communication interfaces. In this case, it may be helpful to break the product down into individual parts to reduce the level of complexity.

A major challenge with digital tools in the energy sector can also be to identify how the costs are to be distributed, i.e. who actually benefits from the model and how. An example of this could be efficiency tools in the building sector, where the added value is for the tenant, but the motivation for implementation lies more with the landlord. Another example is automation in the grid sector, which is not covered by grid fees.

System boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred, especially in the energy sector. The electricity sector is linked to heating or electromobility, and digitalization opens up the possibility of links outside the energy sector, such as home automation. As a result, there is not only one market in which the product can be offered, and therefore not only one target group. As described above, this adds complexity. However, it can also be an opportunity to establish yourself in a market where there are not yet many products, or to target companies that are active in several markets or want to establish themselves there.

For some digital products, financing the infrastructure can also be a challenge. This is especially true when the development of the digital product, such as a platform, database or tool, was carried out by research institutes in the project. Since universities, for example, cannot market a product and thus earn money, but may have set up the platforms in their IT systems, the question arises as to how the costs of the infrastructure can be distributed reasonably or how the applications can be transferred in a legally secure manner. In the case of publicly accessible databases, the question may also arise as to who will bear the costs of updating and acquiring data. In this case, one solution might be to have public bodies maintain or permanently fund them.