Societal Readiness Levels (SRL)

• Origin: Introduced as a pilot in the European Union's Horizon Europe program in 2024-2025 (specifically in the Cluster 5 2025 Work Programme) to address societal impacts in research and innovation.

• Definition: A scale to evaluate how ready society (users, institutions, and communities) is to adopt and integrate a technology, considering ethical, legal, social, economic, and cultural factors. It complements TRL by ensuring innovations are not just technically viable but socially acceptable and beneficial.

• Scale: Ranges from 1 to 9 (mirroring TRL structure for integration):

  • SRL 1: Initial societal implications identified.

  • SRL 2-3: Societal adaptation concepts formulated and explored.

  • SRL 4-6: Validation through stakeholder engagement, pilots, and assessments (e.g., ethical reviews).

  • SRL 7-8: Demonstration of societal acceptance in real contexts.

  • SRL 9: Proven societal integration and widespread adoption.