Eligibility
Does your R&D qualify?
Eligibility is determined by applying the OECD Frascati criteria to the specific facts of each project. OAM Advisory provides a written assessment at no cost.
The Operative Test
Technical uncertainty, not commercial risk.
A useful first indicator:
"Could a competent professional in your field have predicted the outcome of this work using existing knowledge?"
Where the answer is no, qualifying R&D activity may be present. All five Frascati criteria must be met for a project to qualify.
The five Frascati criteria
Examples
What may qualify and what typically does not.
Illustrative only. Eligibility depends on the application of all five criteria to the specific facts of each project.
May qualify
- Novel drug formulations, compounds, or delivery mechanisms
- New software architectures, algorithms, or AI/ML models
- Engineering processes advancing beyond the state of the art
- New product development with genuine technical uncertainty
- Energy storage or conversion systems with experimental uncertainty
Typically does not qualify
- Routine software development using established methods
- Applying known techniques to new commercial contexts
- Quality assurance or validation of existing products
- Market research, feasibility studies, or commercial planning
- Regulatory compliance activities
Not sure whether your work qualifies?
OAM Advisory provides a written eligibility assessment at no cost.