Emerging Technology Research Process

Strategic framework for technology evaluation, proof of concept, and enterprise integration

Aligned to: Executive Director, Emerging Technology and Enterprise Architecture

Executive Summary

This document defines the end-to-end business process for researching, evaluating, and implementing emerging technologies within the University's ICT ecosystem. The process ensures strategic alignment with University objectives while maintaining appropriate governance, risk management, and return on investment.

Critically, this process is the enabler for rapid integration capabilities. When a new opportunity arrives—an international research collaboration, a funding body requirement, a strategic partnership—the patterns, templates, and AI-assisted tooling produced by this process allow us to respond in weeks rather than months. The coin drops in the slot, and the machinery works.

Eight-phase lifecycle from discovery through to benefits realisation
Three governance gates ensuring appropriate oversight and resource allocation
Clear accountability model with Executive Director as process owner
Reusable pattern library producing pre-approved integration templates and AI-assisted development tools
Continuous improvement loop feeding learnings back into technology radar

Process Overview

End-to-End Process Flow

flowchart LR subgraph P1[" "] A["1
Discovery"] end subgraph P2[" "] B["2
Assessment"] end subgraph P3[" "] C["3
Evaluation"] end subgraph P4[" "] D["4
Business Case"] end subgraph P5[" "] E["5
Proof of Concept"] end subgraph P6[" "] F["6
Governance"] end subgraph P7[" "] G["7
Implementation"] end subgraph P8[" "] H["8
Review"] end P1 --> P2 --> P3 --> P4 --> P5 --> P6 --> P7 --> P8 P8 -.->|"Continuous
Improvement"| P1 style P1 fill:#FBEEE2,stroke:#E64626,stroke-width:2px style P2 fill:#FBEEE2,stroke:#E64626,stroke-width:2px style P3 fill:#FBEEE2,stroke:#E64626,stroke-width:2px style P4 fill:#FBEEE2,stroke:#424242,stroke-width:2px style P5 fill:#FBEEE2,stroke:#424242,stroke-width:2px style P6 fill:#FBEEE2,stroke:#424242,stroke-width:2px style P7 fill:#FBEEE2,stroke:#424242,stroke-width:2px style P8 fill:#FBEEE2,stroke:#424242,stroke-width:2px

Example: Consider a major EU Horizon Europe research collaboration requiring secure data exchange across six partner institutions in five countries. Rather than building custom integrations from scratch, this process has already produced GDPR-compliant data exchange patterns, federated identity templates, and AI-assisted API generation tools. The collaboration requirement "drops the coin in the slot"—the patterns flow through, and what would have taken eight months now takes six weeks.

Phase Details

Click any phase to expand its details. Phases are exclusive—opening one will close the others.

Discovery & Horizon Scanning

Ongoing / Quarterly review

Key Activities

Monitor industry trends and digital developments in higher education
Track technology vendor roadmaps and innovations
Identify opportunities for AI-assisted development and pattern automation
Engage research institutions for collaboration opportunities
Maintain technology radar and watchlist

Output: Technology Radar Report (Quarterly)

Initial Assessment

2–4 weeks

Key Activities

Assess strategic alignment with University 2032 Strategy
Conduct preliminary impact assessment
Initial risk and compliance screening
Prioritise against current ICT roadmap initiatives

Gate 1: Strategic Alignment Decision

Detailed Evaluation

4–8 weeks

Key Activities

Technical feasibility and architecture integration analysis
Security, data privacy and compliance review (including cross-jurisdiction requirements)
Assess contribution to reusable pattern library and AI-assisted tooling
Cost-benefit and total cost of ownership analysis
Stakeholder impact assessment

Output: Technology Evaluation Report

AI-assisted analysis and documentation can accelerate this phase by 20–30% when evaluating technologies with existing reference implementations.

Business Case & Approval

2–4 weeks

Key Activities

Develop comprehensive business case with ROI analysis
Define resource and budget requirements
Present to ICT Leadership Team
Obtain budget allocation for Proof of Concept

Gate 2: PoC Funding Approval

Proof of Concept

6–12 weeks

Key Activities

Define PoC scope and measurable success criteria
Assemble cross-functional pilot team
Execute controlled pilot with performance monitoring
Test AI-assisted development approaches and code generation where applicable
Document lessons learned and validate assumptions

Output: PoC Results & Recommendations Report

AI-assisted code generation can reduce development effort by 30–50% for integration work, though validation and debugging time should be factored in.

Governance Review

2–4 weeks

Key Activities

Present PoC results to governance bodies
Final compliance and risk review
Obtain senior leadership approval
Update ICT strategy and roadmap

Gate 3: Implementation Go/No-Go

Implementation & Integration

Variable (project dependent)

Key Activities

Detailed implementation planning and architecture updates
Publish reusable patterns to enterprise pattern library (API specifications, integration templates, compliance controls)
Execute phased rollout with change management
Staff training and capability development
System integration and data migration

Output: Updated Architecture Documentation & Pattern Library

Implementation leveraging existing patterns and AI-assisted tooling can achieve 50–70% time reduction compared to custom development.

Review & Continuous Improvement

Ongoing post-implementation

Key Activities

Post-implementation review against success criteria
Performance metrics and benefits realisation assessment
Validate pattern reusability—each implementation should accelerate the next
Knowledge sharing across ICT portfolios
Feed insights back into technology radar

Output: Benefits Realisation Report

Governance Framework

Process Owner

Executive Director, Emerging Technology and Enterprise Architecture

Approval Authority

Chief Information Officer (Gate 2 & 3)
ICT Leadership Team (Gate 1)

Review Cycle

Annual process review
Quarterly technology radar update

Accountability Matrix (RACI)

Phase	Responsible	Accountable	Consulted	Informed
1. Discovery	Architecture Team	Executive Director	Vendor PartnersResearch Institutions	ICT Leadership
2. Assessment	Senior Architects	Executive Director	Risk & ComplianceSecurity	Portfolio Directors
3. Evaluation	Technical Specialists	Executive Director	CybersecurityBusiness Stakeholders	Finance
4. Business Case	Executive Director	CIO	FinanceProcurement	ICT Leadership
5. Proof of Concept	Project Lead	Executive Director	End UsersVendors	CIO
6. Governance	Executive Director	CIO	Governance BoardLegal	VP Operations
7. Implementation	Implementation Team	Executive Director	All ICT Portfolios	End Users
8. Review	Project Team	Executive Director	Business Owners	ICT LeadershipVP Operations

Alignment to Position Responsibilities

This process directly supports the following accountabilities defined in the Executive Director, Emerging Technology and Enterprise Architecture position description:

Strategic Leadership

Anticipate and advise on emerging technologies and digital trends in higher education

Architecture Governance

Oversee strategic development of architecture guidelines, frameworks and templates

Technology Research

Lead research into emerging technologies and oversee pilot projects and proof-of-concept initiatives

Vendor Partnerships

Develop strategic partnerships with technology vendors and research institutions

The ultimate measure of this process is not how many technologies we evaluate, but how quickly we can respond when opportunity arrives. Each iteration through this lifecycle should produce patterns, templates, and tools that accelerate the next integration—whether it's a research collaboration, a funding body requirement, or a strategic partnership. The process is the enabler; the patterns are the product.