II.C.1. Preliminary State-of-the-Art (SOTA) Analysis

Estimated Execution Time

2 weeks

Objective

To conduct a web-based and/or using digital tools review that consolidates and expands on the initial market and knowledge scan performed in Step I.C.1. This analysis includes a more structured examination including key words used to the identified challenge, including commercial solutions, pre-commercial developments, patents, publications, and ongoing R&D projects. It provides robust evidence on the maturity of available technologies, clarifies why current or emerging solutions are insufficient, and serves as a foundation for defining the Common Unmet Needs and Innovation Challenge (II.B.3).

Who is Involved

Project Department / Innovation Unit: coordinate the SOTA analysis and ensure coherence with project objectives.
Technical Experts (IT, data, engineering, clinical): support technology screening, maturity assessment, and feasibility analysis.
Procurers / Contracting Authorities: validate relevance of identified solutions against operational needs.
Supporting Entities / Knowledge Partners (consultants, research organisations): conduct desk research, data collection, and structured analysis.

Activities / Tasks

II.C.1.1. Define scope and analysis framework

Define the scope of the SOTA Analysis based on the identified challenge and preliminary unmet needs.
Identify key concepts, keywords, and search strings relevant to the challenge domain.
Define sources to be analysed (publications, market reports, solution catalogues, scientific databases, patent repositories, EU-funded projects).

II.C.1.2. Identify solutions, assess maturity, performance, and limitations

Identify commercially available solutions addressing all or part of the identified challenge.
Identify pre-commercial developments, prototypes, and pilot initiatives.
Review relevant patents, scientific publications, and ongoing or completed R&D projects at EU and international level.
Assess the maturity level of identified solutions (e.g. TRL, market readiness).
Analyse functional coverage, performance gaps, and limitations in relation to the unmet needs.
Identify common constraints related to scalability, interoperability, regulatory compliance, or adoption.

II.C.1.3. Consolidate findings and identify gaps

Consolidate findings into a structured SOTA overview.
Clearly identify gaps where existing or emerging solutions do not fully address the unmet needs. Collect relevant information from internal or consortium partners that summarizes prior engagement with the market or other sources of information: fairs, webinars, or innovation events to validate findings and discover emerging technologies.
Provide evidence-based justification for the use of Public Procurement of Innovation (PCP/PPI).

Tips / Common Pitfalls

✅ Engage multidisciplinary experts

❌ Don’t rely only on known suppliers or informal exchanges

❌ Don’t look only for commercial technologies but make sure to investigate what’s being developed through articles, patents, industry events, colleagues and their knowledge etc.

Outcome / Deliverables

Preliminary or light State-of-the-art (SOTA) analysis of emergent and available technologies
Clear insight into feasibility, maturity level, and market interest

Resources

Market and State-of-the-Art (SOTA) Analysis

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