The pace of technological change requires an agile research and development process where high level requirements are quickly, almost instantaneously defined, refined and articulated. Contrary to the view of the solitary mad scientists in the secret back room, effective and timely research requires a robust team, stable funding, innovative scientists, disciplined processes, a user community identifying the technology gaps, and of course visionaries to describe what the future might look like. This paper will leverage the experiences from over twenty years of Department of Defense research to describe the attributes of successful research, testing and transition. The DoD’s seven budget categories of research and development (6.1 to 6.7) as well as the nine Technology Readiness Levels will be explored and discussed as they relate to the progression of projects moving from basic research to successful transitions. Several successful examples from the medical modeling and simulation community will be cited and discussed in detail.
Additionally, methods to describe and evaluate proposed research programs, such as the often used "Heilmeier Catechism" eight questions will be discussed. Appropriate testing for different technology readiness levels will be explored including from simple usability assessments to Training Effective Evaluations and how these compare to operational testing. A few pitfalls of unsuccessful research efforts will also be described, citing specific examples. Finally, a timeline will be presented for beginning a successful research project, including funding and transition strategies.