RAIDT Commercialisation — Project Plan

Owner: Mohammad Ali Akeel
Period: May 2026 – November 2027 (18 months)
Status: Planning / pre-execution
Last updated: 2026-05-10

This is the master plan for taking RAIDT from PhD research framework to commercially licensed methodology and product. It ties together the supporting deliverables in this folder:

1. Vision and outcome

18-month outcome target: RAIDT operating as a peer-reviewed, trade-marked, standards-engaged methodology with at least:

• One signed KTP partnership delivering RAIDT in a regulated organisation
• One paid licence or pilot with an audit firm (Big-4 or mid-tier)
• One follow-on grant secured beyond ICURe (BridgeAI / RAi UK / Smart Grant / Sovereign AI larger programme)
• BSI or ISO working-group engagement underway
• Trilogy of papers published; PhD on track for submission

Long-term (3–5 year) ambition: RAIDT cited as reference methodology in UK and EU AI assurance practice, with a sustainable commercial vehicle (spin-out, licensee, or open-core community) and a defensible market position.

2. Workstreams

The plan runs six parallel workstreams. They overlap but have different rhythms.

3. Phase plan

Phase 0 — Decisions that unblock everything (Week 0 — this week)

Goal: lock down ownership and authorisation. Do not start commercial outreach before this is done.

Decision gate at end of Week 0:

• Owner-of-record for RAIDT and RAIT confirmed (University / founder / spin-out)
• Supervisor support confirmed
• Sovereign AI £9m bid: go / no-go (recommend no-go — too tight, wait for £160m larger programme)

Phase 1 — Foundations (Weeks 1–4, May–early June 2026)

Goal: protective IP filed; commercial pipeline opened.

Stream A — IP & Brand

• Run UKIPO clearance search for RAIDT (~30 min, free, gov.uk)
• Run UKIPO clearance search for RAIT — higher risk, may need professional search (£400–800)
• Confirm trade-mark specifications with Tech Transfer / TM attorney
• File UK trade-mark applications: RAIDT (5 classes, £370) + RAIT (3 classes, £270) = £640
• Update ™ symbol use across all RAIDT outputs and marketing (slides, papers cover, website if any)
• Approve standard NDA template with Tech Transfer for commercial outreach
• Set up © attribution language across all written outputs

Stream B — Academic

• Confirm publication status on trilogy papers (08 Foundations, 09 Empirical Validation, 10 Interoperable Governance) and Configured Runs manuscript
• Address Mark's V61 comments and finalise Foundations paper
• Submit / resubmit any paper currently in revision

Stream C — Commercial Discovery

• Finalise ICURe Explore application (file 02) with supervisor sign-off
• Submit to next live ICURe round (check icureprogramme.com for current dates)
• Build target list of 100 candidate customer-discovery interviewees across 6 segments

Stream D — Partnerships

• Send 6 KTP outreach emails using file 01 templates (mix: 2 audit firms, 2 regulated sector, 2 vendors)
• Set up tracking spreadsheet (Name, Org, Sent date, Reply, Stage)
• Engage Portsmouth KTP Office — brief them on the strategy and ask for their support

Stream E — Funding pipeline mapping

• Map dates and deadlines for Innovate UK BridgeAI, RAi UK calls, Smart Grants, Eureka, Horizon Europe Trustworthy AI calls
• Identify Q3–Q4 2026 application windows and pre-position accordingly

Stream F — Standards (preparation only)

• Identify named contacts at BSI (AMT/1 — AI committee), ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42, NIST, AISI
• Draft introductory note for BSI committee chair (file as 06 once drafted)

Decision gate at end of Week 4:

• Trade marks filed
• ICURe submitted
• 6+ KTP outreach emails sent; reply-rate observable
• NDA template approved → unblocks deeper commercial conversations

Phase 2 — Validation (Weeks 5–12, June–August 2026)

Goal: run the customer-discovery learning loop; convert outreach into pipeline.

Stream A — IP & Brand

• Respond to UKIPO examination reports (most likely arrive in this window)
• If RAIT is opposed or conflicts found → decide rebrand or co-existence path
• Begin EU TM via Madrid Protocol if UK applications progress smoothly

Stream B — Academic

• Continue paper revisions and submissions
• Begin sector playbook polishing — pick 2 sectors with strongest commercial signal (likely healthcare, financial services)

Stream C — Commercial Discovery (the engine of this phase)

• If ICURe Explore awarded: full 12-week customer-discovery execution (target 100 interviews)
• If ICURe not awarded yet: run a leaner 30-interview discovery anyway, self-funded, focused on KTP and Big-4 prospects
• Weekly hypothesis update: Which segment converts? What's willingness to pay? What's blocking adoption?
• Maintain Discovery Log with verbatim quotes for later citation

Stream D — Partnerships

• Follow-up wave on Phase 1 outreach (one bump per non-replier, then drop)
• First meetings: target 3–5 organisations across audit firms and regulated sector
• If Big-4 partner agrees to second meeting → present file 03 deck (rehearse twice with supervisors first)
• Begin formal KTP application paperwork with Portsmouth KTP Office for any partner showing real interest
• First sector partner: target one anchor customer for a future RAIT pilot

Stream E — Grants

• Submit Innovate UK BridgeAI or RAi UK application if a relevant call opens
• Begin scoping the Sovereign AI larger £160m programme bid (no submission yet — track for opening)

Stream F — Standards

• Send introductory note to BSI AMT/1 chair; request observer status
• Identify a NIST AI RMF GenAI Profile working group contribution opportunity

Decision gate at end of Week 12:

• Customer-discovery findings synthesised
• Primary commercialisation route hypothesis confirmed (spin-out / licence / open-core)
• 1–2 KTP partners advancing to formal application
• 1 Big-4 firm advancing to pilot conversation OR de-prioritised with reason

Phase 3 — Commitment (Months 4–9, September 2026 – February 2027)

Goal: convert validated hypotheses into signed partnerships, awarded grants, and a clear commercial structure.

Stream A — IP & Brand

• Trade marks registered (expected Q3/Q4 2026)
• Switch ™ → ® on registered marks
• File EU and US trade marks via Madrid Protocol (within UK priority window)
• Register design rights for any RAIT UI artefacts that exist
• Maintain trade-secret discipline on any client-specific work

Stream B — Academic

• Trilogy of papers published or accepted
• Configured Runs manuscript published or accepted
• PhD dissertation skeleton in place
• Sector playbooks for chosen verticals finalised

Stream C — Commercial Discovery

• ICURe Discover application (next stage, ~£75k, 12 weeks pilot with 1–2 anchor customers)
• Continue targeted interviews to refine pricing and positioning

Stream D — Partnerships

• At least one signed KTP with industry partner; KTP Associate recruitment underway
• One paid pilot agreement with a Big-4 or mid-tier audit firm (£60–150k, 12 weeks)
• One sector anchor committed for RAIT product pilot
• Partnership pipeline at 8–12 active conversations

Stream E — Grants

• Sovereign AI larger programme (£160m) submission — assuming it opens in late 2026 with broader asset classes; reframe RAIDT as either (a) a national run-level evidence corpus or (b) AI assurance infrastructure for sovereign capability
• Innovate UK Smart Grant or BridgeAI award
• Engagement with AISI on evaluation contributions (could attract grant funding)

Stream F — Standards

• BSI committee observer status confirmed
• First contribution submitted to ISO/IEC 42001 implementation guidance work
• NIST GenAI Profile contribution drafted

Decision gate at end of Month 9:

• Primary commercial vehicle decided and instantiated:
  • Option A: Portsmouth spin-out incorporated; founder package agreed; pre-seed planning
  • Option B: Exclusive or non-exclusive licence executed with at least one audit firm; ongoing royalty agreement
  • Option C: Open-core model with hosted RAIT service; standalone company or licence-back arrangement
• At least one KTP project active
• At least one revenue-generating engagement (pilot or licence)
• Standards engagement visible in at least one published forum

Phase 4 — Build & monetise (Months 10–18, March – November 2027)

Goal: deliver real customer outcomes; harden the product; reach sustainable revenue.

Stream A — IP & Brand

• EU and US trade marks registered
• Brand guidelines published for licensees
• Annual trade-mark surveillance in place
• Reconsider patent question only if RAIT software produces specific narrow technical novelty

Stream B — Academic

• PhD submitted (or near submission)
• Continued publication tempo (2–3 papers/yr)
• First conference keynote or invited talk on RAIDT in industry forum

Stream C — Commercial Discovery

• ICURe Mentor stage if going spin-out route
• Pre-seed or seed conversations if appropriate
• Continued lightweight discovery for the next vertical/segment

Stream D — Partnerships

• KTP delivery in flight — half-yearly grading expected
• Audit firm pilot delivered → conversion to annual licence
• Two new licensing conversations active (e.g., second Big-4 + one mid-tier)
• At least one international (EU or Middle East) partnership conversation

Stream E — Grants

• Sovereign AI larger programme outcome (if applicable)
• Horizon Europe consortium application if a relevant call lines up
• Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowship or Future Leaders Fellowship if eligibility matches

Stream F — Standards

• RAIDT cited in at least one BSI / ISO / NIST / AISI public output
• Reference implementation published as open-source (the connector + schema)
• Conference symposium or workshop hosted (extends RAID Lab roadmap)

Decision gate at end of Month 18:

• Annual recurring revenue ≥ £200k OR spin-out raised pre-seed ≥ £500k OR licence-out producing £150k+/yr
• Commercial vehicle stable; founder package finalised
• Product roadmap and team plan for next 24 months
• Public profile sufficient to attract inbound enquiries

4. Critical path

The plan has five hard dependencies. Anything that drifts on these blocks downstream work.

Owner-of-record decision (Week 0)
        ↓
Trade-mark filings (Week 4)
        ↓
NDA template approved (Week 4)
        ↓
Commercial outreach at scale (Week 5+)
        ↓
ICURe Discovery findings (Week 16)
        ↓
Commercialisation route decision (Month 9)
        ↓
Spin-out / licence / open-core instantiation (Month 12)

Watch-outs:

• If Tech Transfer takes longer than 2 weeks to engage → escalate via supervisor
• If RAIT clearance fails → rebrand decision should happen in Phase 1 not Phase 2 (rebranding mid-pipeline is expensive)
• If ICURe is not awarded → run a leaner self-funded discovery; do not skip discovery
• If no KTP partner signs → reconsider whether the methodology has product-market fit at the price point before pushing harder

5. Resource and capacity plan

You are a single PhD researcher. The plan must respect that. Here is who does what:

Estimated effort allocation per week (during Phase 1–2):

• Academic / paper revisions: 12 hrs/wk
• Commercialisation activities: 15 hrs/wk
• PhD other (data, dissertation prep): 8 hrs/wk
• Reading / standards / strategy: 5 hrs/wk

This assumes ~40 hrs/wk on the PhD overall. Adjust if you have a parallel job.

6. Budget summary (your out-of-pocket exposure)

Personal cash exposure: minimal if Tech Transfer covers TM filings. This is structured deliberately so you don't fund commercialisation out of personal funds.

7. Risk register

8. Tracking and metrics

Maintain a single tracking sheet (Excel / Google Sheet / Notion / Obsidian Bases). Update weekly.

Headline KPIs:

Weekly review (15 min, Sunday):

• Which workstream is behind?
• What's the single most important action this week?
• Any decision gate approaching that needs supervisor input?

Monthly review (90 min, last working day of month):

• Update KPIs
• Review risk register
• Adjust phase plan if drift > 2 weeks on any critical path item

9. Decision triggers

These are situations that should trigger a deliberate replan rather than continuing on autopilot.

10. The next 7 days — your starting checklist

If nothing else, do these seven things this week.

• Email IP Strategy Memo (file 05) to Portsmouth Tech Transfer with meeting request
• 30-min meeting with supervisors to brief them on the plan and confirm support
• Run free UKIPO clearance search for RAIDT and RAIT
• Set up tracking spreadsheet with the headline KPIs from §8
• Decide go/no-go on Sovereign AI £9m round (recommend no-go)
• Book ICURe programme intro call (if you haven't already) at icureprogramme.com
• Identify the first KTP outreach target — one specific named person at one specific firm — and personalise the email from file 01

Start with the email to Tech Transfer. Everything else flows from owner-of-record being settled.