A research value chain from ambiguous problem to defensible finding.

The six steps of the research value chain

1. Frame — translate the problem

   We translate a vague business or technical challenge into a testable research question: what exactly is unknown, why existing knowledge cannot answer it, and what a credible answer would look like.

   Outputs: Research scope · definition of technical uncertainty · hypotheses

2. Design — plan the investigation

   Using scientific method, we design the experiments, prototypes and analysis workflow needed to resolve the uncertainty — variables, controls, data requirements and success criteria agreed before work begins.

   Outputs: Experimental design · data collection plan · evidence requirements

3. Execute — run the research

   Experiments, prototyping and validation are carried out systematically, with results recorded as they happen rather than reconstructed afterwards.

   Outputs: Experiment runs · test results · interim findings

4. Integrate — bring in specialist capability

   Where a project needs capability we do not hold in-house, we identify, vet and coordinate external specialists and infrastructure — including university researchers through our IRIN network — under one research governance framework.

   Outputs: Specialist matching · coordinated multi-party work

5. Govern — keep every step defensible

   Plans, experiments, versions and evidence are managed across the whole lifecycle, producing an audit trail that stands up to scrutiny long after the project ends.

   Outputs: Version-controlled documentation · evidence log · audit trail

6. Return — realise the downstream benefits

   Structured research produces validated knowledge, de-risked decisions and defensible records. One natural consequence: where activities meet the eligibility criteria, the evidence base can support a credible R&D Tax Incentive registration. The incentive is an outcome of research done properly — not the starting point.

   Outputs: Validated findings · decision-ready evidence · claim-ready records (where eligible)

Each step is delivered through our core research services — from research framing at step one through to research governance at step five.

Scientific method, applied to commercial problems

The method behind the chain is deliberately conventional science, held to consistently:

• Hypothesis-driven. Work starts from an explicit, falsifiable statement of what we believe and how we would know if we were wrong.
• Controlled. Variables are identified and isolated so results mean something — a change in outcome can be traced to a change in input.
• Evidenced. Observations are recorded at the time they are made, in version-controlled records, so findings can be defended later.
• Reproducible. Another competent team, given the same records, could repeat the work and check the conclusions.

We conduct research. Tax advisers prepare claims.

The distinction matters. A tax adviser or accountant works on the claim side of the R&D Tax Incentive — preparing and lodging. Ignition Research works on the delivery side: as a government-registered Research Service Provider (RSP000047), we actually conduct and structure the research. Our moat is the combination of registered RSP status, a working research methodology and a complete evidence system — three things a claims-preparation service does not provide.

Where the R&DTI fits: when research is framed, executed and documented properly, eligibility assessment becomes a by-product of good records rather than a reconstruction exercise. That is why the incentive sits at step six of our chain — never at step one.