Research Services · Core

Ask the right question first: research framing & problem translation.

Most stalled projects are not short of effort — they are short of a question. R&D Scoping & Problem Translation turns an unclear business or technical challenge into a testable, structured research question: what exactly is unknown, why existing knowledge cannot answer it, and what a credible answer would look like. It is step one of our research value chain, and everything downstream depends on it.

On this page: what you get · when you need this · how it runs · related services · FAQ

What you get

  • Research scope definition
  • Technical uncertainty definition
  • Eligible R&D activity identification
  • Research hypotheses & variables
  • R&D plan outline
  • Research scope definition. A written boundary around the investigation: what is in, what is out, and why — so effort lands on the question that actually matters.
  • Technical uncertainty definition. A precise statement of what is unknown and why existing knowledge, on a competent professional’s assessment, cannot resolve it.
  • Eligible R&D activity identification. Where activities look like they may satisfy the R&D Tax Incentive definitions, we flag them early and structure the plan so eligibility assessment is straightforward later — a downstream benefit, never the starting point.
  • Research hypotheses & variables. Falsifiable hypotheses with the variables, controls and success criteria that will let an experiment actually answer the question.
  • R&D plan outline. A structured outline of the investigation ahead — the document your team, your specialists and your records all hang off.

When you need this

  • “We know something’s wrong, but we can’t articulate it.” The product underperforms, the process breaks at scale, the material fails intermittently — and every internal conversation circles without landing. Framing deconstructs the symptom into the specific unknowns behind it.
  • “We’re not sure whether this even counts as research.” The work feels experimental, but nobody can say where routine engineering ends and genuine technical uncertainty begins. Framing draws that line explicitly — which also makes any later eligibility assessment far simpler.
  • “We want to start, but don’t know where the write-up begins.” There is budget and intent, but no scope, no hypotheses and no plan a team could execute against. Framing produces the founding documents before a dollar of experimental work is spent.

How it runs

  1. Workshop & interviews

    We sit with the people closest to the problem — technical leads, operators, founders — and gather every symptom, constraint and prior attempt in one place.

  2. Problem deconstruction

    The challenge is broken into its component questions, separating what is already answerable from published knowledge or standard practice from what genuinely is not.

  3. Uncertainty mapping

    The remaining unknowns are mapped as technical uncertainties, each paired with candidate hypotheses, variables and the evidence that would resolve it.

  4. Research question finalised

    Scope, uncertainty definition, hypotheses and the R&D plan outline are agreed and documented — ready for design and experimentation.

    Typical engagement: 2–4 weeks end to end.

Frequently asked questions

How is research framing different from a consultant’s discovery phase?

A discovery phase ends with recommendations. Research framing ends with a testable question: an explicit statement of what is unknown, falsifiable hypotheses, and the variables and evidence needed to resolve them. It is the first step of scientific method, not a slide deck of opinions.

Do we need to know whether our project is R&DTI-eligible before we start?

No. The R&D Tax Incentive is self-assessed, and eligibility can only be judged against properly framed activities. Framing identifies where genuine technical uncertainty sits — which is exactly the raw material an eligibility assessment needs. As a registered Research Service Provider (RSP000047), spend with Ignition Research on registered fields is also exempt from the $20,000 minimum R&D expenditure threshold that normally applies to non-RSP, non-associate spend.

What do we walk away with if we go no further?

A self-contained package: research scope, technical uncertainty definition, hypotheses and variables, and an R&D plan outline. It stands on its own as a decision document, whether the next step is running the research with us, in-house, or not at all.

Not sure what your research question is yet?

That is precisely what this service exists for. Start with a research assessment and we will tell you — plainly — whether there is a real question worth investigating.

Begin your research assessment

General information only — not tax, financial or legal advice. R&D Tax Incentive eligibility depends on your specific activities and circumstances; the incentive is self-assessed. Always confirm current rules with the Australian Government (business.gov.au and ato.gov.au) or a registered tax agent.