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WBSO · RECOGNITION PER PROJECT TYPE

WBSO examples: which projects qualify?

Examples of WBSO projects are the development of technically new physical products, production processes, software and technical-scientific research. Decisive is not that a project sounds innovative, but that you solve technical bottlenecks yourself or research an unexplained technical phenomenon — and that the outcome is technically uncertain in advance.

BY PETER KLAREN · LAST CHECKED SEPTEMBER 2026 · SOURCE: WBSO GUIDE 2026 (RVO)

WBSO examples at a glance

ProjectPossibly WBSO?Why
New machine where existing constructions do not achieve the accuracypossiblyown technical bottleneck
Scaling up an existing machineusually notscaling up alone is insufficient
Processing bio-based plastic where flow and degradation become unpredictablepossiblytechnically new process
Installing and commissioning a standard production lineusually notexisting technology
Own matching algorithm due to a hard latency limitpossiblyprogramming-technical bottleneck
Building a webshop or API integrationusually notapplication of existing technology
Explaining the cause of unexpected corrosionpossibly technical scientific researchexplanatory technical research
Determining the best process settings through test seriesusually notdeterminative/optimising

WBSO examples: product development (6)

It is about the technical uncertainty, what the company develops itself and where regular engineering work ends and R&D begins.

Robot arm with higher positioning accuracy

Situation: A machine builder has to position a robot arm within ±0.05 mm at higher speed.

Technical bottleneck: Mechanical backlash and elastic deformation lead to deviations; existing bearing and damping concepts are insufficient.

Own development: Own construction and compensation principle, developed and tested in iterations.

Why possibly WBSO: Own technical bottleneck + technically new construction + technical uncertainty.

Falls outside R&D: Configuring a standard robot arm or scaling up an existing model.

Battery system with own thermal management

Situation: A producer of energy storage wants the same energy density in a smaller housing.

Technical bottleneck: Fast charging causes hotspots that existing cooling plates do not dissipate sufficiently.

Own development: Own combination of cell packing, phase-change material and adaptive control.

Why possibly WBSO: New thermal operating principle with uncertain performance in advance.

Falls outside R&D: Designing a housing around standard cells without a new thermal principle.

Sensor with new measurement principle

Situation: Measures vibrations in an oily environment with high temperature.

Technical bottleneck: Existing sensors lose signal reliability there.

Own development: Own measurement principle based on an alternative physical effect, including signal processing.

Why possibly WBSO: Technically new measurement principle + uncertain operation under process conditions.

Falls outside R&D: Only recalibrating or fitting an existing sensor.

Medical implant with controlled release

Situation: A medtech company wants to release an active substance gradually over six months.

Technical bottleneck: Existing carriers dissolve too quickly or cause dose peaks.

Own development: Own matrix with controlled degradation rate, tested in accelerated ageing research.

Why possibly WBSO: New material principle + uncertainty about the release profile.

Falls outside R&D: Standard formulation without a technically new carrier principle.

Electric drive with higher power density

Situation: A manufacturer has to deliver 40% more torque in the same flange pattern.

Technical bottleneck: The existing rotor topology does not achieve the target within the thermal budget.

Own development: Own electromagnetic topology and cooling structure.

Why possibly WBSO: Technically new operating principle + uncertainty about heat management.

Falls outside R&D: Merely upgrading an existing motor with standard material.

Circular composite with natural fibre reinforcement

Situation: A producer wants to partially replace glass fibre with natural fibres without loss of strength.

Technical bottleneck: Natural fibres show varying adhesion and moisture sensitivity.

Own development: Own fibre treatment and laminate build-up, validated with destructive tests.

Why possibly WBSO: New material concept with uncertain mechanical performance.

Falls outside R&D: Only laminating an existing composite differently with a proven formulation.

Prototype limit: an experimental prototype with which solely the operating principle is demonstrated can be part of the R&D. A sellable prototype or final machine with user value does not automatically fall under it.

→ WBSO product development · view the elaborated machine case

WBSO examples: process development (6)

Extrusion of bio-based plastic

Situation: A processor wants to increase the throughput speed of a bio-based compound.

Technical bottleneck: On increase, the melt viscosity changes unexpectedly and unstable layer thickness occurs; conventional settings are unusable.

Own development: Own combination of screw geometry, temperature zoning and process control, validated with test runs.

Why possibly WBSO: Technically new process principle + experimental validation.

Falls outside R&D: Only searching for the best settings with the existing screw configuration.

Low-VOC coating at higher line speed

Situation: A coater has to reduce the solvent content without losing line speed.

Technical bottleneck: Replacing the solvent changes viscosity and film formation to such an extent that the existing application principle fails.

Own development: Own application and drying process including adjusted formulation.

Why possibly WBSO: New process design + uncertainty about film quality at higher speed.

Falls outside R&D: Only optimising the drying temperature.

Heat treatment with hydrogen atmosphere

Situation: A steel processor has to protect a new steel quality against decarburisation.

Technical bottleneck: Existing atmospheres cause edge carbon loss with the new composition.

Own development: Own atmosphere control and temperature profile, tested on test pieces.

Why possibly WBSO: New process window + technical uncertainty about material properties.

Falls outside R&D: Applying a standard temperature-time curve to existing steel.

Chemical process with continuous route

Situation: A chemical company wants to convert a batch process into a continuous route.

Technical bottleneck: Residence time and heat transfer differences make behaviour unpredictable; scale laws from the batch do not apply.

Own development: Own reactor geometry and control, experimentally validated at pilot scale.

Why possibly WBSO: Technically new process route + scale-up uncertainty.

Falls outside R&D: Merely scaling up the batch.

Residual stream into new building material

Situation: A circular company processes an industrial residual stream into building board material.

Technical bottleneck: Varying composition of the residual stream makes bonding and strength unpredictable.

Own development: Own binder reaction and process route for varying input.

Why possibly WBSO: New process for unknown composition + mechanical uncertainty.

Falls outside R&D: Merely scaling up a proven formulation.

Higher tolerances in vibration-free turning

Situation: A supplier has to tighten the tolerance of a turned part by a factor of two.

Technical bottleneck: Temperature drift and clamping force cause deviations outside the new tolerance.

Own development: Own clamping system and compensation strategy, tested with measurement series.

Why possibly WBSO: New process control + measurable uncertainty.

Falls outside R&D: Only fine-tuning existing clamping means.

→ WBSO process development · view the bio-based extrusion case

WBSO examples: software and computer programs (8)

Matching platform with latency limit

Situation: A SaaS company has to compare 250,000 candidates in real time.

Programming-technical problem: Existing data structures do not achieve the required latency within the memory budget.

Own development: New partitioning and scoring method, realised in own software.

Why possibly WBSO: Technically new information-technology operating principle + technical uncertainty.

Falls outside R&D: UI, standard API integrations and cloud configuration.

AI inference on edge hardware

Situation: A vision model has to achieve sufficient frame rate on available edge hardware.

Programming-technical problem: The existing model exceeds memory and energy consumption; standard runtimes offer no solution.

Own development: Own software for processing, scheduling and model execution.

Why possibly WBSO: The technical problem lies in the own software, not in model application.

Falls outside R&D: Integrating an existing AI model via an API.

Distributed data platform for sensor streams

Situation: Millions of sensors deliver continuous telemetry that has to be analysed in real time.

Programming-technical problem: Existing message brokers and databases do not achieve the combination of throughput and consistency.

Own development: Own distribution and consistency layer with new processing pipeline.

Why possibly WBSO: New information-technology operating principle + scale-up uncertainty.

Falls outside R&D: Merely scaling up an existing platform horizontally.

Embedded control algorithm for autonomous vehicle

Situation: An aggregate has to navigate autonomously with limited computing power.

Programming-technical problem: Existing planning algorithms are too slow or too large for the embedded target.

Own development: Own reduced algorithm with new memory and timing architecture.

Why possibly WBSO: Programming-technical bottleneck + uncertain feasibility on the target.

Falls outside R&D: Merely parameterising standard navigation software.

Own database schema for time series

Situation: An industrial platform has to store high-frequency measurement data with second granularity and query it directly.

Programming-technical problem: Generic databases degrade with this combination of writes and reads.

Own development: Own storage and indexing structure for time series.

Why possibly WBSO: New data structure with uncertain performance under production load.

Falls outside R&D: Installing and tuning an existing time-series database.

Security architecture with zero-knowledge verification

Situation: A fintech platform has to verify transactions without sharing confidential data.

Programming-technical problem: Existing protocols do not meet the combination of speed and proof size.

Own development: Own verification protocol and cryptographic implementation.

Why possibly WBSO: Technically new operating principle in software + uncertain performance.

Falls outside R&D: Applying standard TLS and existing libraries.

Model compression for real-time prediction

Situation: A predictive model has to answer within milliseconds on a production environment.

Programming-technical problem: Full models are too slow; existing compression techniques lose too much accuracy.

Own development: Own compression and quantisation method with retention of accuracy.

Why possibly WBSO: Programming-technical bottleneck + uncertain accuracy trade-off.

Falls outside R&D: Choosing a smaller standard model from a catalogue.

Scalable rendering engine for configurators

Situation: A 3D configurator has to render photorealistic previews in the browser on average hardware.

Programming-technical problem: Existing engines do not achieve the combination of quality and frame rate without heavy plugins.

Own development: Own rendering pipeline with new level-of-detail strategy.

Why possibly WBSO: New information-technology operating principle + performance uncertainty.

Falls outside R&D: Merely tuning an existing engine with settings.

Formal programming language: the technically new solution is actually realised in software in a formal programming language. It does not stop at an algorithm, architecture or functional design.

→ WBSO software and computer programs · view the elaborated matching case

WBSO examples: technical scientific research (6)

With technical scientific research it is not about solving a bottleneck but about explaining an unexplained technical phenomenon according to a research design that is sufficiently concrete, systematic and planned at the time of application.

Unexpected delamination under cyclic load

Situation: A laminate producer sees delamination occur in layers that are safe according to calculation.

Unexplained technical phenomenon: Existing literature and internal knowledge give no explanation for the mechanism.

Research design: Systematic experiments with varying load, temperature and material batches to explain the underlying mechanism.

Why possibly technical scientific research: Explanatory technical research aimed at new technical knowledge.

Falls outside R&D: Determining at which setting the least delamination occurs (optimising).

Rapid corrosion under specific process conditions

Situation: An installation corrodes faster than the material certificate predicts.

Unexplained technical phenomenon: The cause of the accelerated corrosion under these conditions is unknown.

Research design: Research into the chemical mechanism with controlled exposure experiments.

Why possibly technical scientific research: Explanatory research into the mechanism, not into the best setting.

Falls outside R&D: A design of experiments that only determines the least corrosive conditions.

Unstable crystallisation in a coating process

Situation: A coating producer sees varying crystal forms with seemingly identical batches.

Unexplained technical phenomenon: Why one batch shows a different morphology is unexplained.

Research design: Microscopic and calorimetric research into nucleation and growth mechanism.

Why possibly technical scientific research: New explanatory knowledge about the crystallisation mechanism.

Falls outside R&D: At which temperature the desired form occurs most (determinative).

Premature failure of welded joints

Situation: Welded joints fail earlier than expected on the basis of inspections.

Unexplained technical phenomenon: The failure mechanism cannot be explained with existing insights.

Research design: Metallographic and fractographic research into the failure mechanism under varying conditions.

Why possibly technical scientific research: Explanatory research into the mechanism.

Falls outside R&D: Merely adjusting the welding protocol until the failure stops (procedural).

Abnormal fermentation kinetics in a biotechnological process

Situation: A biotech process shows unexpected delay with a specific substrate combination.

Unexplained technical phenomenon: The biological cause of the delayed kinetics is unknown.

Research design: Controlled fermentation experiments and analysis of metabolites to explain the mechanism.

Why possibly technical scientific research: Explanatory biological-technical research.

Falls outside R&D: Optimising the nutrient medium until the speed is acceptable.

Heat dissipation of a power module under pulsating load

Situation: An energy module shows thermal degradation that models do not predict.

Unexplained technical phenomenon: The extra heat development under pulsating load is unexplained.

Research design: Thermal and electrical characterisation research into the underlying physical effect.

Why possibly technical scientific research: New physical-technical explanation.

Falls outside R&D: At which duty cycle the temperature remains low (determinative).

→ WBSO technical scientific research · view the crystallisation case

Examples per sector

WBSO is not determined by the sector. These sectors frequently occur in practice:

SectorTypical WBSO-like example
Mechanical engineeringNew operating principle for positioning, driving or machining
Energy technologyThermal management, power electronics or storage systems with new topology
ElectronicsNew measurement principle or embedded design with hard timing or energy requirements
MedtechMaterial or release principle for implants and disposables
BiotechNew bioprocesses or explanatory research into biological mechanisms
ChemicalsNew process routes, catalysts or continuous processes
FoodNew preservation or texture principles, explanatory research into structure
Circular materialsResidual streams into new materials with uncertain properties
SaaS / softwareOwn algorithms, data structures and infrastructure with performance bottlenecks
AIOwn inference or compression technique in software (not merely model application)
Embedded systemsOwn control algorithms within hard memory and time budgets
RoboticsNew control or compensation principles for accuracy

Examples that are definitely NOT WBSO

ProjectWhy no WBSWBSO
Scaling up an existing machine to a larger versionScaling up without a new technical principle
Installing and commissioning a standard production lineApplication of existing technology
Building a webshop or API integrationFunctional application, no technically new operating principle
Market research into product ideasNo technical development work
Applying existing AI models via APIApplication of available technology
Optimising process settings with test seriesDeterminative/optimising, no technically new process
Improving maintenance planningOrganisational, not R&D
Restyling or redesigning an existing productDesign, no technically new operating principle

Elaborated WBSO cases

The examples above are intended for recognition: short and representative. If you want to see what a complete WBSO case looks like — from application to records — you will find it on the case page.

Frequently asked questions about WBSO examples

Which projects qualify for WBSO?
Technically new physical products, production processes or software, and technical scientific research. Decisive are the own technical bottlenecks, the own solution and the technical uncertainty.
Must my product be new to the market?
No. Technically new for your own company is decisive, in addition to technical bottlenecks and uncertainties.
Is a new app automatically WBSO?
No. Functionally new software is not automatically technically new software. There must be a programming-technical bottleneck and a new operating principle in software.
Is a prototype WBSO?
Possibly. An experimental prototype without user value can be part of the R&D. Prototypes that are commercially available or serve as a business asset fall outside it.
Is process optimisation WBSO?
Not automatically. Only testing settings and seeking the best process window is not R&D. There must be a technically new process principle with own bottlenecks.
Is AI WBSO?
The use of AI is not in itself enough. Own technically new software — such as own inference or compression techniques — can possibly qualify. For 2027 a possible widening has been announced but is not yet definitive.
Is scientific research always WBSO?
No. Technical scientific research must be technical and explanatory. Determinative or optimising research does not qualify.

Is your project not among the examples?

No WBSO project is exactly the same. We assess whether your technical bottleneck, own solution direction or research question can fit within the WBSO.

SOURCES AND CONTENT REVIEW

RVO — WBSO Guide 2026

Reviewed by Peter Klaren, WBSO specialist since 2004. Last substantively updated: 21 September 2026.