Integrating Scientific Readiness and Added Scientific Value: A Multiplicative Conceptual Model for Research Assessment

Modern approaches to research assessment often treat two independent dimensions: the degree of readiness (the progress of scientific maturity) and the Added Scientific Value (novelty, rigor, reproducibility, and societal significance). The present study aims to develop an integrative model that links the stepwise logic of Scientific Readiness Levels (SRLs) with the continuous evaluation of Added Scientific Value (ASV). To achieve this, we construct a two-dimensional quantitative framework, SRL × ASV, in which discrete readiness levels are combined with the multiplicative aggregation of normalized qualitative indicators—including novelty, rigor, reproducibility, openness, impact, and collaboration. Advancement to a higher readiness level becomes possible only when the evidential criteria are simultaneously satisfied and the ASV threshold value is reached. The model is formally defined and illustrated via the example of Kazakhstan’s national science funding system. The results demonstrate that the integration of SRL and ASV creates a reproducible and transparent decision-making structure in which weak components cannot be compensated by strong ones, and excessive dependence on purely metric-based evaluations is eliminated. By uniting maturity and quality within a single coherent system, the SRL + ASV model bridges the gap between developmental staging and scientific value, transforming research assessment into a transparent, evidence-based, and continuously improvable process applicable to the governance of responsible and reproducible science.