Frequently Asked Questions

FIS360 is named for fis or fios, an early Gaelic word meaning knowledge or vision, with 360 representing our ethos of offering a fully encompassed service with our clients at the centre.

We pronounce it F-I-S-3-60.

We are a close-working hybrid team of 16, with offices in Penrith, Glasgow and Stockport, with skills and experiences that span across all aspects of open innovation and commercialisation. We also have a network of trusted partners available to draw upon as required.

We work with all types of organisations, including small to medium enterprises, large corporates, academia, research and technology organisations, and public sector bodies.

Our work and contact network extends across many industrial sectors including but not limited to: nuclear, water, agriculture, engineering, chemical processing, computer modelling, robotics, renewables, systems engineering, manufacturing, aerospace, and design.

Open innovation is a business model where companies and organisations collaborate with external partners, such as universities, SMEs or other firms, to develop new products, services or technologies.

By seeking outside knowledge, ideas and resources to complement your internal capabilities, you can enhance and accelerate your innovation processes, reduce costs, and spread risk.

Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) are a method for understanding the technical maturity of a technology during its acquisition phase.

Initially developed by NASA in the early 1970s as a means of assessing technology for space exploration, TRLs enable consistent and uniform discussions of technical maturity across different types of technology.

TRLs are based on a scale from 1 to 9 with 9 being the most mature technology.