A core pillar of the RefMap project was the assessment of the business impact of the developed tools on their respective beneficiary groups. This was not a one-directional exercise, but a structured, multi-step process designed to ensure real product–market fit, as illustrated in the figure below. The process began with the identification of the most desired functionalities, following a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach. Through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, stakeholder needs were systematically captured and translated into concrete tool features.

This was followed by a comprehensive market, policy, and competitive landscape analysis, providing a multi-dimensional understanding of the ecosystem in which the tools would operate. Building on this foundation, a business model impact assessment was conducted to evaluate how the developed tools would influence, and potentially reshape, the existing business models of affected stakeholders. The next step focused on commercialization potential, exploring viable pathways to market uptake as well as additional products and services that could be developed in the longer term.

Throughout both the business model assessment and commercialization phases, interviews and stakeholder workshops played a central role. These iterative validation activities ensured that the proposed solutions were evaluated against real user perspectives and refined accordingly, aligning the final outcomes with actual market needs.