Written by Mae Cornes
The United States has led global innovation for decades, creating technologies that shaped the modern world. However, recent trends show a decline in U.S. leadership, particularly in research and development spending and STEM commercialization. The report “How China Is Gaining on the United States in Corporate R&D” emphasizes this concern: “China wants to replace the United States as the world’s leading innovation economy… and it is catching up rapidly.” Advanced industries in China have improved and could reach parity with the United States by 2034.
This change has serious implications. Globally, only 5 to 10 percent of STEM innovations reach the market due to inefficiencies in commercialization, costing the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually (OECD). In the United States, despite $700 billion spent annually on R&D (around 3 percent of GDP), only a small fraction of these investments become marketable innovations. According to researchers, improving commercialization success rates by just 10 percent could add $200 billion in untapped economic potential annually. The National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology highlights that China actively controls international standards in essential technologies, challenging U.S. leadership in innovation and global influence.
One critical challenge facing the U.S. today involves closing the innovation gap to restore its position in global innovation. Current methods of innovation management do not meet today’s competitive global needs. Several obstacles create this inefficiency. Unstructured innovation processes and complex project viability assessments often leave promising concepts incomplete. The high risk of failure during implementation discourages innovators and investors from pursuing new projects. Global competition adds to these challenges. Countries like China rapidly reduce the gap, threatening to surpass traditional leaders in technological progress.
Korosteleva’s Author’s Integrative Framework for Evaluating Commercialization of STEM Innovations: Universal Approach with Artificial Intelligence Implementation offers a solution. Her AI-driven method combines financial modeling, project management, and risk reduction to address systemic problems that often prevent ideas from reaching the market.
Olga Korosteleva, a seasoned management analyst with a master’s degree in financial and innovation management and over 15 years of experience, developed a patented method that was implemented internationally. Her work provides an organized solution to overcome barriers to innovation commercialization. Her experience guiding over 100 innovative projects was a foundation for developing an originally authored framework that turns theoretical innovations into practical, market-ready solutions and introduces a unique formula for assessing innovations.
“Innovation does not die for lack of creativity; it dies from a lack of structure,” Korosteleva emphasizes.
Korosteleva’s framework, developed in 2012, advances STEM innovation commercialization. Among her achievements, she led the EcoFilter innovative project, a gas purification technology that removes up to 99.9 percent of dust and particulate matter from industrial exhaust gases. This centrifugal device addresses industrial air pollution. She guided the project through development and implementation, secured a patent, earned government grants, and achieved recognition as the #1 Innovation Project of the Year. The EcoFilter operates in industrial facilities, with over 100,000 units distributed.
She also led a heat exchanger for an energy recovery project to improve energy efficiency. She assessed its commercialization prospects, created financial models, and predicted market trends. With over 500,000 units distributed, the heat exchanger earned recognition as the #1 Best Innovative Idea of the Year.
Her research appears in many scientific articles, including: “Author’s Integrative Framework for Evaluating Commercialization of STEM Innovations: Universal Framework with Artificial Intelligence Implementation”, “Artificial Intelligence in Assessing the Commercial Viability of Innovative STEM Projects”, “Rapid Implementation of Inventions and Innovations: Assessment of Their Commercialization and Economic Feasibility”, “Risk Assessment and Forecasting of Profitability of Innovative Projects Using AI Methods in Economic and Mathematical Modeling” and others. Her framework has been published with more than 4,300 copies in circulation. In 2024, it won first place in economic research at an international scientific conference. That year, it became available through an e-library with over 4.7 million users and distributed on a scientific platform to 1.5 million researchers. By 2025, official registration and certification enabled distribution across five countries in the Eurasian Economic Union. The framework has achieved an 86 percent global adoption rate among 5,000 professionals in the International Society for Professional Innovation Management.
Korosteleva enhanced her method with artificial intelligence for advanced data analysis, predictive modeling, and faster decision-making. Universities, accelerators, business angels, R&D departments, and innovation managers use her framework globally. With over 10,000 ideas evaluated, her framework has reduced R&D expenses by 75 percent and time-to-market by 65 percent. According to the Department of Innovations at South Ural State University, it shortens evaluation times from weeks to minutes with 95 percent calculation accuracy.
Korosteleva’s expertise has made her a judge in top innovation competitions, where her framework helps evaluate promising projects. Used by leading universities like the University of Houston, Rice University, South Ural State University, and Plekhanov Economic University, it also supports major accelerators (STARTA – New York, OwlSpark – Houston, REDLabs – Houston, Plug and Play – San Francisco) and international awards (Burning Heroes, The Ventures), highlighting its global impact.
Korosteleva applies her methodology to companies including Exxon, Shell, Chevron, Texas Medical Center, etc. She also plans to launch AI-powered project management software that assesses innovation ideas quickly and guides users through R&D step-by-step.
The framework introduces original contributions to innovation management. Its formula and Kstem coefficient enable precise cross-industry comparisons of innovations, while AI features ensure thorough data analysis and risk reduction.
The framework helps organizations optimize resources, reduce risks, and pursue commercialization opportunities. Reviewers praise its integrated approach, which combines ROI with parameters such as innovation potential, market trends, business performance, and team dynamics—tailored to specific industries.
The Commercialization Indicator calculates an innovation’s maximum potential commercialization rate as a percentage. Users can see how much of a project’s potential has been realized. The framework adapts to each project’s conditions for accurate decisions about investment feasibility and market readiness.
In 2024, Korosteleva earned recognition as the #1 Innovation Management Analyst in Russia at the federal award “Top 100 Successful People.” That year, she received a Global Recognition Award for entrepreneurship, innovation, and corporate responsibility achievements. In 2025, she received a TITAN Business Award for Best Innovation Management Analyst in the “Executives & Professionals” category.
As Vice President of SCORE (Houston Chapter), she supports small businesses through mentorship and webinars, actively applying her framework to 6,000 clients. Established in 1964 and integrated with the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE has helped launch over 11 million businesses and creates more than 150,000 jobs annually.
As principal founder and CEO of InnEco—SUSU, co-founded by South Ural State University, she led an innovation management consulting firm that helped researchers and inventors bring ideas to market. The company evaluated projects’ commercial viability, developed commercialization strategies, and guided concepts to market-ready solutions.
“The measure of true innovation is its impact. It is not enough to invent; we must create solutions that improve lives, drive industries, and address real-world challenges,” Korosteleva says.
As a senior member of IEEE and ISPIM, Korosteleva helps connect ideas with market success. Her framework redefines how organizations assess, develop, and commercialize STEM innovations.
Korosteleva’s contributions offer a path for the United States to strengthen its technological leadership. Her method addresses inefficiencies in commercialization, helping U.S. investments in research and development create real-world solutions. The framework helps the U.S. maximize R&D investments, reduce risks, and speed the delivery of solutions to the market.
The framework aligns with national strategies for economic growth and technological advancement. With countries like China advancing in R&D and innovation leadership, Korosteleva’s framework helps American innovators compete by improving resource use, speeding commercialization, and ensuring the scalability of new technologies. This framework can help the U.S. maintain leadership in innovation and secure its future in industries ranging from advanced manufacturing to emerging technologies.
