IRSA Regeneration Index™ (R-Index™)
A working instrument for measuring regeneration in institutional systems. Not final dogma—a live metric that makes regeneration operational.
R-Index™ is a trademark of the Institute for Regenerative Systems Architecture™ (IRSA™).
What this is: A simple, interpretable index you can calculate quarterly, show in dashboards, and use with pilots. R-Index™ quantifies how regenerative a system is—whether a hospital, community fund, or climate infrastructure.
R-Index™ Score
Formula
R* = (SΔ + SΛ + BV) / 3
(45 + 40 + 50) / 3 = 45.0
Interpretation Scale
Transitional: Mixed structure; some decoupling emerging
Configure Sub-Scores
Adjust each dimension based on your system assessment. Each score is 0–100.
How independent is capital from fragility cycles?
How well does capital cadence match mission cycles?
Is system capability going up, flat, or down?
Understanding the R* Index
A visual introduction to R* and how it measures institutional regeneration.
Pilot Scenarios
Click to load baseline vs. PSC-enabled scenarios. See how regenerative architecture transforms system scores.
Methodology
How each dimension is defined and assessed
Decoupling Score (SΔ)
"How independent is capital from fragility cycles?"
This measures structural independence from political cycles, annual budgets, donor mood, and short-term refinancing pressure.
| Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | Almost everything is annual, political, grant, debt → highly fragile |
| 20–40 | Some multi-year structures, but mostly fragility-tied |
| 40–60 | Meaningful chunk (30–50%) decoupled |
| 60–80 | Majority of flows are decoupled from fragility |
| 80–100 | Almost all capital behaves independently of fragility cycles |
Alignment Score (SΛ)
"How well does capital cadence match mission cycles?"
This measures whether capital flows are synchronised with asset renewal needs—period (timing), phase (arrival), and amplitude (sufficiency).
| Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–20 | Systemic under-renewal, frequent deferral, constant backlog |
| 20–40 | Some cycles hit, but lots of gaps |
| 40–60 | Hit many critical assets, but patchy coverage |
| 60–80 | Most core mission assets renewed on time |
| 80–100 | System is consistently on-cycle; almost no avoidable deferrals |
Capability Trajectory (BV)
"Is capability going up, flat, or down?"
This measures the behavioural outcome: are functioning beds, scanners, pumps, or labs increasing at required spec? Are failure incidents declining?
| Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–25 | Rapid capability decay (–100 to –50 on raw scale) |
| 25–50 | Decline to flat (–50 to 0) |
| 50–75 | Flat to moderate growth (0 to +50) |
| 75–100 | Strong sustained improvement (+50 to +100) |
Proxies: change in "% of assets in renewal window", "% of demand covered at target quality", "average age vs ideal age of assets"
How to Use R-Index™ in the Wild
Real applications for pilots and partner conversations
Community Bank Pilot
- • Baseline R-Index™ for current grant/debt architecture
- • Introduce PSC™ pool → track new SΔ, SΛ, BV each year
- • Show "R-Index™ moved from 32 → 61 in three years"
- • This becomes the impact story for the community
Hospital Equipment Pilot
- • Baseline R-Index™ for diagnostic equipment renewal
- • PSC™ pool funds replacements aligned with asset lifetimes
- • Track R-Index™ every year: show decoupling + improved uptime
- • Board reporting: "Equipment capability up 40%"
Climate Adaptation
- • R-Index™ for a region's pump/dike/levee assets
- • PSC-Climate™ pool used → watch R-Index™ trend upward
- • Cross-region comparison: "This council is R=65, that one is R=28"
- • Policy lever: "We need to raise R-Index™ to 70 by 2030"
Research Infrastructure
- • R-Index™ for university lab equipment portfolios
- • Track decoupling from grant-cycle dependency
- • Show capability preservation across funding droughts
- • Compare departments: "Physics R=72, Chemistry R=45"
Display Options
R-Index™ can be visualised as:
Like a speedometer for regeneration
R over years—show the journey
Compare health vs climate vs science
Why a Live Index Matters
Makes PSC™ & RCA™ Tangible
It stops being "architectural language" and becomes something a CFO or CEO can read.
Unifying Story Across Pilots
Community banks, hospitals, climate infrastructure—all talk in R-Index™ terms.
IRSA as Standards Body
You own the metric → you own the field. Not just theory shop.
Back-Solves Into Theory
The live version gives empirical and narrative grounding for the formal R* paper.
This is v0.1 — A Working Instrument
Not the final metaphysical truth of regeneration. A simple, working index you can calculate quarterly, iterate as you learn, and upgrade as theory formalises.
Ready to pilot?
We're looking for partners to pilot R-Index™ v0.1 in health, community, and climate systems.