DIRECTPaper is about return prediction — signal lifts nearly as-is.
INDIRECTMethod maps to markets through a concrete bridge.
INFRASTRUCTUREImproves the pipeline; carries no signal of its own.
NO ALPHANo defensible path to a trading signal.
The 0–100 score is a single model judgment against fixed rubric bands — direct 55–85 · indirect 25–55 · infrastructure 5–25 · none 0–10 — estimating whether a competent quant could extract net-of-costs alpha within ~3 months. A viability screen, not an audited backtest.