Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an innovative approach of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) in order to ensure the integrity of aircraft structures. SHM links the world of structures and systems disciplines as the sensor remains permanently attached to the structure, i.e. both forming an entity. For this reason, the development of SHM technologies requires a highly transdisciplinary work, involving expertise from materials & processes and systems disciplines and taking into account numerous requirements from various transdisciplinary regulations and standards. As a consequence, while the research and development of SHM is well established in industry and academia, it appears that the maturation towards reliable and applicable sensing technologies is still not satisfying from an end-user perspective. Hence, an adequate approach for the development and maturity assessment of SHM technologies needs to be realised. The maturation of SHM technologies for a specific application scenario is closely linked to the Technology Readiness Level (TRL). Each of the TRL is covering a certain bundle of requirements. For a so called 'guided technology development' an appropriate allocation of requirements to TRL is essential in order to ensure a robust, time- and cost-efficient maturation of technologies. Within this maturation process a certain TRL level is reached if the relevant specific requirements have been fulfilled. How can this be achieved? Firstly, for a given specific application scenario the requirements and their corresponding fulfillment criteria have to be defined. Then, it has to be proven that the selected requirements and fulfillment criteria are valid for the selected application scenario. In the verification phase, the fulfillment of selected requirements will be proven on the basis of variable analysis, comparison with conventional NDT, chemical and physical testing. Starting from a look at the Airbus SHM roadmap in Airbus, the presentation will point out the way of working in Airbus to mature SHM technologies for selected application scenarios by covering the following scope: Definition of application scenarios, definition of the requirement families, definition of requirements and corresponding fulfillment criteria, validation and verification (V&V). This way of working is very much linked to the SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice ARP6461 'Guidelines for Implementation of Structural Health Monitoring on Fixed Wing Aircraft', which is the first guidance document for SHM in the field of Aerospace application. Special attention will be paid to the V&V approach. A major role for the realisation of the V&V approach is played by the so called 'V&V Center for SHM' with the objective to provide the bases for a robust, practical, cost- and time efficient way in order to mature SHM technologies for selected application scenarios. In conclusion, the presentation provides a valuable driving force as well as a guideline to those who are contributing or intending to contribute to the development of 'sensing structures'.