A preliminary experiment whose outcome can lead to a more extensive experiment WordNet 3.0 & Open English WordNet

A pilot experiment, pilot study, pilot test or pilot project is a small-scale preliminary study conducted to evaluate feasibility, duration, cost, adverse events, and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research project. Wikipedia

A small-scale preliminary study conducted prior to a full-scale research project Wikipedia Disambiguation

small scale preliminary study conducted in order to evaluate feasibility, duration, cost, adverse events, and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research project Wikidata

A small scale experiment or set of observations undertaken to decide how and whether to launch a full-scale project. OmegaWiki