The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PROTOTYPE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
P
R
O
T
O
T
Y
P
E
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "template" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case template = prototype.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PROTOTYPE mean?
PROTOTYPE noun- An original form or object which is a basis for other forms or objects (particularly manufactured items), or for its generalizations and models.
- An early sample or model built to test a concept or process.
- A declaration of a function that specifies the name, return type, and parameters, but none of the body or actual code.
- An instance of a category or a concept that combines its most representative attributes.
- A type of race car, a racing sports car not based on a production car. A 4-wheeled cockpit-seating car built especially for racing on sports car circuits, that does not use the silhouette related to a consumer road car.
- To create a prototype of.