Organization:National Science Foundation I-Corps

Overview

Launched in October 2011, the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps) program prepares scientists and engineers to extend NSF funded laboratory research projects into the commercial world. Knowledge from NSF-supported basic research can have marketable impact, and thus NSF I-Corps promotes the translation of technologies that will have direct benefits for the economy and society. Importantly, I-Corps is a public-private partnership program, which teaches grantees to recognize valuable product opportunities that can arise from academic research. A targeted curriculum that provides guidance from established entrepreneurs allows viable entrepreneurship training to student participants.

NSF I-Corps aims to strengthen the innovation ecosystem at the local and national levels by incorporating programs such as the I-Corps Teams, Nodes, and Sites. A NSF supported researcher or institution can apply to either of these programs to help fund their innovative research ideas to the market place. Significantly, NSF I-Corps prepares the participants to successfully apply for the NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. 

Purpose

The primary goal of NSF I-Corps is to promote entrepreneurship from NSF-funded research leading to the commercialization of novel technology. Entrepreneurship is approached through the emphasis of customer and business development. I-Corps will be the vehicle to foster start-ups founded by the participants, making successful I-Corps projects prepared for business formation. Prominently, I-Corps programs bridge the NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. When applicable, additional resources from the private sector are sought by NSF in the form of partnerships and finance.

 

To achieve its purpose, NSF I-Corps has three distinct components: Teams, Nodes, and Sites. I-Corps Teams are comprised of the principal investigator(s) (PI), an entrepreneurial lead (EL) (i.e. student or postdoc), and business mentor. I-Corps Nodes are hubs (i.e. academic institution) for education, infrastructure, and research that aid academic scientists and engineers in innovation. Moreover, I-Corps Nodes deliver the I-Corps Curriculum to I-Corps Teams. Finally, I-Corps Sites are academic institutions that strengthen local innovation by aiding multiple local teams for their technology transition. Depending on position stance as described, NSF I-Corps funding will be allocated to successful applicants of Teams, Nodes, or Sites to initiate the purpose of developing an innovation ecosystem. 

Distinct Differences From Other Offerings

The NSF I-Corps program is unique in the following ways:

 

1)     Entrepreneurial goal: aimed to commercialize a NSF funded research technology

 

2)     NSF I-Corps Team maximum funding is $50,000 for 6 months (research lab on campus can apply for this)

3)     NSF I-Corps Nodes and Sites funding is up to $1.5 million (academic institutions can apply as a Node or Site)

4)     Feeds into successfully applying for an SBIR/STTR

5)     Fosters entrepreneurship with additional resources to participants (i.e. workshops, business mentors, etc.). NSF I-Corps Team participants are provided the Lean              LaunchPad class taught by Steve Blank. 

6)     Promotes an innovation ecosystem for both students and academic institutions

Impact Achieved For Students and Campus

NSF I-Corps has helped many students and campuses develop entrepreneurial pursuits with laboratory research technologies.

Below are 3 presentations and 1 video from successful I-Corps Teams at Rochester Institute of Technology, Carnegie-Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Uinvesity of Nebraska - Lincoln (video). 

1) Akara Solutions: Flexible, Low Cost Cooling Technology for LED Lighting
, Principal Investigator: Satish Kandlikar, Rochester Institute of Technology

2) Semiconductor-Based Hydrogen and Hydrocarbon Sensors, 
Principal Investigator: Lisa Porter, Carnegie-Mellon University

3) Pilot Production Of Large Area Uniform Single-Crystal Graphene Films, 
Principal Investigator: Alan Johnson, University of Pennsylvania

4) Imagaing Diseases, Principal Investigator: Stephen DiMagno, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Three I-Corps Nodes have been selected at Georgia Tech, University of Michigan, and Stanford University. This website explains the NSF I-Corps Node at Georgia Tech (http://innovate.gatech.edu/programs/innovation-corps-icorps/) 

Currently, there are 10 NSF I-Corps Sites in the United States:

Steps Required To Bring Resource to Campus

The NSF I-Corps programs can be brought to campus through three ways: Teams, Nodes, or Sites. Individual research labs that have had NSF funding in the last five years can apply for the NSF I-Corps Team. Academic institutions can apply to be either as a Node or Site to foster selected teams on campus. 

I-Corps Team:

     1) Need to identify a principal investigator (PI), entrepreneurial lead (student), and business mentor

     2) Either the PI or entrepreneurial lead needs to have NSF funding or has had NSF funding within the last five years to apply for an NSF I-Corps Team

     3) Identify the research technology that can be commercialized

     4) Contact a program officer on the NSF I-Corps website (www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/ ) to assess if the Team is eligible for an NSF I-Corps Team grant. 

     5) Apply on the NSF I-Corps website (www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/ )

I-Corps Node or Site: 

     1) The academic institution should apply if it has resources setup to be a feasible Node or Site

     2) If the academic institution collaborates within multiple departments at the university then it should apply as a Site. If it is one department, then it should apply as a Node

     3) Complete the application on the NSF I-Corps website (www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/ ). Make sure to state how the funds will be distributed on campus to selected research teams to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.

Contact Information

Program Officers for I-Corps are:

1) Rathindra DasGupta, telephone: 703-292-8353, email: rdasgupt@nsf.gov

2) Anita La Salle, telephone: 703-292-5006, email: alasalle@nsf.gov

Any I-Corps inquiry may be sent to: i-corps@nsf.gov

 

NSF I-Corps Website: www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/