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Innovation Corps Teams Program

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NSF 21-552

Important information about NSF’s implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

An immersive, seven-week experiential training program that prepares NSF-funded researchers to bring technologies from the lab to the marketplace.

* Note: Trademark hereafter asserted and referred to as I-Corps

An immersive, seven-week experiential training program that prepares NSF-funded researchers to bring technologies from the lab to the marketplace.

Synopsis

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to further develop and nurture a national innovation ecosystem that guides the output of scientific discoveries closer to the development of technologies, products, and services that benefit society. The goals of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program, created in 2011 by NSF, are to spur translation of fundamental research to the marketplace, to encourage collaboration between academia and industry, and to train NSF-funded faculty, students and other researchers in innovation and entrepreneurship skills.

The I-Corps Program utilizes experiential learning of customer and industry discovery, coupled with first-hand investigation of industrial processes, to quickly assess the translational potential of inventions.  The I-Corps Program is designed to support the commercialization of "deep technologies,”  those revolving around fundamental discoveries in science and engineering. The I-Corps Program addresses the skill and knowledge gaps associated with the transformation of basic research into deep technology ventures (DTVs).

The purpose of the I-Corps Teams program is to identify NSF-funded researchers to receive additional support in the form of entrepreneurial education, mentoring, and funding to accelerate the translation of knowledge derived from fundamental research into emerging products and services that may attract subsequent third-party funding. The outcomes of I-Corps Teams' projects are threefold: 1) a decision on a clear path forward based on an assessment of the business model, 2) substantial first-hand evidence for or against product-market fit, with the identification of customer segments and corresponding value propositions, and 3) a narrative of a technology demonstration for potential partners.

WEBINAR:

A webinar will be held monthly to answer questions about this program. Details will be posted on the I-Corps Teams website (see https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/program.jsp) as they become available.

Updates and announcements

Program contacts

Name Email Phone Organization
Ruth M. Shuman
Program Director, ENG/IIP
rshuman@nsf.gov (703) 292-2160 TIP/TI

Awards made through this program

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Map of recent awards made through this program