NSF National Innovation Corps Teams (NSF National I-Corps (TM) Teams) program

The NSF National I-Corps Teams program provides NSF-funded researchers additional support in the form of entrepreneurial education, mentoring, and funding to accelerate the translation of knowledge derived from foundational research into emerging products, processes, and services that may attract subsequent third-party funding. The program utilizes experiential learning of customer and industry discovery to quickly assess the translational potential of inventions. Teams participate in an online curriculum including entrepreneurial immersion training, weekly training meetings, and customer discovery activities. The outcomes are threefold: a decision on a clear path forward based on business model assessment, substantial evidence for or against product-market fit with identification of customer segments and value propositions, and a narrative of technology demonstration for potential partners. The program is designed to support the commercialization of 'deep technologies' revolving around foundational discoveries in science and engineering.