Illinois I-Corps

National I-Corps

The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Teams program is designed to prepare scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the laboratory and to accelerate the transfer of cutting-edge, NSF-funded research into commercial success. Through extensive customer engagement, teams are able to validate potential applications of their technology. The curriculum is an immersive 7-week program designed to avoid building a product that no one wants; the number one reason startups fail.

Teams—composed of academic researchers, student entrepreneurs and business mentors—participate in the curriculum via online instruction and on-site activities through one of the NSF I-CorpsTM Hubs. Teams are expected to complete at least fifteen customer interviews a week, which means that over the 7-week course, teams will have contact with over 100 potential customers. For more information on the I-Corps program, visit the NSF I-Corps Teams page.

Benefits of the Program

  • Understand why your technology has value and to whom.
  • Find a market for your technology that has not been previously considered.
  • Gain an appreciation for what it takes to commercialize technology and the barriers to adoption.
  • Access an expanded network of like-minded peers, instructors, investors, customers, and mentors.
  • The accelerated approach of the program can prevent years of wasted time, money and resources.
  • Receive a $50,000 grant from the NSF.
  • The program is supported by NSF-Certified I-Corps instructors.

Eligibility

  • Complete a local or regional I-Corps program or have NSF lineage from a prior NSF research grant within the last 5 years.
  • Develop a deep technology/STEM innovation.
  • Have University owned Intellectual Property.
  • Open to the customer discovery process.
  • Commit to attending all cohort meetings and conducting 100 customer discovery interviews during the 7-week cohort.

Required Team Composition

  • Entrepreneurial Lead (EL): This person must be committed to pursuing the project (including potentially seeing it forward after I-Corps). They attend all cohort meetings and are the primary person conducting customer discovery interviews and presenting on behalf of the team. EL’s are typically graduate students, Ph.D. students, or postdocs and should expect to spend approximately 40 hours per week on this project during the 7-week program.
  • Technical Lead (TL)/Primary Investigator (PI): I-Corps grants must go through a university. The PI is the faculty member who is authorized to receive the grant on behalf of the university. The TL may be another graduate student or postdoc from the faculty member’s lab. In I-Corps, the TL supports the EL and attends all cohort meetings. The TL should expect to spend approximately 15 hours per week on this project during the 7-week program (kickoff and finale weeks may require more than 15 hours).
  • Industry Mentor (IM): This person helps the team understand the industry landscape, manages confirmation bias during the customer discovery interviews, and connects them with stakeholders in the industry. The IM should expect to spend approximately 15 hours per week on this project during the 7-week program (kickoff and finale weeks may require more than 15 hours).

Apply

If you have questions, please contact Morgan Malm, mmalm@illinois.edu.