Description of NSF iCorps progams

1. Welcome to the
National Science
Foundation Webinar
covering:
NSF’s I-Corps Sites
Solicitation
NSF 16-547

I-Corps Sites Solicitation Informational Webinar
Tuesday, November 15th, 2016
2:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time
Register to Join WebEx Meeting
After your request has been approved, you'll
receive instructions for joining the meeting.
Join by phone for the audio
800-593-7195 US Toll free
Access code: 9203805
Toll-free calling restrictions
1

2. Welcome to the
National Science
Foundation Webinar
covering:
NSF’s I-Corps Sites
Solicitation
NSF 16-547

2
I-Corps Sites Solicitation Informational Webinar
Tuesday, November 15th, 2016
2:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time
Register to Join WebEx Meeting
After your request has been approved, you'll
receive instructions for joining the meeting.
Join by phone for the audio
800-593-7195 US Toll free
Access code: 9203805
Toll-free calling restrictions

3. It’s all about building a
Sustainable Ecosystem
A successful governmental
“ecosystem-building” approach –
The Innovation Corps
(I-Corps™)
How we can scale-up sustainable
entrepreneurship nationally --
Teams, Nodes and Sites and The
National Innovation Network (NIN™)
 3

4. Risk-Averse Culture Infects U.S. Workers, Entrepreneurs
Through 2011 -- Updated June 2, 2013
 4

5. How could we at NSF’s respond to disturbing trends? …
We asked ourselves – “Is there anything we might do to Successfully Translate
Innovations from Lab (something we know about) to Market – quickly?”
Our goal was to:
• Leverage NSF’s investments and broaden the impact
of NSF-funded research
• Prepare scientists and engineers to expand their focus
beyond the laboratory into entrepreneurship and
commercialization
• Promote the commercial success and societal benefit
of new technologies funded by the US Government
• Turn ideas into companies
• Change the lives of researchers and the cultures of
academic institutions
 5

6. How/why did we go about creating a
solution to unsettling trends – the
origins of I-Corps:
• There was an emerging body of knowledge
about why the “5-yr business plan” approach to
startup wasn’t working.
• There was an emerging body of knowledge
about what practices might lead to a higher
probability of startup success.
So, in 2011 we launched a Pilot Porgram – to
immerse academics (with clever ideas) in a
curriculum that would teach them how to
commercialize their research outcomes – quickly –
or recognize non-viability - quickly.
We began modestly:
• We “mined” NSF’s grantees in STEM to see
where we might find IP that had potential to be
commercialized.
• We recruited 21 teams of three – Principle
Investigator, Entrepreneurial Lead, and a
Mentor.
• We sent them to Stanford, gave each team
$50K, immersed them in a curriculum taught by
Steve Blank and gave them 7 weeks to decide if
they were a “Go” or a “No-Go”. 6

7. What did those Teams (and all subsequent teams)
experience?
• They spent three very, very long days with the Instructors, immersed
in the curriculum and also “getting out of the building” to interview
potential customers.
• They spent the next five weeks engaged in customer discovery and
interacting with the Instructors and keeping electronic “diaries” of
who they talked with and what they learned.
• Each Team was required to make more than 100 customer contacts
during the next five weeks and also engage in weekly Webex Sessions
with the instructor.
• After the Customer Discovery portion of the curriculum, all of the
Teams returned to Stanford for a two-day “Lessons Learned” -
”Go”/”No-Go” review.
• Amazingly -- 19 of the original 21 teams are engaged in
commercializing their technology.
 7

8. So, now, a little more about:
What is I-Corps™ and the NIN™ and
how it became a national movement
toward creating a sustainable
entrepreneurial ecosystem ….
Does it seem to be working?
And, where do I-Corps Sites fit in?
 8

9. Building the Nation’s I-Corps
“Innovation Fabric”
I-Corps Nodes
I-Corps Sites
I-Corps Teams
I-Corps Mentors
 9

10. I-Corps Teams
The I-Corps “Grass-Roots “ Activity -- Teams
 10

11. NSF Innovation-Corps National Teams Flow
Diagram
Recruiting
processes
(NSF)
Pool of eligible
Teams (from NSF):
• Entrepreneurial
Lead
• PI
• Mentor
Team
Selection
(NSF)
Node
Assignment
(NSF)
Awarded
I-Corps
Teams
(NSF)
Curriculum
Delivery &
Refinement
(Nodes)
Customer
Discovery
(Teams/Nodes)
Business
Model
Canvasses
(Teams)
“Go”
Decision
(Teams)
“No-Go”
Decision
(Teams)
Strategic
Partnership
Private
Capitalization
Public Funding
(e.g., SBIR, STIR, …. )
5-6 Weeks 7 Intensive Weeks
6 Months
 11

12. ~900 Teams completed I-Corps in the past
5 years
>50% have already created start-up
companies!!
And here’s what happened so far …


13. The Nation’s I-Corps
“Fabric”I-Corps Nodes
I-Corps Sites
I-Corps Teams
I-Corps Mentors
 13
Where do the Sites come in?

14. NSF Innovation-Corps (I-Corps)
The complete process
Recruiting
processes
(NSF)
Pool of eligible
Teams (from NSF):
• Entrepreneurial
Lead
• PI
• Mentor
Team
Selection
(NSF)
Node
Assignment
(NSF)
Awarded
I-Corps
Teams
(NSF)
Curriculum
Delivery &
Refinement
(Nodes)
Customer
Discovery
(Teams/Nodes)
Business
Model
Canvasses
(Teams)
“Go”
Decision
(Teams)
“No-Go”
Decision
(Teams)
Strategic
Partnership
Private
Capitalization
Public Funding
(e.g., SBIR, STIR, …. )

This is the
path most I-
Corps Team
take
But --- there’s another
path through the
program --- Teams
from I-Corps Sites
14

15. Now some details about Sites and how to
structure your proposals …
15

16. 
• An I-Corps Site is an academic institution
• With an already existing unit whose goal is to assist faculty,
students and other academic personnel to engage in
entrepreneurial activities and transition scientific and
technological innovations.
• Such units are typically called: innovation centers, entrepreneurial
centers, technology incubators, etc. Their mission is to provide
resources to individuals and teams in the form of space, seed
funding, entrepreneurial mentoring, curriculum, or other assets
needed to transition technology into the marketplace.
• “Already existing” is important – I-Corps is not in a position to fund
the creation of Innovation Centers.
Details about I-Corps Sites and Site-proposals
16

17. 
• Sites leverage the intellectual power within colleges and universities
• Nurture students and/or faculty who are engaged in projects having
the potential to be transitioned into the marketplace.
• I-Corps Sites will provide infrastructure, advice, resources,
networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable
groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into applying
for the I-Corps National Program ($50K, seven weeks)
• Develop formal, active, local innovation ecosystems that contribute
to a larger, national network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs
and investors.
• Networking is an essential component of all of NSF's I-Corps
activities – local and national networking activities help advance the
goals of I-Corps and contribute to local and national ecosystems for
innovation.
Details about I-Corps Sites and Site-proposals
17

18. • I-Corps Site Projects -- Site team ideas or projects can originate from
student work, research (funded or unfunded), institutional, or
industrial projects. The topical focus of a project must be in an
area(s) of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM)
normally supported by the National Science Foundation.
• I-Corps Site funding for local teams -- The expectation is that an I-
Corps Site will contribute $1,000 to $3,000 total to individual teams
sponsored by the I-Corps Site and that the duration of the support
will typically range from 1 to 3 months. I-Corps Sites are expected to
fund at least 30 teams per year if full funding ($100,000 per year) is
requested. However, institutions may request less than full funding
for support of fewer than 30 teams per year.

Details about I-Corps Sites and Site-proposals
18

19. 
There are two types of I-Corps Site proposals (this is
where sustainability begins):
Type I - Type I proposals are submitted by institutions that
have not had prior funding as an I-Corps Site. These
proposals may request $100,000 per year for up to five
years.
Type II - Type II proposals are submitted by institutions that
have had prior funding as an I-Corps Site. These proposals
may request up to $100,000 per year for up to three years
Details about I-Corps Sites and Site-proposals
19

20. Expectations -- Site Outcomes
• Direct commercialization of team projects;
• Applications submitted by Site Teams to NSF's I-Corp Program;
• New start-up businesses;
• Applications for SBIR or other Federal Funding
• Licensing agreements; and/or
• Creation of business models suitable for review by third-party investors.
An additional expectation of Sites involves collaboration and interactions
with I-Corps Nodes in the Site's geographic region.
https://venturewell.org/i-corps/
Networking is an essential component of all of NSF's I-Corps activities –
local and national networking activities help advance the goals of I-Corps
and contribute to local and national ecosystems for innovation.
Institutions preparing proposals for a Site are encouraged to explore the
role that I-Corps Nodes play in the National Innovation Network and
possible relationships that might be established between their Site and
regional Node.

Details about I-Corps Sites and Site-proposals
20

21. What is the deadline for submitting proposals?
February 09, 2017
Second Thursday in February, Annually Thereafter
Next -- how will your proposals be judged?
Details about I-Corps Sites and Site-proposals
21

22. How will your proposal be judged? Additional Solicitation Specific Review
Criteria to help you structure your proposal:
• Does your institution's entrepreneurial center have clearly-defined goals and
a proven track record of providing assistance in transitioning academic
projects into the marketplace?
• Is there leadership, staffing, and in-residence personnel to manage the
additional load that an I-Corps Site may induce?
• Are the innovation services that the center currently provides in line with
the expectations of the I-Corps Sites Program?
• Will the majority of the Site's proposed budget be expended on services for
and direct support to teams?
• Does the center maintain a network of business, industry, governmental, and
community connections? How are those networks utilized to the advantage
of the people and projects served by the center?

Details about I-Corps Sites and Site-proposals
22

23. How will your proposal be judged? Additional Solicitation Specific Review
Criteria to help you structure your proposal:
• Does the proposal describe how the Site will collaborate with its closest
regional I-Corps Node and help build the National Innovation Network?
• Does the center have processes in place for pursuing and tracking new ideas,
projects, and people for support? Does the support extend to student teams?
Do faculty play an active role in advising and mentoring student projects? Are
efforts made to recruit and support underrepresented participants?
• Does the center have a current curriculum in place for entrepreneurial
training? Is rationale provided for why the particular curriculum was chosen?
• Does the center provide noteworthy start-up success stories?
• Are tracking, assessment/evaluation and follow-up processes in place to
measure success and track supported projects?
• For Type II proposals, reviewers will focus on how the prior Site satisfied the
criteria for the duration of the Site award.

Details about I-Corps Sites and Site-proposals
23

24. Motivation for I-Corps Sites Program:
• A need to increase the pool of potential NSF I-Corps Teams by
supporting local teams whose projects are likely candidates for
commercialization.
• Leverage intellectual assets of academic institutions and instill a
culture of entrepreneurship in universities
Sites are funded at single academic institutions:
• with already existing innovation or entrepreneurial units,
• to enable them to nurture teams of students and/or faculty who
are engaged in projects having the potential to be transitioned into
the marketplace.
Sites can be funded up to $100,000/year for 3 to 5 yrs.
Sites provide:
• infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities,
training, and
• modest funding ($1,000 to $3,000 total to individual teams) to
enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into
becoming I-Corps Team. Approx. 30 teams per institution per year.
Sites can serve as “feeders” to produce I-Corps-National
eligible teams
Summary - I-Corps Sites
 24

25. How will your Site effort fit in to the
National Innovation Network (NIN™)?
 25

26. Spring/Summer 2013 – 4 Sites Awards:
• University of Toledo
• UCSD
• University of Akron
• University of Illinois -- Urbana-Champaign
Our growing I-Corps Sites Portfolio
Spring 2015 – 21 Sites Awards:
• Brigham Young University
• Howard and Hampton Universities
• Michigan Technological University
• New Jersey Institute of Technology
• Oregon State University
• Purdue University
• SUNY at Stony Brook
• Tulane University
• University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
• University of California-Los Angeles
• University of Connecticut
• University of Houston
• University of Iowa
• University of Louisville
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Rochester
• University of South Florida
• University of Washington
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Spring 2014 – 11 Sites Awards:
• CMU
• MIT
• RIT
• San Diego State
• University of Southern Cal
• University of Central Florida
• University of Chicago
• University of Delaware
• University of Minnesota
• University of Texas – SA
• University of Utah
Spring 2016 – 15 Sites Awards:
• Arizona State University
• Dartmouth College
• Jackson State University
• Louisiana State University & A&M College
• Missouri University of Science and Technology
• New Mexico State University
• Ohio State University
• Oklahoma State University
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Tennessee Technological University
• University of Arizona
• University of Nevada Las Vegas
• University of New Hampshire
• Washington State University
• Wichita State University
0
20
40
60
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Total Sites
Total Sites

There are now 51 I-Corps Sites in the USA
26

27. NIN and Location of I-Corps Nodes (6) and Sites (51)
 27

28. Here are a couple of examples
of success stories from existing
Sites
 28

29. MotionSavvy – A Tablet App That Understands Sign Language: translate American Sign
Language into English and vice versa. The entire development team is deaf. 3D motion recognition
system detects when a person is using ASL and converts it to text or voice. The software also has
voice recognition through the tablet’s mic, which allows a hearing person to respond with voice to
the person signing. It then converts their voice into text, which the hearing-impaired receiver can
understand.
 29

30. This I-Corps Site Team developed an improved otoscope that enables physicians to
quickly and accurately diagnose middle ear infections during routine examinations. In
contrast to the traditional otoscope, which hasn’t changed in over a century since its
inception, the PhotoniCare CLEARVIEW™ allows the physician to look through the ear
drum to directly observe and characterize effusions and biofilms responsible for
infection in the middle ear.
 30

31. And some other broader success stories about
Sites and how they leveraged their awards:
• Buildings,
• Named centers,
• Prizes,
• State funding,
• Philanthropy,
• …
31

32. We are ready to open our lines for your questions,
BUT first, here are some FAQs that folks have already
posed:
• Geographical regions – does the selection process consider
geographical proximity?
• Budget preparation – what can the $100K per year be used
for?
• Teams from other schools – could you institution absorb some
teams from other institutions?
• Community colleges – eligibility and involvement.
• IP – what is NSF’s policy with respect to Intellectual Property?
 32

33. • Role of Nodes – How do Sites and Nodes collaborate?
• Target Audiences – How do you configure your teams?
• STEM foci – Do we care if you specialize?
• Where the Site is “housed” – University-wide versus a
Division?
 33

34. Anita J. La Salle, telephone: (703) 292-5006
email: alasalle@nsf.gov
Lydia V. McClure, telephone: (703) 292-8798
email: lmcclure@nsf.gov

For further questions:
34

35. AND – finally, thank you, all of you, for being willing
to invest your time, your efforts, your intellect, and
your inspired thinking in Innovation and
Entrepreneurship.
What you are doing is truly for the “good of the
country”.
Thanks!

The phone lines are now open for your
questions about Sites.
35

36. AND – finally, thank you, all of you, for being willing
to invest your time, your efforts, your intellect, and
your inspired thinking in Innovation and
Entrepreneurship.
What you are doing is truly for the “good of the
country”.
Thanks!

The phone lines are now open for your
questions about Sites.
36