Complete this application if you wish to participate in the UVA'S NSF I-Corps Sites Program. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation to facilitate the commercialization of government funded research.
An I-Corps team consists of an Entrepreneurial Lead (EL), Principal Investigator (PI) or Academic Lead (AL) and a Business Mentor (optional). Each team will participate in a 3 week program that focuses on proof of concept, customer segments, value proposition through customer discovery interviewing in an effort to reach a Go/No Go decision point. The ultimate goal is to accelerate the pace of moving down the path towards commercialization .
Each team will have access to a small grant up to $2,700 to cover the cost of customer discovery, purchasing materials for prototyping (upon prior approval), and for travel to meet with thought leaders or attend conferences.
Upon completion of the program, teams will be evaluated for readiness to apply to the NSF National I-Corps Program which provides additional funding up to $50,000 to do a deeper dive into market research and commercialization. NSF I-Corps Teams have been 3 times more successful in securing NSF SBIR/STTR grant funding of $150,000.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Pyle, CPG, MBA, Director for the UVA'S NSF I-Corps Site Program.
epyle@virginia.edu.