I-Corps is an evidence-based and immersive training program to enable innovators and entrepreneurs to extend their reach beyond the laboratory and transform their research into real-world impact.
I-Corps training connects innovators with industry experts, potential partners, and key stakeholders—accelerating technology development and commercialization. It fosters a mindset of use-inspired research, deepens your understanding of the industry ecosystem, and helps you de-risk your innovation to develop a product customers truly want.
This essential, hands-on, cohort-based training is grounded in Steve Blank’s Lean LaunchPad course from Stanford University and is relevant for innovators across disciplines. Faculty, postdocs, students, and staff from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
UF’s National Science Foundation I-Corps programs help innovators unlock the potential of their research or ideas by teaching them to view their work through the lens of their customers. Through a process of validated learning and iterative testing, participants gain insights into the real-world value and market fit of their innovations. The ultimate goal is that participants will translate these insights into effective, easy-to-implement approaches when navigating their own innovation journey.
Whether you’re pursuing entrepreneurship or professional development, these programs offer invaluable experiences and growth opportunities.
Under expert guidance and mentorship, participants use an evidence-based method to explore their industry ecosystem and increase the commercial potential of their innovation. Open to all faculty, postdocs, students, and staff, this experiential training is valuable at all stages of technology development. I-Corps participants gain valuable insights into understanding the market opportunity, which increases their chances of advancing their research and developing a product or service that addresses a customer’s need.
Through customer discovery, participants learn how to determine the commercialization pathway for their innovation, find key partners to advance their technology or develop a business model to get their startup ideas off the ground and secure funding.
Implemented in over 130 academic institutions in 13 I-Corps Hubs across the nation that the NSF funds. Embraced by several federal agencies, I-Corps training builds entrepreneurial skills and reduces the risk of translating technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace.
I-Corps training is open to all academic faculty, postdocs, students, and staff as well as community entrepreneurs at NO COST. No prior commercialization knowledge is required, and the program is technology and stage-agnostic. Academic researchers at all stages may apply.
UF is a designated partner in the recently funded NSF I Corps Hub Southeast Region. NSF I-Corps training workshops and regional courses are offered throughout the year at UF and across the NSF I Corps Southeast Hub institutions.
The National Science Foundation supports I-Corps Hubs through the National Innovation Network.
ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health) is hosting the Functional Repair of Neocortical Tissue (FRONT) program, a funding opportunity
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting the “Unlocking Insights: Analyzing
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is hosting a free, virtual Stakeholder Application Readiness Training (StART) workshop to
The National Science Foundation, in collaboration with industry partners Ericsson, Intel, and Qualcomm, is now accepting proposals for its Verticals-Enabling
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), through its Biological Technologies Office (BTO), is inviting innovative ideas to help safeguard
The Electronics Scrap Recycling Advancement Prize (E-SCRAP) hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies
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