NSF I-Corps

What is NSF I-Corps?

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) is an entrepreneurial training program for STEM researchers that facilitates the transformation of invention into impact. This immersive, seven-week experiential training program prepares scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the university laboratory — accelerating the economic and societal benefits of research projects ready to move toward commercialization.

How to Get Involved

The University of Vermont is a proud partner of the NSF Interior Northeast Innovation Corps Hub (IN I-Corps), aiming to support students, faculty, and researchers in accelerating their discoveries from lab to market.

Through the IN I-Corps Hub, UVM students, faculty, and researchers have access to intellectual and entrepreneurial tools and resources across universities, including:

Free regional entrepreneurship courses
Access to the Hub's robust entrepreneurial network
Support in applying for NSF's I-Corps teams ($50,000 award)
Accelerate SBIR/STTR grant applications ($275,000+ award)

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Regional Courses

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UVM students, faculty, and researchers can participate in free month-long, regional courses taught by experienced entrepreneurs in the IN I-Corps Hub.

I-Corps participants will assess their inventions' market potential through experiential learning using the customer discovery process.

Learn to:

Evaluate a technology’s commercialization potential
Find and talk to potential customers and industry stakeholders
Identify the real problem(s) the customer needs solved
Develop an entrepreneurial mindset

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National Program

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Teams that successfully complete a regional course are eligible to apply for the NSF’s National Teams Program. Selected teams are awarded up to $50,000 to conduct 100+ customer discovery interviews during a seven-week course. Through this process, the teams learn how to evaluate the potential for translating their invention into a successful product or service.

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