2229453

NSF I-Corps Hub (Track 1): Southwest Region - The NSF I-Corps Southwest Hub's broader impact is the establishment of a standardized regional I-Corps infrastructure across the Southwest region with a robust expansion plan and ready access to entrepreneurial training. This training is designed to assist researchers in applying customer discovery principles in technology translation.

Even with over 50 Fortune 500 research and development (R&D) and corporate headquarters located across the region, this vibrant ecosystem still has large disparities in terms of access to capital, experienced entrepreneurs, and mentors for deep tech researchers. These disparities result in challenges in meeting the growing innovation and workforce demands of the region.

The Southwest Hub addresses these challenges by bringing together a unique coalition of partner institutions to mitigate workforce, knowledge transfer, and capital disparities. These disparities are critical impediments to a thriving deep tech venture ecosystem. The Southwest Hub institutions have successful track records of training researchers to apply customer discovery principles to develop products that are commercially relevant and attractive to potential investors and downstream partners.

Additionally, the Southwest Hub may increase the participation of underrepresented groups (URGs) in the I-Corps program. Historically, these groups have not had the same access to entrepreneurial education, investment capital, and mentors. The Southwest Hub region includes 123 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and 20 Native American Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs), as well as Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The Southwest Hub will have a special focus on the three largest minority groups in the Southwest region: Hispanic, African American, and Native American. The Southwest Hub will use its research findings to increase diversity at all levels, including I-Corps teams, instructors, and leadership across the region.

This I-Corps Hubs project is based on the development of a systematic and comprehensive regional network of programming that accelerates the translation of federally funded research into innovations that benefit society. It also supports deep tech workforce development and economic growth. The hub represents educational partners from four states in one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. This region has a vibrant innovation ecosystem driven by an R&D portfolio of over $3 billion. The group has prior experience as regional I-Corps nodes and sites. With a diverse demographic of faculty, graduate students, post-docs, and other researchers, and an expert network of trainers, mentors, and entrepreneurs, a key impact will be increased participation in national I-Corps programs throughout the region. This will lead to an ecosystem that is diverse, inclusive, and representative of its population.

The commercialization roadmap has enhanced partnerships between academia and industry. In addition, this project will introduce the first regional I-Corps cohorts taught exclusively in Spanish, reaching a key underrepresented group in the region. The research component will test a data-driven hub-and-spoke model and its impact on training for successful outcomes. It will also improve the understanding of innovation processes and generate policy findings to improve the speed and likelihood of success for deep technology commercialization.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

University Of Texas At Austin

THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, "NSF INNOVATION CORPS HUBS PROGRAM", IS IDENTIFIED IN THE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.NSF.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_SUMM.JSP?ODS_KEY=NSF22566

47.084 - NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Austin, Texas 78712-1139 United States

Single Zip Code

NSF Innovation Corps Hubs Program (22-566)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 405% from $3,000,000 to $15,150,000.