About
As a faculty or student researcher, how do you bridge the gap (sometimes called a “black hole”) between the university research lab and the marketplace? It’s no easy task to advance your work to the point that businesses or government agencies recognize its commercial potential. It requires entrepreneurial skills to identify market opportunities for the discoveries emerging from your research. The good news is you can gain these entrepreneurial skills through the real-world, hands-on, immersive NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) program.
Over the course of a four-week remote training program, seasoned entrepreneurs will teach you how to test the market through customer discovery and how to create a business strategy. The assumption/hypothesis-testing, customer-focused discovery process will help you gather important insights to maximize the impact of your innovation.
You will participate in a regional I-Corps training course as part of a small team, typically including an Entrepreneurial Lead and a Technical Lead. One- or two-person teams are welcome. High-performing teams could be in a position to gain acceptance into the NSF National I-Corps Teams program for continued customer discovery efforts.
Through I-Corps, NSF addresses four urgent national needs: training an entrepreneurial workforce, translating technologies, enabling economic impact, and nurturing an innovation ecosystem.
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Eligibility requirements
Eligible I-Corps teams seek to maximize the impact of an innovation, whether that innovation is technological, educational, societal, etc. The idea or technology must be scalable and potentially patentable. ASU-owned and non-ASU-owned concepts/technologies are eligible.
Note: While teams often include ASU students, alumni (within one year), faculty, staff, or SkySong Innovations affiliates, the program is open to other participants depending on availability.
Participation Commitment
Participants are expected to fully complete the NSF I-Corps Hub: Desert and Pacific Region training program, which includes full attendance, timely homework uploads, at least 15 customer discovery interviews (20 recommended for National consideration), and participation in a minimum of two office hours sessions with the teaching team.
Upon successful completion—and a follow-up interview with the Hub Director—high-performing teams may be encouraged to apply to the NSF National I-Corps Teams program or pursue other commercialization pathways such as SBIR/STTR funding.
Curriculum
Below is a sampling of the program curriculum during the four-week program, designed to prepare you for the NSF National I-Corps Teams program.
Customer Discovery
Learn the fundamentals of customer discovery, including how to segment customers, identify roles and priorities, define interview goals, and apply tools for planning and conducting interviews effectively.
Customer Segmentation and Insights
Understand customer ecosystems, workflows, and structured data collection methods that help uncover meaningful insights and inform key business assumptions.
Understanding Value
Explore customer pains and gains, evaluate decision-making criteria, and learn to communicate benefits (not just features) in a compelling value proposition.
Final Presentations
Teams will share their updated value proposition, showcase key elements like customer ecosystems, workflows, and interview insights, and explain how their thinking evolved throughout the program. The focus is on lessons learned through customer discovery.
Interested in applying?
Find upcoming NSF I-Corps courses and application details on the Desert and Pacific Region Hub website: HERE
I-Corps National Program
If your team is eligible and receives a recommendation from the Hub Director, the first step in applying to the NSF National I-Corps Teams program is submitting an executive summary.
Learn more and view current application instructions on the official NSF website: HERE.
Testimonials
Testimonial – Sydney Schaefer
Testimonial – Zachary Holman
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Applicants should have an active interest in commercializing developed technology, creating a startup and continuing on with their venture upon completion of the program.
Meet the Team
The NSF I-Corps Hub: Desert and Pacific Region is a multi-university partnership led by Arizona State University and supported by eight outstanding partner institutions across Arizona, California, Hawai‘i, Idaho, and Nevada. Together, we’re helping researchers and entrepreneurs translate their ideas into real-world impact.
Learn more about our team and the universities driving the Hub forward: HERE
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Our programs for entrepreneurs at ASU and in the community provide guidance and support to help you move your venture to the next level.