I-Corps Sites: University of South Florida: Catalyzing Research Translation

University Of South Florida, Tampa FL

Investigators

Abstract

This project establishes an I-Corps Site at the University of South Florida (USF). NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Sites are NSF-funded entities established at universities whose purpose is to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their technology concepts into the marketplace. Sites provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants. II-Corps Sites also strengthen innovation locally and regionally and contribute to the National Innovation Network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors. The site at USF institutionalizes the Lean LaunchPad training process at the Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) and transforms processes in its Technology Transfer Office (TTO) to facilitate faculty and students to transfer STEM research into commercially viable ideas and prototypes. Faculty and students are recruited for this Site using pro-active processes such as: visits to classrooms, capstone design courses, research projects on campus, undergraduate and graduate research displays, individual contacts with faculty with STEM related research grants, and invention disclosures. The TTO also helps teams connect with business mentors by leveraging current contacts. They also are a resource for finding non-NSF funds for innovation-related activities. Faculty from CFE, representing the Colleges of Business, Engineering, Medicine and Sustainability, deliver the NSF training program in a one-week, intensive boot camp format. Beyond the prototype stage, USF CONNECT, which is the business arm of USF and at the epicenter of Tampa Bay's innovation ecosystem, supports the I-Corps teams throughout the business life cycle, providing facilities, partners, and resources for business development and access to technologies, workforce programs, technology commercialization, critical research equipment, and incubator facilities. The I-Corps program results in an institutional impact by addressing a crucial gap in the USF innovation ecology in creating prototypes and enhancing design. With an I-Corps site, the potential for increasing STEM technology transfer that feeds Tampa Bay's growing innovation ecosystem is high and contributes to transforming the region through high-technology startups. USF is an economic anchor for the Tampa Bay region and a node of the Florida High Tech Corridor that spans a 23-county region in Florida. Most of the state's medical device manufacturing, defense, aerospace, informational technology, and life sciences companies reside in this region. USF's diverse student population are also targeted in the I-Corps Sites program. NSF/USF supports the Bridge to the Doctorate and Sloan Minority PhD programs that have enabled USF to be ranked as a top-10 producer of minority (African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino) engineering doctorates. The I-Corps site also nurtures innovation among students who are military veterans, as more than 2,100 veterans and their families are enrolled as students at USF.