Type I: NC State Springboard Innovation Hub NSF I-Corps Site

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

This project from North Carolina State University establishes an I-Corps Site at NC State's innovation and commercialization headquarters - the Springboard Innovation Hub. 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. I-Corps Sites also strengthen innovation locally and regionally and contribute to the National Innovation Network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors. NC State's I-Corps Site is a University-wide initiative that supports technology commercialization and startup activities across campus by collaborating with all of the University's entrepreneurial groups and initiatives. This Site will allow NC State to support the commercialization of the technologies emerging from its research expenditures by immersing faculty, postdocs and students in the I-Corp curriculum and methodology and to catalog best practices for engaging faculty and students in technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. The support provided through the I-Corps Site allows increased numbers of NC State faculty, postdocs and students to engage in customer discovery and lean startup methodology, seeding multiple future potential technology commercialization and startup opportunities in the process. The Research Triangle entrepreneurial ecosystem is active and tech-centric. The startup companies emerging from NC State's I-Corps Site will serve to both bolster this ecosystem and benefit from the increased entrepreneurial talent pool and funding available within the region. The Site's activity will also be leveraged to accelerate a culture shift at this University.