EAGER: Using the I Corps and Lean Launchpad Methodology to Unlock Innovation Potential in Moderate and Undergraduate Research Focused HBCUs

North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro NC

Investigators

Abstract

This EAGER project engages in research that has the potential to be transformative in the field of innovation. The project involves a study that evaluates the potential of the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) model and Lean Launchpad Methodologies to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and innovation-worthy concepts at HBCUs that traditionally have not had research intensive initiatives. Innovation is one of the most important drivers of economic growth and prosperity in the 21st century, yet according to the Report on the Demographics of Innovation in the United States, only eight percent of minorities, twelve percent of women, and less than 0.05 percent of African Americans are innovators. To maintain the Nation’s position as a leader in global innovation, it is imperative that we unlock the innovation potential of all our citizens. Ninety percent of HBCUs are not research-intensive institutions and represent an untapped resource of new and innovative ideas. To engage this academic population in innovation and entrepreneurship, this project will reimagine the I-Corps curriculum to fit undergraduate research HBCUs, manage the seven-week entrepreneurship scholars program, train faculty in I-Corps and Lean Launchpad Methodology, and evaluate the effectiveness of the I-Corps new curriculum in generating innovation and entrepreneurship at HBCUs. Results from this study will be used to create the HBCU I-Corp Alliance and Resource Center to continue the program beyond the project. The outcomes will advance our understanding of whether I-Corps and Lean Launchpad increase student interest and engagement in STEM, entrepreneurship, and inform best practices in developing innovation and entrepreneurial capability at moderate research level and undergraduate research HBCUs. 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.