The NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) guides promising research with commercial potential out of university laboratories

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has established a new opportunity to assess the readiness of emerging technology concepts for transitioning into valuable new products through a public-private partnership. The NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program will bring together the technological, entrepreneurial, and business know-how to bring discoveries ripe for innovation out of the university lab.

While the knowledge gained from NSF-supported basic research frequently advances a particular field of science or engineering, some results also show immediate potential for broader applicability and impact in the business world. These results may be translated into technologies with near-term benefits for the economy and society.

With the I-Corps grants, NSF will strategically identify these nascent concepts and leverage its investment in basic research for technology innovation. To do so successfully--and to address the national need for economic growth--will require a public–private partnership.

Find out more in the NSF news releases on the I-Corps launch and the first round of awardees, and through monthly I-Corps webinars.

Also see NSF Director Subra Suresh's talking points on NSF's Innovation Corps.