Why we pilot
A “science-of-science" approach
TIP views pilots as experiments that offer an opportunity to learn something new or improve the agency’s overall approach to funding research and innovation. Specifically, each pilot involves defining a hypothesis, testing it, and then assessing the outcomes to inform if the approach is worthy of further investment and scaling.
Please note: NSF does not solicit proposals for pilots.
Our recent pilots
Entrepreneurial Training Pilot Before and After I-Corps
A $5 million entrepreneurial training and mentoring pilot program for academic researchers offers training that specifically builds upon and extends NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps™). Led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this pilot will help researchers launch a startup to commercialize technology.
NobleReach Emerge Pilot
A $5 million collaboration between NSF and NobleReach Emerge to identify and accelerate the translation of NSF-funded research into biotech and bio-inspired designs with impacts. NSF and NobleReach Emerge staff selected research with potential commercial applications then connected researchers with NobleReach Emerge experts.
NextCorps Pilot
A $4.5 million pilot designed to help maximize the chances of success for startups by making available novel curriculum and support methodologies, including techno-economics training and methods to evaluate financials. The pilot is led by NextCorps, a startup accelerator based in Rochester, New York.
Industries of Ideas
A $10 million, three-year pilot expansion designed to better assess the impact of the directorate's research investments on regional economies and job growth across the United States. This expansion builds upon a successful prototype funded by TIP in 2023 and tested in Ohio.
NSF Research Traineeship
A new track of the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program designed to help graduate students at non-R1 institutions of higher education (IHEs) – institutions without high research activity – develop the skills, knowledge and competencies needed to pursue a range of careers in STEM.
HALO
A $1.2 million pilot designed to create new, diverse partnerships among U.S. institutions of higher education and industry innovators in materials science and engineering through a common taxonomy. The pilot is led by Halo, an AI-powered partnering platform for research and development.
TIP Investments pilot
Using Elsevier's Pure platform, the pilot effort shows a map and award data to showcase the scale and impact of TIP's investments in key technology areas across the nation.
Recent Prize Challenges
PETs Prize Challenges
The Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) Prize Challenge encouraged privacy-preserving artificial intelligence solutions to tackle financial crime and improve pandemic responses.
VITAL Prize Challenge
The Visionary Interdisciplinary Teams Advancing Learning (VITAL) Prize Challenge encourages teams to develop innovative learning technologies for K-12 students.
Past pilots
Framework for Technology Assessment
A network of universities funded by TIP completed a yearlong, nearly $4 million pilot effort with the release of a report – Securing America’s Future: A Framework for Critical Technology Assessment. The findings of this initial work set the foundations for the Assessing and Predicting Technology Outcomes program.
Compass Pilot
A $2 million pilot to support the increased involvement and success of entrepreneurs. The pilot was led by the Public Policy Lab, a nonprofit innovation lab.