National NSF I-CORPS™ APPLICATION PROCESS

The process below is for the National NSF I-Corps program only, not a Regional I-Corps program. The completion of a Regional I-Corps program is required to be eligible for National I-Corps.

Please read through all steps carefully and reach out to info@gp-icorps.com if you have any questions.

Eligibility requirements

  • Required team consisting of:
    • Technical Lead / Primary Investigator: A faculty member who is the technology inventor and serves as principal investigator, or a postdoctoral researcher who has expertise in the core technology area.
    • Entrepreneurial Lead: A graduate student or postdoctoral researcher who leads the team and is committed to commercialization.
    • Industry Mentor: An industry expert with business/entrepreneurial experience who is independent from the technology development and team.
  • Obtain prior NSF lineage
    • From a prior NSF research grant in the last five years, OR
    • Successful completion of a regional I-Corps program and a minimum of 20 customer interviews.
  • Develop a deep technology/STEM innovation
  • Have the right to pursue the Intellectual Property (sponsoring university owns it)
  • Commit to attending all cohort meetings and conducting 100 customer discovery interviews during the seven-week cohort

 

Application Process

  1. Understand and commit to all participation requirements for NSF I-Corps: FAQ’s, and Introductory Webinar. 
  2. Complete a regional I-Corps program with your traditional team. 
  3. Prepare an Executive Summary using this template.
  4. After completing a regional I-Corps cohort with the Great Plains I-Corps Hub, you will need to obtain a nomination letter from your home institution. The template for this nomination letter can be found here. You will need to work with your university’s Principal Investigator (PI) and Faculty Lead. You can find their contact information on this page – https://gp-icorps.org/team/.  
  5. Apply for an interview for the National I-Corps program. You will need to upload a copy of your Executive Summary and signed Nomination Letter. 
  6. Interview with the GPH National interview committee. Teams are evaluated on a combination of factors, including the commercial readiness of technology, the potential market impact, and the team’s commitment and qualifications. The hub leadership team will provide guidance and feedback on your application. Apply any feedback given. 
  7. If you are awarded a nomination from the GPH’s National Interview Committe following your interview, you will receive a Nomination Letter from the Hub. 
  8. After receiving your Nomination Letter from the Hub, you can then submit your application here: https://nsfgov.my.site.com/mywork/s/login/?ec=302&startURL=/mywork/s/ 

application process

  1.  Understand and commit to all participation requirements for NSF I-Corps: FAQ’s, and Introductory Webinar.
  2.  Complete a regional I-Corps program with your traditional team.
  3.  Obtain a Nomination Letter from your academic institution using this template. The letter should be from your academic institution’s Hub leadership team (Primary Investigator or Faculty Lead) that is the most familiar with the team. It should indicate why your team would be a good fit for the NSF I-Corps program as well as your level of participation and performance in the regional I-Corps program.
  4.  Prepare an Executive Summary using this template.
  5.  Request a preparation interview with the hub leadership team by emailing www.info@gp-icorps.org with the subject line: <Team Name> <National I-Corps Application>. Include your Letter of Support and Executive Summary in the email. All interviews are done virtually.
  6.  Attend a preparation interview with the hub leadership team. Teams are evaluated on a combination of factors, including the commercial readiness of technology, the potential market impact, and the team’s commitment and qualifications. The hub leadership team will provide guidance and feedback on your application. Apply feedback given.
  7.  Obtain a Letter of Recommendation from the Great Plains Regional I-Corps Hub.
  8.  Once you have obtained the Letter of Recommendation, complete the NSF I-Corps Teams Executive Summary Form.
  9.  Participate in a screening interview with an NSF Program Officer. After completing a successful interview, you will be invited to select the cohort that your team would like to attend. Be sure all team members are available to attend all I-Corps session dates and times.
  10.  If invited by NSF, submit an I-Corps proposal.