NSF Innovation-Corps (I-Corps) Northeast Hub
Yale University is a part of the National Science Foundation-funded I-Corps Northeast Hub. The hub provides entrepreneurial training, mentoring, and resources to enable researchers to form startup companies that translate laboratory discoveries into breakthrough products and services.
The I-Corps Hub Northeast Region is a coalition of universities that provides programs to help researchers explore the potential for scientific and technological discoveries to become products that can benefit society. Launched in January 2022 with a 5-year grant from the National Science Foundation (grant #NSF 2048602), the Hub is committed to serving researchers of all backgrounds with an emphasis on inclusive innovation. The Hub includes ten members: Princeton University, Rutgers University, University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Lehigh University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rowan University, Temple University, Drexel University, and Yale University.
Who can participate?
Researchers and their colleagues who have developed a science or technology innovation at any university or college across the northeast are eligible to become entrepreneurial or technical leads. Non-university teams are also eligible if they have a "deep tech" (science or engineering) innovation.
Teams should include an entrepreneurial lead, a technical lead, and a mentor. For more information on team requirements, visit I-Corps Hub Regional Program for more information.
How does I-Corps work?
- Researchers form teams and attend a 4-session program focused on identifying how their innovation meets customer needs.
- Grant Teams can include faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and/or undergraduates who are developing a scientific or technological discovery at any institution in the Northeast.
- After finishing the course, promising teams may apply to attend NSF's national I-Corps Teams program and win a $50,000 small business grant.
Why participate in I-Corps?
- Researchers in the program build relationships and gain skills in an inclusive, welcoming environment.
- Program alumni become part of the I-Corps entrepreneurship ecosystem and have access to resources across the Hub-member institutions.
- Participants make valuable connections with mentors and industry leaders with experience in transitioning technologies into new ventures.
Yale University Joins National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Northeast Hub
“We are excited to join I-Corps, a forward-looking initiative that aligns perfectly with our School’s commitment to fostering innovation from faculty, staff, and students. The quickly changing challenges of the 21st century require new and faster ways of getting groundbreaking research out of the lab and to where it will have the most impact. Teaming up with I-Corps brings us a step closer to doing so.”
—Jeffrey Brock, Dean of The Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science
Contact
Sarah M. Miller, associate dean of Yale University's School of Engineering & Applied Science (Yale SEAS), serves as the NSF I-Corps Northeast Hub Faculty Lead for Yale University.
If you're a Yale faculty member already working with Yale Ventures, contact your business development lead. Or for more information and to engage with NSF I-Corps Northeast Hub, contact Dean Miller.
