Applications are due by Friday, May 3, for Princeton University’s Propelus I-Corps regional program. The next sessions of the program take place Tuesday, May 21, and Friday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
As materials on the program’s website, icorpsnortheasthub.org, explain, the program enables scientists and engineers working in teams to “take the first step in assessing if their research has the feasibility to become a product or service of benefit to society.”
The program is funded by the National Science Foundation with Princeton University as the principal institution. Other member institutions are Delaware State University, Drexel University, Lehigh University, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Rowan University, Rutgers University, Temple University, University of Connecticut, University of Delaware, and Yale University.
As the website continues:
Participants join the program in small teams organized around the development and commercialization of a particular discovery. Those eligible to apply include researchers and their colleagues who have developed a science or technology innovation at any university or college across the northeast. Non-university teams are also eligible if they have a “deep tech” (science or engineering) innovation. Teams do not need to originate from a member institution but are typically based at a college, university, medical school, or hospital. Preference is given to teams from the Northeast.
At minimum, a team includes three members: an entrepreneurial lead, a technical lead, and a mentor. Applications will be reviewed by the I-Corps Hub Review Committee based on project potential and team commitment. Team that pass an initial screening receive an online interview and, if selected, are invited to participate in the four-session online training program.
Teams engage in customer discovery research aimed at investigating the commercial viability and societal impact of a novel discovery or process in science, technology or engineering. The program provides grants of up to $3,000 and training to support customer discovery and technology investigation.
Training includes four sessions introducing the lean startup methodology and guiding teams through customer discovery research — customer, problem, solution and value proposition testing. Teams will receive mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs and innovators and may also utilize many other programs offered by the Hub-affiliated institutions.
Upon completion, teams are eligible for the national NSF I-Corps Teams program, which provides an intensive seven-week training course and a $50,000 grant.
