PROGRAMS
Regional Courses: Spark & Fusion
Attend our free regional I-Corps short courses developed specifically for STEM researchers. Whether you are just curious about entrepreneurship or certain you want to create a startup, our programs provide engineers and scientists with the ideal entry point to explore the potential value of their research or innovation. Individuals and teams may apply.
Program Progression - Participants begin with a three-week program called Spark . After completing Spark, participants that are candidates for the National Teams program may be eligible to apply for the Fusion program, during which each team can receive a microgrant of up to $1,000 to conduct further customer discovery. Completing both Spark and Fusion may qualify participants to apply for the NSF I-Corps Teams program and a grant of up to $50,000.
I-Corps Courses at Universities in New England
We also support and assist I-Corps Sites at universities across New England that develop and deliver their own customer discovery training programs to their communities.
Completing an I-Corps Site course may qualify teams to apply for the NSF I-Corps Teams program and a grant of up to $50,000.
More information about these programs can be found at their websites (below):
National I-Corps Teams Program
The NSF I-Corps Teams program is an intensive seven-week innovation and entrepreneurship training course which includes mentoring and up to $50,000 in NSF funding. This immersive customer discovery experience has been proven to significantly strengthen SBIR/STTR proposals from participants.
Top researchers from across the country apply to this highly regarded program. NE I-Corps is happy to assist teams from New England in the application process.
To qualify, teams must have:
1) a relevant NSF research award OR
2) completed our regional Spark + Fusion programs OR
3) completed an equivalent I-Corps site program
There are additional requirements; see the NSF website and Program Solicitation for complete information.