UMD I-Corps Invites Applications for August 2021 Cohort
UMD I-Corps Invites Applications for August 2021 Cohort
The University of Maryland is offering a free UMD I-Corps short course ONLINE this August to innovators and entrepreneurs. Based on the National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps curriculum, this course offers real-world, hands-on, immersive learning about what it takes to successfully transfer knowledge into products and processes that benefit society. This short I-Corps course will introduce the concepts of business model generation and the process of customer discovery. The course will provide the tools to begin to determine whether the innovation, in its current stage, has product-market fit.
UMD professors, research staff, post docs, graduate students, and undergraduate students, along with Maryland System researchers and technology entrepreneurs, with potentially commercializable research or technology-based business ideas, are invited to apply. While individuals may apply to the course, it is strongly encouraged to apply as a team of at least two members, and to apply with a mentor to support you in the program. The course runs Friday, August 6, 2021 to Friday, August 27, 2021. Specific session dates can be found here.
For best consideration, apply by July 30, 2021.
I-Corps is a National Science Foundation program designed to foster, grow and nurture innovation ecosystems regionally and nationally. The University of Maryland is a member of the DC I-Corps Node as well as of the larger National Innovation Network.
The program provides real world, hands-on training on how to successfully incorporate innovations into successful products to solve societal problems. The curriculum is based on the Lean Startup framework and provides an immersive learning experience through which researchers can better understand the market potential of an innovation. Participating in an Introduction to I-Corps Course on campus is a required component of commercializing technology at the University of Maryland.
Teams that successfully complete a UMD Introduction to I-Corps course may be eligible to apply for the national NSF I-Corps program. Those accepted into the national program receive $50,000 to assist with customer discovery and to cover the expenses of all team members attending the opening and closing workshops. National programs are intense, seven-week cohorts in which teams conduct a minimum of 100 interviews. Teams interested in applying or learning more about NSF National I-Corps should meet with Dan Kunitz, Executive Director of the DC I-Corps Node and Director of Venture Strategy and Development at UMD.
For more information about NSF’s I-Corps please review the following resources:
Resource for UMD Teams Applying to Nationals
UMD I-Corps Teams: Guide to NSF National Application (pdf)
July 7, 2021
Prev Next
Connect
Did You Know
UMD is the only major public research university inside the Washington, DC beltway!!