I-Corps@Ohio RFPs being accepted until Jan. 21
The deadline to apply for the I-Corps@Ohio 2020 cohort is January 21, 2020. I-Corps@Ohio is a statewide program developed to assist faculty, staff and students at Ohio universities, colleges and community colleges in validating the market potential of technologies and launching startup companies.
The I-Corps@Ohio program aims to advance the translation of fundamental research to innovative products and services that drive scalable business models that serve as the basis for startup companies. The program is modeled after the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) successful I-Corps (Innovation Corps) program, which has been proven to increase innovation, entrepreneurship and industry collaboration.
The eight-week I-Corps@Ohio curriculum, delivered after the close of Spring Semester, uses the Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas methodology to develop hypotheses about a commercialization opportunity. Those hypotheses are tested and revised through a series of more than 100 customer interviews. Certified instructors with business, entrepreneurial and research backgrounds guide teams through this process, providing intensive coaching and feedback throughout the curriculum. Fundamental to the design of the I-Corps@Ohio program is that, at the end of the curriculum, teams arrive at actionable conclusions about the best path to market.
I-Corps@Ohio teams consists of at least three participants filling the following roles: 1) Principal Investigator; 2) Entrepreneurial Lead; and 3) Executive Mentor. To be accepted into I-Corps@Ohio, teams must propose a specific customer segment and clear value proposition for their technology at the time of application. An I-Corps@Ohio team should be established prior to the deadline to submit proposals and identified by team member role in the proposal.
I-Corps @Ohio will grant a maximum of 16 awards of up to $12,500 each year. The duration of each award is six months. Teams that receive I-Corps@Ohio funding are required to complete an intensive eight-week, hands-on training program designed to help understand the market for their technology, develop a compelling commercialization strategy and attain new skills that will be useful to a long-term career in research and development. Two cohort tracks are offered in Science & Engineering and Medtech, with each designed to offer both common and subject matter specific content.
Learn more at https://icorpsohio.org/apply/.