Building a US innovation network (I-Corps) node in Michigan

在密歇根州建立美国创新网络（I-Corps）节点

• 批准号: 1240409
• 负责人: Jonathan Fay
• 金额: $ 150万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-07-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1240409&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Building; US; innovation; network; Corps

Building a US innovation network (I-Corps) node in MichiganProject DescriptionThis project is establishing a founding network node at the University of Michigan (UMich) to successfully replicate the I-Corps curriculum at geographically distributed regions throughout the nation and further study how innovation permeates the academic culture. Although the current I-Corps program trains the nation's researchers in cutting-edge customer development methods, it does not offer additional support for start-ups once the go/no-go decision is made. Providing such support to local teams can offer great benefit, since most researchers are unlikely to relocate to the most active geographical regions of entrepreneurial activity. Building a robust network of innovation nodes across the country is critical to help support potential startups; therefore, this project offers a path toward leveraging a connected group of knowledgeable and highly experienced groups to help mitigate the issues and risks associated with creating new enterprises.The UMich node will deliver the I-Corps hypothesis/validation-based (Lean LaunchPad - LLP) curriculum that focuses on Customer Development Methodology to cohorts of NSF-designated teams on a semi-annual basis. This will allow for training and development of I-Corps teams in an alternate location, while additionally increasing the breadth/depth of training and helping to scale the overall impact of the I-Corps program. UMich organized a team of trainers to present the I-Corps curriculum to I-Corps teams and help expand the pool of prospective I-Corps faculty who are able to teach the I-Corps curriculum, work with the selected teams, and help to further inform the national innovation network.Broader SignificanceThe establishment of an I-Corps node at the UMich is fostering the pursuit of both short-term and long-term research and development projects to help achieve the goals of the NSF I-Corps program. The node is researching, analyzing, and leveraging data from the I-Corps education, training and opportunity development efforts to: 1) develop an understanding of how institutions can improve support for innovation ecosystems; 2) create and share methods for successfully scaling effective practices and models that foster innovation; 3) explore how the network can enable new collaborations among geographic regions to support commercialization opportunity development, independent of geographic locations; 4) examine and track the I-Corps teams' dynamics, activities, and outcomes; and 5) identify and propose improvements to the I-Corps curriculum materials, training practices, and national innovation network utilization. The UMich node is expanding the I-Corps cadre of innovation experts that are disseminating effective practices, fostering a change in culture (particularly in academia) and helping to mentor others in their business development efforts on a national scale. The UMich node has the potential to have a positive influence on future research direction at all universities. While the I-Corps training program doesn't increase overall research activity, it encourages a culture among university researchers to pursue areas in which there are confirmed industrial/societal needs. Furthermore, UMich has a set of existing entrepreneurship programs that can be leveraged to support I-Corps.

在密歇根州建立一个美国创新网络（I-Corps）节点项目描述该项目正在密歇根大学（UMich）建立一个创始网络节点，以便在全国各地的地理分布区域成功复制I-Corps课程，并进一步研究创新如何渗透到学术文化中。尽管目前的I-Corps项目培训了国家的研究人员掌握最先进的客户开发方法，但一旦做出了去/不去的决定，它就不会为初创企业提供额外的支持。向当地团队提供这种支持可以带来很大的好处，因为大多数研究人员不太可能搬迁到创业活动最活跃的地理区域。在全国范围内建立一个强大的创新节点网络对于帮助支持潜在的初创企业至关重要;因此，在本发明中，该项目提供了一条利用知识渊博、经验丰富的团体组成的相互联系的小组来帮助减轻与创建新企业相关的问题和风险的途径（精益LaunchPad - LLP）课程，侧重于客户开发方法，每半年向NSF指定的团队提供一次。这将允许在另一个地点培训和发展I-军团团队，同时增加培训的广度/深度，并有助于扩大I-军团方案的整体影响。UMich组织了一个培训师团队，向I-Corps团队介绍I-Corps课程，并帮助扩大能够教授I-Corps课程，与选定团队合作，更广泛的意义在密歇根大学建立一个I-Corps节点，促进了对短期和长期创新的追求，长期研究和开发项目，以帮助实现NSF I-Corps计划的目标。该节点正在研究、分析和利用来自I-Corps教育、培训和机会开发工作的数据，以：1）了解机构如何改善对创新生态系统的支持; 2）创建和分享成功推广促进创新的有效做法和模式的方法; 3）探索网络如何能够在地理区域之间实现新的合作，以支持商业化机会的开发，而不受地理位置的影响; 4）检查和跟踪I-Corps团队的动态，活动和成果; 5）确定并提出改进I-Corps课程材料，培训实践和国家创新网络的利用。密歇根大学的节点正在扩大创新团队的创新专家骨干队伍，他们正在传播有效的做法，促进文化变革（特别是在学术界），并帮助指导其他人在全国范围内开展业务发展工作。Umich节点有可能对所有大学的未来研究方向产生积极影响。虽然I-Corps培训计划并没有增加整体的研究活动，但它鼓励大学研究人员之间的文化，以追求有确认的工业/社会需求的领域。此外，密歇根大学有一套现有的创业计划，可以用来支持I-Corps。