I-Corps Node: Southwest Alliance for Entrepreneurial Innovation Node (SAEIN)

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This project establishes an I-Corps Node that is focused on promoting innovation in the Southwest region of the United States (the Southwest Alliance for Entrepreneurial Innovation Node - "SAEIN"). SAEIN efforts will leverage the combined entrepreneurial experience and extensive research capabilities of three lead research institutions: The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), Texas A&M University (TAMU), and Rice University (Rice). Geographically, SAEIN will serve an area of more than 268,000 square miles and help foster the implementation of I-Corps methodologies across a collaborative group of more than 30 institutions of higher learning. SAEIN will specifically engage numerous Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to implement the I-Corps curriculum and methods as both a standard for entrepreneurial training and a mechanism to broaden participation in STEM fields. SAEIN has the potential to introduce NSF I-Corps curriculum to more than 710,000 community college students and almost 4.8 million K-12 students in the state.SAEIN will engage the use of I-Corps methodology throughout entrepreneurship-focused entities and events, including regional academic incubators, the Small Business Development Centers, high profile business plan competitions, and the international South by Southwest (SXSW) event. SAEIN will augment the NIN capabilities by building on the unique economic strengths, labor characteristics, lean manufacturing capabilities, and the innovation ecosystem found in the Southwest region. The Node will generate tremendous exposure for the I-Corps program nationwide and provide a unique platform for innovation promotion and venture development.SAEIN engages a strong alliance of institutions that are already connected by a large volume of NSF-supported research projects. It seeks to advance economic growth goals for the region and nation through a variety of programs and activities that employ the business model canvas and team-based discovery practice to best understand the intellectual property resulting from these projects. SAEIN will study the deployment of I-Corps methodologies into regional community college systems and investigate ways to increase STEM participation and 4-year transfer rates from community colleges through the application of I-Corps. Specific Level 3 research thrusts will explore: 1) Lean LaunchPad research that is targeted at vetting the impact of pivots and customer discovery on entrepreneurial success and scientific outcomes; 2) development of a STEM research canvas model that is focused on producing suitable STEM learning sets focused on K-12 STEM learners (consistent with the Business Model Canvas and I-Corps methodologies); and 3) I-Corps Team Modeling and Development, with a focus on exploring the effectiveness of new teaming models around I-Corps methodologies from different populations (i.e., community colleges, K-12, additional external groups).