AWARE-EDP: Coaching and professional development to advance STEM innovation ideas and funding of underrepresented entrepreneurs and scientists

加速妇女和未被充分代表的企业家（AWARE）创业发展计划（EDP）项目的更广泛影响是增加来自未被充分代表的社区（非洲裔美国人、西班牙裔/拉丁裔、美洲原住民和妇女）的企业家和科学家参与STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）创业。该项目的特别重点是扩大代表性不足的企业家和科学家对联邦创新研究和发展计划的参与，特别是小企业创新研究（SBIR）和创新伙伴关系（PIF）计划。这些项目为科学家和企业家提供资金，以开发具有高度不确定性和无法产生理想原型或技术发现的风险的先进创新。该项目将为代表性不足的少数群体提供具有商业和科学专业知识的资源和个人，以1)提供指导和创业培训2)推进STEM创新理念的发展3)在申请SBIR或PFI之前了解并为产品开发阶段的创新者做好准备。该项目正在通过“明日管理领导力”（MLT）进行传播。MLT是一个全国性的非营利组织，在过去15年里为5000多名非洲裔美国人、西班牙裔/拉丁裔美国人和美洲原住民项目参与者提供职业指导和职业发展培训，使100多家公司和社会部门组织的人才管道多样化。拟议的项目将通过为创新科学和技术理念的商业化提供指导和资金途径，解决来自代表性不足背景的企业家和科学家的障碍。如今，只有不到1%的风险资本支持的企业家是少数族裔，而由全黑人创始团队组成的企业获得的融资金额，是由全白人和全亚洲风险资本支持的团队获得的融资金额的30-60%。缺乏获得资本和网络的机会已被记录为企业家的限制因素，这些因素对来自代表性不足背景的企业家来说被放大了。AWARE EDP项目为科学家和企业家提供了机会，通过指导和指导，让他们了解如何开发概念证明，通过信息访谈测试想法的强度和可行性，通过与技术合作伙伴的新兵训练营了解在技术行业取得成功的策略，并制定获得种子资金的行动计划。该项目的四个目标是：1)提供创业培训手册和指导，帮助代表性不足的企业家和科学家进行技术创新；2)为参与者提供指导和辅导，以开发科技型产品和服务；3)通过与项目官员的研讨会和在申请过程中的指导，支持SBIR/PFI的拨款申请和项目参与者的奖励；4)为创业者提供焦点小组资源、原型测试、资金引进等支持服务。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of the Accelerating Women and underRepresented Entrepreneurs (AWARE) Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) project is to increase the participation of entrepreneurs and scientists from underrepresented communities (African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans and women) in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) entrepreneurship. The particular emphasis of this project is to broaden the participation of underrepresented entrepreneurs and scientists in federal innovation research and development programs, specifically the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Partnership for Innovation (PIF) programs. These programs provide funding for scientists and entrepreneurs to develop advanced innovations that have a high level of uncertainty and risk of not resulting in a desired prototype or technological discovery. This project will match underrepresented minorities with resources and individuals that have business and scientific expertise to 1) provide coaching and entrepreneurship training 2) advance the development of ideas for STEM innovations and 3) understand and prepare innovators for the product development stage prior to applying for SBIR or PFI. The project is being disseminated through Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), a national nonprofit that has provided career coaching and professional development training to over 5,000 African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American program participants over 15 years to diversify the talent pipelines of more than 100 corporations and social sector organizations. The proposed project will address barriers of entrepreneurs and scientists from underrepresented backgrounds by providing coaching and pathways to funding for commercializing innovative scientific and technical ideas. Today less than 1% of venture capital-backed entrepreneurs are underrepresented minorities, and ventures with all-Black founding teams received 30-60% of the funding amount acquired by all-White and all Asian venture capital-backed teams. Lack of access to capital and networks have been documented as limiting factors for entrepreneurs, with these factors magnified for entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds. The AWARE EDP program provides opportunities to educate scientists and entrepreneurs through mentorship and coaching on how to develop proof of concepts, test the strength and viability of ideas through informational interviews, understand strategies for success in the tech industry through boot camps with tech partners, and create an action plan for acquiring seed funding. The four goals of this program are the following: 1) provide an entrepreneurship training playbook and coaching to help underrepresented entrepreneurs and scientists create technical innovations; 2) provide participants with mentorship and coaching to develop scientific and technology-based products and services; 3) support SBIR/PFI grant applications and awards of program participants through workshops with program officers and guidance in the application process; and 4) provide access to resources for focus groups, prototype testing, capital introduction and other support services for entrepreneurs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.