Type I: An NSF ICORP Site Program for Northeastern University

该项目在东北大学创建了一个NSF I-Corps站点。NSF Innovation Corps（I-Corps）站点是在大学建立的NSF资助实体，其目的是培养和支持多个本地团队将其技术概念转化为市场。网站提供基础设施，建议，资源，网络机会，培训和适度的资金，使团体能够将他们的工作转移到市场或成为I-Corps团队申请人。I-Corps网站还加强本地和区域创新，并为导师，研究人员，企业家和投资者的国家创新网络做出贡献。该网站利用东北大学的创业生态系统以及更大的波士顿创新生态系统。该计划的基础是越来越多的资助研究，为商业化提供了未开发的机会。为了促进创业，东北大学为本科生和研究生开设了一系列创业课程，并在校园内设立了一个孵化器，为当地投资界提供创业机会。东北大学I-Corps Site项目大大提高了通过其网站建立的STEM相关企业的数量和质量。I-Corps Site计划还利用东北大学的技术许可办公室及其导师和投资者网络来支持现场团队。有280名活跃的个人导师支持东北大学的创业公司，以及各种天使和风险投资者，他们定期评估东北大学的风险投资，其中50家在过去三年中获得了7000万美元的风险投资。东北大学的创业系统是基于教育，孵化和启动的元过程。I-Corp Site计划是一种高度集中的方式，a）更好地招募特定的毕业生，博士后和潜在的技术企业家的教师群体，以及B）为他们提供初始创业和创新教育和培训。东北大学还在进行研究，以更清楚地了解创业学习对首次创业者在自己的孵化器中的影响，重点是开发客户洞察力，新产品和服务解决方案以及商业模式等具体领域。东北大学的目标是增加实验室中出现的技术企业的数量和质量，并为I-Corps国家计划提供新的企业。另一个重要的影响是，I-Corps为早期企业提供了一个补充途径，通过I-Corps节点和SBIR/STTR计划寻求初始资金。另一个潜在的影响是该计划在随后的几年中扩展到在东北校区一英里内的众多研究环境中工作的早期企业家。这些机构包括哈佛、塔夫茨大学和波士顿大学的医学院和附属医院，以及从事机器人、网络安全和物联网等STEM领域研究的组织。

This project creates an NSF I-Corps Site at Northeastern University.NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Sites are NSF-funded entities established at universities whose purpose is to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their technology concepts into the marketplace. Sites provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants. I-Corps Sites also strengthen innovation locally and regionally and contribute to the National Innovation Network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors.This Site leverages Northeastern's entrepreneurship ecosystem as well as that of the larger Boston innovation ecosystem. The foundation for the program is a growing body of funded research which offers untapped opportunities for commercialization. To facilitate entrepreneurship, Northeastern created a series of entrepreneurship courses for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as an on-campus incubator feeding ventures into the local investment community.The Northeastern I-Corps Site program substantially increases both the quantity and quality of STEM-related ventures founded through its Site. The I-Corps Site program also leverage Northeastern's technology licensing office as well as its Mentor and Investors Networks in support of Site teams. There are 280 active individual Mentors supporting Northeastern's startups, as well as a variety of angel and venture capital investors who regularly assess Northeastern ventures, fifty of which have garnered $70 million in venture finance over the past three years. Northeastern University's entrepreneurship system is based on the meta-process of Educate, Incubate, and Launch. The I-Corp Site program is a highly focused way to a) better recruit a specific graduate, postdoc, and faculty population of potential technological entrepreneurs, and b) provide initial entrepreneurship and innovation education and training for them. Northeastern is also conducting research to more clearly understand the effect of entrepreneurial learning for first time entrepreneurs in its own incubator, focusing on the specific areas of developing customer insight, new product and service solutions, and business models. Several I-Corp ventures are already part of this study.Northeastern's Site goals are to increase the number and quality of technology ventures emerging from laboratories and to feed new ventures into the I-Corps National program. Another important impact is that I-Corps offers a complementary pathway for early stage ventures to pursue initial funding through I-Corps Node and SBIR/STTR programs. Another potential impact is the expansion of this program in subsequent years to early stage entrepreneurs working in the numerous research environments within one mile of the Northeastern campus. These institutions include the medical schools and hospitals affiliated with Harvard, Tufts, and Boston University, as well as organizations pursuing research in robotics, cybersecurity, and IoT among other STEM areas.