I-Corps Sites: Type I - Texas State University I-Corps Site for Entrepreneurship

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This project, from Texas State University's (TSU) aims to further entrepreneurial excellence by creating an NSF I-Corps Site through the Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization (MSEC) Program. 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.MSEC accomplishes cross-campus synergy by bringing various entrepreneurial units' efforts together on common projects. With the assistance of this Site grant, MSEC strengthens the innovation ecosystem across the university, grows the commercialization culture at TSU and increases diversity. MSEC will use the five-year I-Corps Site funding to firmly embed an I-Corps environment across TSU, coalescing the efforts of various units across campus into a cohesive entrepreneurial resource for the university. MSEC is an integrated effort based on the university's College of Science and Engineering (COSE) and McCoy College of Business Administration (MCBA), bringing scientists and engineers together with experts in entrepreneurship to ensure success of the I-Corps Site. With an emphasis on under-represented students, staff, and faculty, the I-Corps Site provides resources to individuals and teams in the form of entrepreneurial mentoring, curriculum, and intellectual property guidance needed to transition technology into the marketplace.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.