NSF I-Corps Hub (Track 1): Southwest Region

NSF I-Corps西南中心更广泛的影响是在西南地区建立标准化的区域I-Corps基础设施，并制定健全的扩展计划，并随时提供创业培训，以帮助研究人员在技术翻译中应用客户发现原则。尽管该地区拥有50多家财富500强（Fortune 500）的研发和企业总部，但这个充满活力的生态系统在获得资金、经验丰富的企业家和深度技术研究人员的导师方面仍然存在很大差距，导致在满足该地区不断增长的创新和劳动力需求方面面临挑战。西南中心通过汇集独特的合作机构联盟来解决这些挑战，以减轻劳动力，知识转移和资本差距，这些都是蓬勃发展的深度技术风险生态系统的关键障碍。西南枢纽机构在培训研究人员应用客户发现原则来开发对潜在投资者和下游合作伙伴具有商业相关性和吸引力的产品方面取得了成功的记录。此外，西南中心可能会增加I-Corps项目中代表性不足群体（urg）的参与，这些群体在历史上没有同样的机会获得创业教育、投资资本和导师。西南中心地区包括123所西班牙裔服务机构（HSIs）， 16所传统黑人学院和大学（HBCUs）， 20所印第安人服务非部落机构（NASNTIs）和部落学院和大学（tcu），并将特别关注西南地区的三个最大的少数群体：西班牙裔，非洲裔美国人和印第安人。西南中心将利用其调查结果来增加各个层面的多样性，包括整个地区的I-Corps团队、教官和领导层。I-Corps Hubs项目的基础是开发一个系统和全面的区域规划网络，加速将联邦资助的研究转化为有益于社会的创新，并支持深度技术劳动力的发展和经济增长。该中心代表来自美国发展最快地区之一的四个州的教育合作伙伴，拥有由超过30亿美元的研发投资组合驱动的充满活力的创新生态系统。这个小组有作为区域I-Corps节点和站点的经验。拥有多样化的教师、研究生、博士后和其他研究人员，以及由培训师、导师和企业家组成的专家网络，将对整个地区国家I-Corps项目的参与产生关键影响，从而形成一个多样化、包容性和代表性的生态系统。商业化路线图加强了学术界和工业界之间的伙伴关系。此外，该项目将引进第一批专门以西班牙语授课的区域I-Corps班级，以接触该区域代表性不足的一个关键群体。研究部分将测试数据驱动的轮辐模型及其对成功成果培训的影响，提高对创新过程的理解，并产生政策发现，以提高深度技术商业化的速度和成功的可能性。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 NSF I-Corps Southwest Hub’s broader impact is establishment of a standardized regional I-Corps infrastructure across the southwest region with a robust expansion plan and ready access to entrepreneurial training to assist researchers in applying customer discovery principles in technology translation. Even with over 50 Fortune 500 research and development (R&D) and corporate headquarters located across the region, this vibrant ecosystem still has large disparities in terms of access to capital, experienced entrepreneurs, and mentors for deep tech researchers, resulting in challenges in meeting the growing innovation and workforce demands of the region. The Southwest Hub addresses these challenges by bringing together a unique coalition of partner institutions to mitigate workforce, knowledge transfer, and capital disparities, which are critical impediments to a thriving deep tech venture ecosystem. The Southwest Hub institutions have successful track records of training researchers to apply customer discovery principles to develop products that are commercially relevant and attractive to potential investors and downstream partners. Additionally, the Southwest Hub may increase the participation of Underrepresented Groups (URGs) in the I-Corps program, which historically have not had the same access to entrepreneurial education, investment capital, and mentors. The Southwest Hub region includes 123 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and 20 Native American Serving NonTribal Institutions (NASNTIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and will have a special focus on the three largest minority groups in the southwest region: Hispanic, African American, and Native American. The Southwest Hub will use its reach findings to increase diversity at all levels, including I-Corps teams, instructors, and leadership across the region.This I-Corps Hubs project is based on the development of a systematic and comprehensive regional network of programming that accelerates the translation of federally funded research into innovations that benefit society and support deep tech workforce development and economic growth. The Hub represents educational partners from four states in one of the fastest growing regions in the United States with a vibrant innovation ecosystem driven by an R&D portfolio of over $3 Billion. This group has prior experience as regional I-Corps Nodes and Sites. With a diverse demography of faculty, graduate students, post-docs, and other researchers, and an expert network of trainers, mentors, and entrepreneurs, a key impact will be increased participation in national I-Corps programs throughout the region, leading to an ecosystem that is diverse, inclusive, and representative of its population. The commercialization roadmap has enhanced partnerships between academia and industry. In addition, this project will introduce the first regional I-Corps cohorts taught exclusively in Spanish, reaching a key underrepresented group in the region. The research component will test a data-driven hub-and-spoke model and its impact on training for successful outcomes, improving the understanding of innovation processes, and generating policy findings to improve the speed and likelihood of success for deep technology commercialization.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.