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

NSF i-Corps西南中心的更广泛影响是在整个西南地区建立了标准化的地区i-Corps基础设施，具有强有力的扩张计划，并随时可以获得创业培训，以帮助研究人员在技术翻译中应用客户发现原则。即使在该地区拥有50多家财富500强研发机构和公司总部，这个充满活力的生态系统在获得资本、经验丰富的企业家和深度技术研究人员的导师方面仍存在巨大差距，导致在满足该地区日益增长的创新和劳动力需求方面面临挑战。西南中心通过将合作机构的独特联盟聚集在一起来应对这些挑战，以缓解劳动力、知识转移和资本差距，这些都是蓬勃发展的深度科技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开发具有商业相关性和对潜在投资者和下游合作伙伴具有吸引力的产品方面有着成功的记录。此外，西南枢纽可能会增加代表不足的群体(URG)参与i-Corps计划，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。西南枢纽地区包括123所为拉美裔服务的机构(HSI)，16所历史上为黑人服务的学院和大学(HBCU)，以及20所为非部落机构(NASNTI)和部落学院和大学(TCU)服务的美洲原住民，并将特别关注西南部地区最大的三个少数民族群体：西语裔、非裔美国人和美洲原住民。西南中心将利用其REACH调查结果在各个层面增加多样性，包括i-Corps团队、教师和整个地区的领导力。这个i-Corps中心项目基于系统和全面的区域规划网络的发展，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发展和经济增长。该中心代表了来自四个州的教育合作伙伴，这些州位于美国增长最快的地区之一，拥有一个由超过30亿美元的研发组合推动的充满活力的创新生态系统。该小组有作为地区i-Corps节点和站点的经验。随着教职员工、研究生、博士后和其他研究人员的多样化，以及由培训师、导师和企业家组成的专家网络的存在，一个关键的影响将是增加整个地区对国家i-Corps计划的参与，导致一个多样化、包容性和具有人口代表性的生态系统。商业化路线图加强了学术界和产业界之间的伙伴关系。此外，该项目将介绍第一批专门用西班牙语授课的地区i-Corps群体，接触到该区域人数不足的关键群体。研究部分将测试数据驱动的轴辐式模型及其对培训的影响，以获得成功的结果，提高对创新过程的理解，并生成政策结果，以提高深度技术商业化的成功速度和可能性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.