I-Corps Sites: Tennessee Technological University

田纳西理工大学(TTU)的这个项目创建了一个i-Corps站点。nsf Innovation Corps(i-Corps)站点是由NSF资助的实体，成立于大学，其目的是培育和支持多个本地团队，将他们的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团队的申请者。I-Corps网站还加强了当地和地区的创新，并为由导师、研究人员、企业家和投资者组成的国家创新网络做出了贡献。TTU i-Corps网站的目标是通过每年向30+个团队提供I-Corps课程和支持，加强TN地区的创新生态系统和创业社区。这项活动将利用田纳西理工大学(TTU)、ORNL和Biz Foundry之间的现有合作伙伴关系，通过培训、加强教育和支持创新研究来加快商业化进程，同时利用现有的大学研究基础设施和启动田纳西(LaunchTN)加速器网络。TTU网站建立在TTU现有研究经验的基础上，为由学生、教师、行业成员和科学家组成的各种组合组成的团队增加了具体的商业化培训和经验。TTU i-Corps网站通过以下方式扩展了TTU的创新和技术商业化基础设施：1)在学生、教师、工程师和社区初创企业中培养技能；2)将学术界、政府和行业的技术转化为商业化。该项目通过促进研究成果的翻译，鼓励学术界和产业界之间的合作，以及培训学生理解创新和创业(I&amp；E)，实现了创新团队网站计划的目标。这笔资金使TTU能够支持其项目可能商业化的团队。TTU的创新站点基于国家i-Corps模式及其专注的培训经验，包括三个阶段，在创新创业生命周期中招募、沉浸和支持技术创业者。这些阶段是：1)团队组建和招募2)正式的I-Corps培训3)培训后支持这些阶段旨在改善成功商业化的途径，并将参与者培养成更好的创新者和对NSF I-Corps网络的贡献者。田纳西州(田纳西州)的州立初创企业，如SBIR/STTR融资，在过去20年中下降了37%，跌至第三个四分位数。直到最近，大多数TN创业者都没有或有限地获得培训或机会来发展他们的初创企业。TTU网站参与并促进了创业研究及其对工程教育的影响的更广泛知识，并增加了NSF i-Corps网络的创新者数据库。特别是，这个网站有助于理解创业和创新工程教育的作用及其对以下方面的潜在影响：批判性思维；新兴企业家和导师的网络；以及将商科学生加入i-Corps模式。该网站将基于现有的批判性思维评估(CAT)工具，调查早期实施量化的、国家化的评估模式，该模式适用于i-Corps模式，可以扩展到培训更大的创新社区。

This project at Tennessee Tech University (TTU) creates an I-Corps Site.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.The objective of the TTU I-Corps Site is to strengthen the innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurial community in the TN region through the delivery of the I-Corps curriculum and support to 30+ teams per year. This activity will leverage existing partnerships between Tennessee Technological University (TTU), ORNL and the Biz Foundry to accelerate commercialization through training, enhanced education, and support of innovative research, while capitalizing on the existing university research infrastructure and the Launch Tennessee (LaunchTN) accelerator network. The TTU Site builds on the existing research experience at TTU by adding specific commercialization training and experience for teams that are composed of various combinations of students, faculty, members of industry and scientists. The TTU I-Corps Site expands the innovation and technical commercialization infrastructure at TTU by: 1) Building skill sets among students, faculty, engineers and community startups, and 2) Moving technology from academia, government, and industry toward commercialization. This project achieves the goals of the Innovation Corps Sites Program by facilitating the translation of research, encouraging collaboration between academia and industry, and training students to understand innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E). This funding allows TTU to support teams whose projects are likely candidates for commercialization.The innovation Site at TTU is built around the national I-Corps model, and its focused training experience, and consists of three stages to recruit, immerse and support technical entrepreneurs in the innovation and entrepreneurship lifecycle. The stages are: 1) Team origination and recruitment 2) Formal I-Corps training 3) Post-training supportThese stages are designed to improve the pathway to successful commercialization and develop the participants as better innovators and contributors to the NSF I-Corps network. Tennessee (TN) state entrepreneurial startups, as exemplified by SBIR/STTR funding, fall in the 3rd quartile ranking with a 37% decrease in the past two decades. Until recently, most TN entrepreneurs have had limited or no access to training or opportunities to grow their startup. The TTU Site participates in and contributes to the broader knowledge of entrepreneurship research and its impact on engineering education and adds to the database of innovators in the NSF I-Corps network. In particular, this Site aids in understanding the role of entrepreneurship and innovation engineering education and its potential impact on: critical thinking; the network of emerging entrepreneurs and mentors; and, the addition of business students into the I-Corps model. The Site will investigate the early implementation of a quantitative, nationalized assessment model, based on the existing Critical Thinking Assessment (CAT) tool, appropriate for the I-Corps model that could be extended to train the larger innovation community.